"Iran is pushing for a United Nations arms embargo to be completely lifted as part of the international community's moves to improve relations with Tehran in the wake of an emerging nuclear agreement, a senior Iranian diplomat said Monday...
The demand is among the final issues still being negotiated between Iran and six world powers-Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S...
The U.N. has imposed four rounds of economic sanctions on Iran in a bid to pressure Tehran into stopping its nuclear work.
Iran is also under a broader U.N. arms embargo that seeks to prevent it from aiding and arming political and military allies in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and the Palestinian territories...
The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.) sharply criticized Iran's calls for a lifting of the arms embargo and the curbs on its missile program.
Mr. Royce repeated concerns raised by U.S. lawmakers that any sanctions relief given to Tehran could provide it with new funds to support its military allies in the Middle East, such as the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
'With tens of billions of sanctions-relief cash likely coming, Iran now wants free rein to arm Hezbollah terrorists, assist Assad in Syria, and aid Houthi rebels in Yemen,' Mr. Royce said."