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Arms Embargo on Iran Due to Expire in 2020
(Bloomberg) Eli Lake - In 2015, in a concession to the Iranians, U.S. negotiators agreed that the UN's conventional-arms embargo on Iran would be lifted in five years. The embargo is set to expire on Oct. 18, 2020. In the 1990s, China and Russia sold Iran a variety of weapons systems, which the Iranians then reverse-engineered. By this time next year, America's two most potent geopolitical rivals will have a green light to sell advanced missiles to the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. There is a good chance Iran's numerous proxies in the Middle East will benefit as well. Both China and Russia possess technology that will make Iran's already formidable military production even better. Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Wednesday that if Iran can upgrade its arsenal, it would be "the greatest missile power in the Middle East." The problem is that any extension of the arms embargo would require agreement from both China and Russia, either of which can veto resolutions at the UN Security Council.