Iran's Missile Sanctions; Michael McCaul Calls for Extension; Russia: We Will Not Comply with the Security Council

The chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee said on Tuesday, October 17, that sanctions against the Islamic Republic's missile and drone program must remain in place after the expiration of United Nations restrictions on October 18. He accused the Islamic Republic of exacerbating conflicts worldwide from Israel to Ukraine and stated that the potential expiration of the UN Security Council's restrictions would allow Iran to expand its missile and drone programs on a larger scale. According to a clause in the JCPOA agreement, Iran's missile and arms sanctions could be lifted on October 18, 2023. However, Western countries, citing the Islamic Republic's blatant interventions in global unrest, have urged the UN Security Council to extend these sanctions. The European Union also announced that alongside the United States, it will continue to adhere to the UN sanctions related to the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program after the expiration of these sanctions. On the other hand, Russia announced that after the expiration of the UN Security Council resolutions regarding the provision of missile technology to Iran, it would no longer comply with these resolutions. The Russian Foreign Ministry did not specify whether it intends to support the Islamic Republic's missile development program but called on the European Union and the United States to lift their sanctions against the Islamic Republic. According to one of the discussed provisions in Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted in 2015, known as the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic could benefit from global cooperation in the trade of conventional arms if it continued to strictly implement this agreement. Following the previous U.S. administration's withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 and Iran's missile activities and arms supplies to Russia by the Islamic Republic in the Ukraine war, the U.S., UK, and EU have announced for weeks that they will continue to impose sanctions on Iran's missile and drone programs. Russia claims it no longer sees the need to comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Islamic Republic's missile program. The U.S. emphasizes: We will continue to hold the Islamic Republic accountable with all available tools. Exclusive: The U.S. expressed concern over the satellite launch by the Revolutionary Guards; sanctions continue. Response to the Islamic Republic's missile display; the U.S. emphasizes countering Iran's destabilizing behaviors.