Iran’s Khamenei slams European powers in scathing attack – world on brink

Washington has been seeking an extension of a United Nations (UN) arms embargo against Tehran, under the Trump administration.

This is set to expire in October under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal which the US withdrew from.

The nuclear deal had restricted Iran’s nuclear weapons capability in return for sanctions relief.

However, US President Donald Trump abandoned the agreement in 2018 and has gone on to introduce a number of sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

These sanctions have crippled the economy.

US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, called on the UN embargo to be extended indefinitely.

Speaking at a virtual event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations last month, he said: “We think the right policy is to have an arms embargo in place that doesn’t have a definite date fixed.”

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The comment came after it was revealed Iran had underground cities armed with missiles along the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon said this month: “Iran claims to want good relations with its neighbours, yet it continues to threaten them with even greater levels of violence.

“Iran is the greatest threat to peace and security in the Middle East.

“Statements like this demonstrate clearly that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its leaders are a destabilising force in the region.”

In recent years, Tehran has shown off a series of underground tunnels and command centres across the country.

These tunnels are home to the largest and most advanced missile program in the Middle East.

It was revealed earlier this month, Tehran was negotiating a 25-year pact with Beijing which would see China receiving a substantial discount on Iranian oil.

Washington and Beijing are also facing increasing tensions following the outbreak of COVID-19 and China’s dominance in the South China Sea region.

The US has continually blamed China for deliberately starting the deadly pandemic which has seen more than 674, 000 people die.

China has denied accusations it started the virus and claimed it was brought into the country from Europe.