In an interview on Saturday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said the ban must be lifted as scheduled in accordance with relevant documents.
“It is our legal right. This is a privilege that Iran enjoys under the JCPOA and [UNSC] Resolution 2231. By virtue of those documents, the ban on the purchase and sale of weapons by Iran must be lifted by October,” he said.
He said Washington is likely to try to keep the arms embargo in place. “Naturally, the Americans will struggle to prevent it and take action such as what they are doing now, including propaganda campaigns and spreading lies about Iran’s moves,” he said.
“They want to build a new consensus against Iran and create the impression that it (the lifting of the arms embargo would harm security. But we have shown those that are subversive of security, peace and stability in the region are foreign forces, especially the Americans, together with the actions they are taking,” the spokesman noted.
He warned that Iran will take the necessary action should the arms ban remain in place.
“We have already warned that if the Americans and some European countries buckle under political and diplomatic pressure by the US and lead to a reinstatement of the arms embargo, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take serious action as it has planned to. We hope we won’t get to that point,” he said.
However, he noted, the United Nations Security Council is unlikely to succumb to US pressure.
“In our estimation, the UN Security Council is not moving toward that direction. Now we should wait and see what the Americans and the rest of the world will do,” Mousavi said.
He urged all countries to act wisely with regard to global peace and security. “Again, we hope and we urge independent nations not to make injudicious decisions about international peace and security under US pressure,” he said.
