Sending Office: Committee on Foreign Affairs
Sent By:
Raven.Bellamy@mail.house.gov
Extend the Arms Embargo on Iran
Dear Colleague:
We invite you to join us in sending a letter to Secretary Pompeo, urging continued diplomatic action to renew the expiring United Nations (U.N.) arms embargo against Iran and U.N. travel restrictions on those Iranian individuals involved with dangerous proliferation
activities.
These provisions are set to expire in October, and we are concerned that these bans’ expiration will lead to Iran buying and selling more weapons. We are also concerned about the expiration of the U.N.-imposed travel restrictions on some of Iran’s most
notorious individuals who have long violated U.N. proliferation and weapons restrictions.
To sign this letter, please contact
cosponsor.hcfa@mail.house.gov.
Sincerely,
ELIOT L. ENGEL MICHAEL T. McCAUL
Chairman Ranking Member
House Committee on Foreign Affairs House Committee on Foreign Affairs
STEPHANIE MURPHY BRIAN FITZPATRICK
Member of Congress Member of Congress
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Secretary Pompeo:
We write to urge increased diplomatic action by the United States to renew the expiring United Nations arms embargo against Iran and United Nations travel restrictions on those Iranian individuals involved with dangerous proliferation activities.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 bans arms transfers to and from Iran, yet Iran routinely violates this resolution with impunity, particularly in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Iran’s illicit transfers of weapons directly contribute to some of the most destabilizing
threats to the United States and our partners in the Middle East such as Israel and the Gulf States. Even so, the resolution serves as an important means to restrain the sale of weapons to Iran and makes clear continued international resolve to stop Iran’s
illicit weapons transfers.
The U.N. arms embargo is set to expire in October, and we are concerned that the ban’s expiration will lead to more states buying and selling weapons to and from Iran. Additionally, states concerned about Iran’s malign activities may feel they do not have
sufficient legal authority to stop transfers once the U.N. embargo expires. This could have disastrous consequences for U.S. national security and our regional allies. We urge you to work with allies and like-minded partners, including through a new United
Nations Security Council resolution, to extend these provisions in order to prevent Iran from buying and selling weapons, while also working to increase accountability for violations of the existing embargo. We also urge you to make clear to the international
community that U.S. sanctions on Iranian arms transfers remain in place and will be fully enforced.
We are also concerned about the expiration of the U.N.-imposed travel restrictions on some of Iran’s most notorious individuals who have long violated U.N. proliferation and weapons restrictions. The U.N. travel restrictions allow states to refuse transit
to covered individuals, which limits their ability to train, fundraise, and plan around the globe. Restricting their movement is critical to our national security.
As we work to extend the U.N. travel restrictions, we should also take steps to ensure that they cover all of Iran’s most dangerous actors and are fully enforced. The newly named head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), General
Esmail Ghanni, is not on the list of named Iranians, despite his experience training Iranian-backed militias in Afghanistan that have targeted American troops and his responsibility for IRGC-QF activities in Pakistan. Additionally, enforcement of these travel
bans is key. Former IRGC-QF Commander Qassem Soleimani routinely flouted these UN travel restrictions, including visiting Russia to coordinate Russia’s deadly intervention in Syria. We urge you to lead a campaign within the Security Council to expand this
list and facilitate its full enforcement.
America must continue its longstanding, bipartisan leadership in order to limit Iran’s destabilizing activities throughout the world. We look forward to working with you to re-authorize these expiring U.N. restrictions, which are essential to protecting
our national security and the American people.
Sincerely,
ELIOT L. ENGEL MICHAEL T. McCAUL
Chairman Ranking Member
House Committee on Foreign Affairs House Committee on Foreign Affairs
STEPHANIE MURPHY BRIAN FITZPATRICK
Member of Congress Member of Congress
|
 e-Dear Colleague version 2.0 |
||
