United Nations, Aug 15 (IANS): The UN Security Council has failed to adopt a US resolution that would extend the current arms embargo against Iran.
On Friday, the draft resolution, tabled by the US, failed to get the required nine votes in favour for adoption, reports Xinhua news agency.
Besides the US, only the Dominican Republic voted in favour of the draft.
China and Russia voted against the text, and the remaining 11 Security Council members, including the European allies of the US, abstained.
Under Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the six powers of the UK, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US, the arms embargo against Iran expires on October 18.
The US withdrew from the landmark agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018.
The draft sought to extend the 13-year embargo indefinitely until the Security Council decides otherwise.
The four-paragraph draft was already a watered-down version.
An earlier version, which was introduced in June, sought the authorization of vessel inspections and weapons seizures as well as a travel ban and assets freeze, according to diplomats.
Under Resolution 2231, any participant state to the Iran nuclear deal can notify the Security Council about an issue that it considers a significant violation of the agreement.
The UN sanctions in place before the adoption of Resolution 2231 in July 2015 would then resume 30 days after the notification, unless the Security Council adopts a resolution to decide otherwise.
Lashing out at the development, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Friday that the 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".
"The Security Council's failure to act decisively in defence of international peace and security is inexcusable."