UN arms embargo on Iran expires

TEHRAN (AP) – A decadelong United Nations arms embargo on Iran that barred it from purchasing foreign weapons like tanks and fighter jets expired last Sunday as planned under its nuclear deal with world powers, despite objections from the United States, which insists that the ban remains in place.

While Iran said it plans no “buying spree,” it can now in theory purchase weapons to upgrade military armaments dating back to before its 1979 Islamic Revolution and sell its own locally produced gear abroad.

In practice, however, Iran’s economy remains crippled by broad-reaching US sanctions, and other nations may avoid arms deals with Tehran for fear of American financial retaliation. The Trump administration has warned that any sales of weapons to Iran or exports from Iran would be penalized.

The Islamic Republic heralded the end of the arms embargo as “a momentous day for the international community ... in defiance of the US regime’s effort.”