What will happen when the United Nations arms embargo on Iran expires on October 18, 2020? The Trump administration is trying to persuade other UN Security Council members to agree to a new arms embargo, in part by threatening to invoke the “snapback” provisions of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that can only be invoked by a “participant” in the JCPOA—which the Trump administration withdrew from in May 2018.
Whether the arms embargo expires or is extended will have major implications for the United States’ partners, competitors, and the Middle East. Read on and watch the video from our June 10 event for analysis by experts with insight into the perspectives of the JCPOA signatories and much of the Middle East.
Our blog pieces
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
Lack of modern technologies hampers Iran’s defense industry
While, in many countries, defense companies are private, they are state-owned in Iran. Because of the Islamic Republic’s long pariah status, interaction with the outside world has been limited.
IranSource by
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
The European approach on the arms embargo on Iran
On the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, the European approach has been, to a large extent, inspired by legal concerns and a commitment to a rules-based international order.
IranSource by Michel Duclos
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
Removing the UN arms embargo on Iran will reward Tehran’s malign actions
An Israeli perspective.
IranSource by
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
The Gulf is watching Washington’s moves on the UN embargo on Iran
Despite the spectrum of positions on Iran exhibited by Gulf governments, one thing they agree on is the need for the US and Europe to arrive at one voice on the embargo, and on Iran’s proxy activities across the board.
IranSource by Kirsten Fontenrose
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
Will China become a major arms supplier to Iran?
By becoming a major arms supplier to Iran, Beijing would unnecessarily antagonize the United States and alienate several Iranian rivals across the Middle East, many of which are also strategic partners for China.
IranSource by Jonathan Fulton
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
Lifting the UN arms embargo on Iran: Insights into Turkey’s options
A particular issue of concern to Turkey is whether Moscow might choose to supply advanced weapons systems to Iran, which Tehran has long sought.
IranSource by
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
Moscow is not buying Pompeo’s Iran snapback sanctions logic
Moscow made clear months ago that, once the United Nations arms embargo on Tehran expires in October, Russia intends to resume selling weapons to Iran.
IranSource by Mark N. Katz
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
Post-embargo, Iran arms purchases would be limited and selective
Iran’s purchases will likely be limited, by both economic and geopolitical constraints, including the impact of US sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic and caution on the part of potential suppliers.
IranSource by Barbara Slavin
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
The United States needs to preserve the UN Security Council snapback for the future
The United States, for its part, will need to be careful not to undermine one of its most powerful diplomatic tools developed since World War II: the ability to use the unique authority of the UN Security Council to get Russia and China—sometimes—to agree on what needs to be done.
IranSource by Thomas S. Warrick
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