TEHRAN – Iran’s correct policy of not exiting the nuclear agreement has borne fruit, says government spokesman Ali Rabiei.

“In recent days, we experienced one of the administration’s achievements in the international arena,” Rabiei said at a press conference on Tuesday, pointing to the lifting of a 10-year arms embargo on Iran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“This achievement, which was reached based on the rightfulness of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the resistance of the Iranian people, was the lifting of the arms embargo on Iran,” he added, according to Mehr.

Under the historic 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the UN Security Council’s ban on trade in conventional weapons against the Islamic Republic ended on Sunday. 

“As of today [October 18, 2020], all restrictions on the transfer of arms, related activities and financial services to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and all prohibitions regarding the entry into or transit through territories of the United Nations Member States previously imposed on a number of Iranian citizens and military officials, are all automatically terminated,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared in a statement on Sunday.

The ban was terminated under the terms of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that blessed the JCPOA between the Islamic Republic and six world powers.

The U.S. government, under President Donald Trump, suffered a humiliating defeat on August 14 as it failed to renew the arms embargo through a resolution at the UN Security Council. Russia and China voted against the motion and the remaining 11 council members, including France, Germany and the UK, abstained.

Rabiei stated that the embargo was lifted despite the political pressure and opposition by the U.S., Israel and their regional allies.

“The international community, in the last month, showed independence and non-compliance against the Americans’ bullying, which was a new development in the international arena,” he remarked.

The spokesman also maintained that Iranians do not love weapons, but rather they love peace and stability and co-existence and regional cooperation for sustainable development.

In remarks on Sunday, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said that Iran will sell more weapons than it will purchase following the expiration of the UN embargo.

“Since a year ago, many countries came to us and we had discussions with them,” Hatami said, Tasnim reported. “The ground for selling and buying weapons is prepared for the Islamic Republic of Iran, but of course, the sales will be more.”

MH/PA