GCC Backs UN Arms Embargo on Iran

• 10 Aug 2020

Why in News

Recently, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) backing an extension of its arms embargo on Iran, just two months before it is set to expire.

Gulf Cooperation Council

• It is a political and economic alliance of countries in the Arabian Peninsula.
• It was established in 1981 to foster socioeconomic, security, and cultural cooperation.
• Members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
  
  • All these member countries of the GCC come under the Persian Gulf Region.

Key Points

• The GCC has alleged that Iran had not ceased or desisted from armed interventions in neighbouring countries, directly and through organisations and movements armed and trained by Iran.
• Allegation on Iran:
  
  • The UN, the USA and other armament experts have accused Iran of providing arms to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
  • Iran allegedly arms Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and Syria and also provides weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq and terrorist groups in Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
  • The letter also mentioned Iran’s shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane and its navy accidentally killing 19 sailors in a missile strike during an exercise.
  • Iran also is suspected of launching an attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in September 2019.
• Arms Embargo:
  
  • In 2010, the UN banned Iran from purchasing foreign-made weapons like fighter jets, tanks and warships amid tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.
    
    • The embargo blocked Iran from replacing its ageing equipment, much of which had been purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
    • An earlier embargo had targeted Iranian arms exports.
  • In 2015, under Iran’s nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), the UN agreed to end the arms embargo in October 2020.
    
    • In 2018, the USA unilaterally withdrew from the deal as a part of the maximum pressure campaign to hurt Iran’s already ailing economy.
• Internal Conflict in GCC: Even though the GCC has offered a unified statement, it remains affected by internal conflict among the member nations. For example:
  
  • Qatar crisis, which saw Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and launch a boycott of the nation beginning in 2017.
    
    • Qatar has had good relations with Iran and has used its airspace while sharing a vast offshore oil and gas field with Tehran (Iran’s capital).
    • Qatar is home to the massive Al-Udeid Air Base and the forward headquarters of the USA military’s Central Command.
  • Oman also has had close ties to Iran and has served as an interlocutor between Tehran and the West.
  • On the other hand, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are suspicious of Iran and accuse it of stirring up dissent among Shiite populations in the region.
• Iran’s Stand:
  
  • Iran has denied the various accusations of its involvement in arms supply.
  • Iran has condemned the GCC letter and called it an irresponsible statement that serves the USA’s interests.
  • It has also criticized the GCC countries for being “among the largest arms buyers in the region and the world,” even amidst the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: IE