Russia has announced that it is no longer required to comply with the United Nations Security Council's restrictions on providing missile technology to its ally Iran, as these restrictions expired on Wednesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday that "supplies to and from Iran of products subject to the missile technology control regime no longer require prior approval from the UN Security Council."
These restrictions were established in Security Council Resolution 2231 of 2015, which endorsed the nuclear agreement under which the UK, China, the EU, France, Germany, Russia, and the US lifted sanctions imposed on Iran in exchange for Tehran curtailing its nuclear program. Following the collapse of this agreement, the UN reinstated sanctions aimed at preventing Iran from developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. However, these restrictions will expire on Wednesday.
The European Union stated on Tuesday that it intends to join the United States in maintaining sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program following the expiration of the UN sanctions. Russia has urged the EU and the US to abandon their sanctions, which it claims are "an attempt to settle political scores with Tehran" and have no impact on "other countries that deal with international law and their obligations for due respect."
