MNA � Russia�s Permanent Mission to the United Nations noted in a statement that the US proposal to extend arms embargo was a clear violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

The UN has rejected the US draft resolution on the extension of the arms embargo against Iran with only two votes in favor. Russia voted against the resolution, along with China, and issued a statement on the issue.

Here is the full text of the statement as published in the Russian mission to UN press service:

We consistently oppose attempts to impose through the UN Security Council �arms embargo� on Iran. A case by case approval procedure for arms transfers to and from Iran in the UNSC resolution 2231 (2015) has neither been linked to Iran�s right to develop its peaceful nuclear program, nor it has been a subject to any other conditions. From the very start it has been temporary, introduced exactly for a five-year term and has never been meant to be extended.

We continue to proceed from the assumption that there are neither legal, nor any other reasons to review such approach.

Moreover, the US proposal is a clear violation of Annex B of UN Security Council resolution 2231, which clearly stipulates that the only legitimate way to revise the timeline for the above-mentioned regime of arms transfer is the consensus decision of the JCPOA Joint Commission. However, the US forfeited the right to make use of this instrument since it deliberately withdrew from the Plan in 2018 and never made secret out of it.

Russia remains totally commited to the JCPOA. Its adoption in 2015 was a landmark political and diplomatic achievement that helped avert the threat of an armed conflict and reinforced nuclear non-proliferation.

We strongly believe that there is an alternative to threats and blackmail, confrontation and coercion. The mutually acceptable solution lies in the field of multilateral actions that take into account legitimate security concerns of all regional players. It is high time to launch a broad regional dialogue embracing all interested parties to de-escalate tensions and look for pragmatic compromised-based decisions. All of the concerns could be addressed if we treat each other�s positions with due regard and responsibility, while acting respectfully and in a collective spirit.