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1 1 (April 30, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdaba0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U.N. Ban on Iran Arms Transfers Updated April 30, 2020 Annex B of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 (July 17, 2015), which enshrined the multilateral Iran nuclear agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA), provides for a ban on arms transfers to or from Iran until October 18, 2020. Major arms suppliers have apparently not violated the restriction by transferring major combat systems to Iran, but U.S. and U.N. officials and reports state that Iran has not abided by the ban on exporting arms. The Trump Administration and many in Congress advocate an extension of the U.N. arms transfer ban, but two key potential arms suppliers of Iran-Russia and China-are veto-wielding members of the Security Council and support the expiration of the ban. Annex B also contains a ban, until October 18, 2023, on supplying equipment that Iran could use to develop nuclear- capable ballistic missiles, and it calls for Iran not to develop ballistic missiles designed to carry a nuclear weapon. These missile-related provisions are addressed separately in CRS Report RS20871, Iran Sanctions, by Kenneth Katzman. Proisi-,, o dhe Arms Transiier ~ Annex B of Resolution 2231 continued similar restrictions in previous U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iran. Resolution 1747 (March 24, 2007) contained a ban on Iran's transfer of arms from its territory and required all U.N. member states to prohibit the transfer of Iranian arms to their nationals. Resolution 1929 (June 9, 2010) contained a ban (Resolution 1747 had a voluntary restriction) on the supply to Iran of any battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems as defined for the purpose of the United Nations Register of Arms or related materiel, including spare parts.... These restrictions are restated in Annex B of Resolution 2231, which supersedes all previous Security Council resolutions on Iran. Annex B permits the importation and exportation of such arms by Iran if the U.N. Security Council provides advance approval on a case-by-case basis. Such approval is virtually impossible; officials in both the Obama and Trump Administrations have consistently said they could not envision U.S. approval of arms transfers to or from Iran. The Iran arms transfer ban in Resolution 2231 applies until the date that is five years after the JCPOA Adoption Day (Adoption Day was October 18, 2015, 90 days after the passage of Resolution 2231). The restriction would expire earlier if the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were to issue a Broader Conclusion that all nuclear material in Iran remains in peaceful activities. U.S. and other Security Council member officials widely interpret the restriction as inapplicable to the sale to Iran of systems for purely defensive purposes. In 2007, Russia agreed to the sale to Iran of the S-300 air defense system, with a reported estimated value of about $800 million. The two governments reportedly disagreed later over payment and other terms, and Russia did not deliver it until November 2016. A State Department spokesperson said in May 2016 that [w]hile we're opposed to the sale, it is not formally a violation [of 2231] because the S-300 is for defensive uses only. Figure I. Iran's Regional Allies Source: Defense Intelligence Agency. Iran Military Power: 2019. Effiects (fld a~k-,,, The U.S. government assesses that the ban on selling arms to Iran apparently has been effective. According to Appendix J of the congressionally mandated Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) annual report on the military power of Iran for 2019, released in November 2019, Iran has not obtained any major combat systems from foreign suppliers since the ban went into effect. It states that Iran wants to purchase new advanced weapon systems from foreign suppliers to modernize its armed forces, including equipment it has largely been unable to acquire for decades. The report adds that once the U.N. ban on arms sales to Iran expires, Iran will be permitted to purchase conventional systems it is unable to produce domestically, such as advanced fighter aircraft and main battle tanks. Iran is already evaluating and discussing military hardware for purchase primarily from Russia and, to a lesser extent, China. According to the report, Iran's potential acquisitions after the lifting of UNSCR 2231 restrictions include Russian Su-30 fighters, Yak-130 trainers, and T-90 MBTs (main battle tanks). Iran has also shown interest in acquiring S-400 air defense systems and Bastian coastal defense systems from Russia. 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