The US considers the UN Security Council the best place to discuss the arms embargo against Tehran, a State Department spokesperson said, commenting on the proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold an online conference of leaders of the UNSC states, Germany, and Iran to discuss the Persian Gulf and Iran.

"The United States has for the last 19 months sought to foster dialogue and discussion with Russia and other Security Council members on extending the UN arms embargo. Russia has repeatedly, and puzzlingly, claimed there is no legitimate basis to discuss extending the UN arms embargo at the UN Security Council and has refused to negotiate on any of the texts we proposed," the spokesperson said.

"The United States believes strongly that the Security Council is the best place to have discussions related to extending the UN arms embargo, and we have the benefit of 13 years of Security Council precedent on our side," the spokesperson added.

Iran says to export arms once UN embargo lifted

A day after the UN Security Council rejected a US draft resolution to extend an arms embargo on Iran, Tehran said Sunday it will export weapons once the ban is lifted.

“Iran will export and sell weapons” once the UN-mandated embargo is lifted, Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami told reporters on the sidelines of the National Defense Industry Day in Tehran.

He said Iran will “use all its capacities to meet its arms requirements” by exporting weapons after the 13-year embargo expires in October.

On Saturday, the UN Security Council turned down a US draft to extend an arms embargo on Iran.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had urged the UNSC members to vote for the move, said the Council’s “failure to act decisively” was “inexcusable”.

US officials accuse Iran of supplying weapons to armed groups in the region and fear that the arms trade between Iran and its allies China and Russia will surge once the embargo expires.

Hatami, defending Iran’s military activities, said the international system is going through “deep, rapid changes” and it was important for Tehran to keep pace with the developments.

He further said the defense industry was the “strategic depth” of the country, assisted by science technology.

Downplaying the impact of sanctions on Iran’s defense industry, Hatami said Tehran was able to meet more than 90% of its defense requirements and was on course to meet its objectives.

In a key announcement, the defense minister said a new cruise missile will be unveiled in coming days, adding that the country will continue to pursue its space program, possibly more satellite launches.

Netanyahu Slams UNSC Decision Not to Allow Extension of Arms Embargo on Iran as ‘Scandalous’

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council rejected a draft resolution submitted by the United States to indefinitely extend the arms embargo on Iran, originally envisioned by the Iran nuclear deal ahead of its expiration in October, saying the draft did not obtain the necessary support to be adopted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday described the UN Security Council’s decision to not allow an extension of the arms embargo on Iran as “scandalous”, adding that Tel Aviv will continue to cooperate closely with the United States to repel what he describes as “Iranian aggression”.

“The decision of the UN Security Council not to renew the arms embargo on Iran is scandalous. Iranian terrorism and aggression threaten the peace of the region and the entire world. Instead of opposing weapons sales, the UNSC is encouraging them,” Netanyahu said, quoted by his office. “We will continue to act in close cooperation with the US and countries in the region to block the Iranian aggression. The State of Israel will continue to act with full force against whoever seeks to undermine its security.”
 
On Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the UNSC rejection of the US resolution, noting that the Trump administration would continue to do everything possible to ensure that Iran is not able to buy and sell weapons on the international marketplace.

“It [UNSC] rejected a reasonable resolution to extend the 13-year old arms embargo on Iran and paved the way for the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism to buy and sell conventional weapons without specific UN restrictions in place for the first time in over a decade,” Pompeo said on Friday.
 
The UNSC on Friday rejected a draft resolution introduced by Washington to indefinitely extend the weapons embargo on Iran envisioned by the 2015 Iran nuclear deal ahead of its expiration on 18 October.

Dian Triansyah Djani, UNSC president for the month of July, said that the resolution had not received the required support to be adopted, as it was endorsed only by the US and the Dominicans and objected by Russia and China, while 11 countries abstained.

”The result of the voting is as follows: two votes in favor, two votes against, 11 abstentions. The resolution has not been adopted having failed to obtain the required number of votes,” Djani noted.

Commenting on the UNSC rejection of Washington's bid to prolong the arms embargo on the Middle Eastern nation, Tehran's ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said that the results of the vote ”shows—once more—the US' isolation”.

”US must learn from this debacle. Its attempt to 'snapback' sanctions is illegal, and was rejected by int'l community, as was evident today,” Ravanchi said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday.

The arms embargo against Iran is set to expire on 18 October, under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which suggested Tehran scaling back its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement unliterary in May 2018, prompting the Islamic republic to step away from its nuclear commitments.

Russia's Proposal on UNSC Summit With Iran Remains on Table After Trump's Refusal, Moscow Says

The proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold an online conference of leaders of the UNSC states, Germany, and Iran to discuss the Persian Gulf and Iran remains on the table after US President Donald Trump's refusal to support it, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov affirmed on Sunday.

"Of course, yes", Ryabkov said when asked whether the initiative is still on the table after Trump's statement.
Trump said on Saturday that he would unlikely support Putin's initiative to hold the online summit on Iran adding that he would wait until the election.

On Friday, Putin suggested holding a remote videoconference around tensions in the Persian Gulf with the participation of the leaders of the UN Security Council members, Germany and Iran.

He urged Washington to assess the advantages of the implementation of this initiative in order to avoid further escalation of the situation in the Persian Gulf.