In an exclusive interview with Russia’s Interfax News Agency, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali talked about various issues such as the prospect of cooperation between Iran and Russia in the military and technical sphere after the termination of the UN arms embargo, the collaboration in developing coronavirus vaccine, and Iran's stances on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
On the termination of the UN arms embargo on Iran and Tehran’s plans for free arms trade with the other countries, the ambassador said the US made huge attempts to neutralize the UNSC resolution 2231 that lifts the embargo against Tehran, but remained isolated in its push.
The international community managed to resist the Americans on this issue, and Russia and China showed great efforts, he noted.
Over the past decades, since the time of the war imposed on Iran by Saddam Hussein, the Islamic Republic has suffered hardship in obtaining weapons and military equipment, the ambassador added, saying Tehran realized that it was necessary to invest in this industry itself and be prepared in terms of defense.
Iran will certainly cooperate with interested countries in the field of military-technical cooperation and in the procurement of the equipment it needs, the Russian website of Interfax quoted him as saying.
“We will not have restrictions, and we will use this wisely,” Jalali said of the embargo removal.
“We have always had very good relations with Moscow. Russia has provided us with tremendous assistance, opposed the American resolution, voted against it, and we are conducting very close consultation on this issue. As for military cooperation, I must say that, of course, we have drawn up the appropriate plans,” he added.
The US suffered an embarrassing diplomatic defeat in August when the United Nations Security Council rejected a proposal to indefinitely extend the arms ban.
The embargo on conventional arms is due to expire on October 18 under the terms of a resolution that blessed the Iran nuclear deal, signed in July 2015 and officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.