Kerry: Violating Iran's Arms Ban Does Not Automatically Trigger Sanctions

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that violations of Iran's arms embargo or missile restrictions will not automatically lead to the reinstatement of UN sanctions under the nuclear agreement, although other options are available. Speaking at the Reuters Next conference, Kerry reminded that "arms bans are not linked to the automatic reinstatement of sanctions and are related to separate commitments. Therefore, violations of these bans do not mean a breach of the nuclear agreement." The arms and ballistic missile restrictions were among the most complex issues in reaching an agreement during nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers. Iran, supported by Russia and China, sought to end these restrictions under the nuclear deal, but ultimately, according to the agreement document, arms bans will remain for up to five years, and missile restrictions for up to eight years. Additionally, under this agreement, sanctions imposed on Iran will be lifted in exchange for long-term limitations on its nuclear program. However, failure to limit the nuclear program will lead to the automatic reinstatement of sanctions. Reuters noted that prior to the U.S. Secretary of State's statements, it was unclear whether violations of arms bans and missile sanctions could lead to the automatic reinstatement of sanctions. Nevertheless, Kerry stated that if Iran violates arms and missile restrictions, even without the reinstatement of UN sanctions, the U.S. and its allies "have many tools at their disposal." The U.S. Secretary of State added that outside the nuclear agreement, there is a specific UN resolution that prohibits Iran from sending weapons to Hezbollah, and another independent resolution emphasizes the prohibition of sending weapons to Iraqi Shiite militias by Iran. Kerry also mentioned that the UN has imposed similar restrictions on the sale of weapons to Yemen's Houthis, North Korea, and any potential weapon recipients from Iran. Kerry's remarks come as Abbas Araghchi, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, previously stated that Iran's potential action to "test medium-range missiles" would not violate the Vienna nuclear agreement and is at most a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Araghchi also recently told the managers of state television that Iran is not willing to sacrifice Hezbollah for its nuclear program and cannot refrain from supplying this group with weapons. Another part of Kerry's statements at the Reuters Next event focused on monitoring mechanisms regarding Iran. The U.S. Secretary of State said that a new structure will replace the UN panel of experts, which has been responsible for monitoring compliance with the UN sanctions regime, and according to Kerry, this panel will be dissolved in the coming months based on the nuclear agreement. Kerry added that under the new UN monitoring mechanism that will replace the expert panel, more monitoring work can be conducted by the U.S. and its allies. Kerry emphasized that "for this work, we are not dependent on the UN, and I believe Israel and others will be happier about this," adding that the U.S. and its allies rely on their intelligence, espionage, and military capabilities for this action and will cooperate with Israel and other countries.