According to the Iranian foreign ministry, the long-standing conventional arms embargo imposed on Iran has expired in line with the terms of a landmark nuclear accord between Iran and world powers.
That allows Iran to now purchase weapons on the basis of its defense needs.
Despite opposition from the United States, the 13-year-old ban imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) came to an end on Sunday.
“Today’s normalization of Iran’s defense cooperation with the world is a win for the cause of multilateralism and peace and security in our region,” Foreign Minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, announced on Twitter.
Arms embargo on Iran is lifted in part of Resolution 2231 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement signed in 2015 that put forth relief on Iran sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
The expiration of the ban means Iran will legally be able to buy and sell conventional arms, including missiles, helicopters, and tanks, as well as being able to actively use these arms and weapons from any source without any legal restrictions, basing it solely on defensive needs.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has also acted upon every means in its power to unravel the nuclear deal and halt the expiration of the arms embargo on Iran. Yet, to no good.
American diplomat Eric Edelman has made it clear that sanctions are important elements of a successful policy towards Iran.
“The expiration of the arms embargo highlights some of the weaknesses of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA,” he said.
The latest came in early October when 18 Iranian banks were blacklisted, hence effectively deteriorating Iran’s economic sector from the global economy.
Iranian people’s reactions are controversial. While many are praising the end of the sanction on weapons, some are calling for a change of the regime.