The security council overwhelmingly sided with the Islamic Republic in denying the US request; 11 of the 15 countries chose to abstain from the vote; Pompeo: The Security Council’s failure to act decisively in defense of international peace and security is inexcusable.
The US bid to extend the 13-year arms embargo on Iran has been overwhelmingly rejected by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as of Saturday. Aside from the controversial-at-best decision to reject the US request, it’s worth noting that 11 out of 15 of the countries on the UNSC abstained from casting a vote, including France, Germany, and the UK. Nine favorable votes were needed in order for the request to pass.
It’s also noteworthy that China and Russia were the two countries that chose to strongly oppose the request, which China referred to as “bullying”.
Responding to what was an outrageous decision, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “The Security Council’s failure to act decisively in defense of international peace and security is inexcusable.” Knowing Iran’s history, he further warned that “Iran will spread even greater chaos and destruction if the embargo expires, but the Security Council chose to ignore them”.
Undoubtedly, this decision by the Security Council opens doors for new waves of violence towards the Jewish State. If Iran has been capable of spreading terror as they have under the current terms, the window just got bigger.
