Trump vows to sanction any arms dealers that sell to Iran

0
466
A protester pulls a rope around the neck of a man impersonating U.S president Donald Trump during a rally at Azadi (Freedom) Square in celebration of the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. Hundreds of thousands across Iran marked the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution amid some of the highest tensions with Washington in decades while Iran's president denounces America and urges the crowds to vote in parliamentary elections this month. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The Trump administration vowed on Wednesday to impose the “full force” of U.S. sanctions on any international arms manufacturers who deal with Iran once Washington sees a United Nations arms embargo on Tehran as reimposed.

Elliott Abrams, U.S. special envoy on Iran, issued the warning in a briefing with reporters hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would return to the U.N. to try to reinstate sanctions on Iran next week, despite a lack of support within the U.N. Security Council.

The Security Council resoundingly rejected a U.S. attempt on Aug. 14 to extend an international arms embargo on Iran beyond its expiration in October, but the United States is pressing ahead with its efforts based on its own legal interpretation.

REUTERS