The United States has rejected Russia’s offer for a virtual summit outside of the United Nations regarding Iran.
“The United States believes strongly that the Security Council is the best place to have discussions related to extending the U.N. arms embargo, and we have the benefit of 13 years of Security Council precedent on our side,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson told U.S. News & World Report.
The Russian effort comes as the U.N. Security Council rejected on Friday a U.S.-led resolution to indefinitely extend the U.N. arms embargo on Iran, which is set to expire on Oct. 18 in accordance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. America withdrew from the deal in May 2018, and has since reimposed sanctions lifted under it and added new ones.
As expected, China and Russia, who, like the United States, have a permanent veto on the U.N. Security Council, vetoed the extension.