Iran: Rouhani thanks countries that opposed US resolution to extend arms embargo

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has thanked the countries that abstained or voted against a draft resolution prepared by the United States to extend the UN arms embargo on Iran due to expire in October, IRNA news agency reported.

The agency said Rouhani expressed, during a cabinet meeting yesterday, his gratitude to the 11 countries that abstained from voting on the US draft resolution, in particular “the two friendly countries, Russia and China,” who voted against the decision.

Rouhani said the United States has become “isolated” and the Iranian people had won.

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Remarking on the US unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement signed between Tehran and the world powers, Rouhani said, “If Tehran took the initiative to exit the agreement in response to the American withdrawal, America would not have paid this price for its defeats.”

Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the five permanent Security Council members namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany agreed with Iran to gradually lift the sanctions in return for limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities that would prevent it making a nuclear bomb.

However, in May 2018 Washington unilaterally withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions previously lifted under JCPOA.