US envoy calls for Iran arms embargo renewal

Abu Dhabi - Both an import and export ban on Tehran must remain in place to secure the wider Mideast.

An expiring United Nations weapons embargo on Iran must remain in place to prevent it from "becoming the arms dealer of choice for rogue regimes and terrorist organisations around the world", the US special representative to Iran said on Sunday.
Brian Hook said in an interview the world should ignore Iran's threats to retaliate if the arms embargo set to expire in October is extended, calling it a "mafia tactic".
Hook argued both an import and export ban on Tehran must remain in place to secure the wider Mideast.
"If we let it expire, you can be certain that what Iran has been doing in the dark, it will do in broad daylight and then some," Hook said.
Hook met Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in Abu Dhabi to discuss regional matters of common interest and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.
They discussed the broad range of threats posed by Iran, and joint efforts to create a more stable and secure Middle East region.
Sheikh Abdullah denounced the continued interference in the affairs of Arab countries by Iran and its allies, and emphasised the UAE's interest to deepen cooperation with the US across all fronts. He noted that both countries share a commitment to defeat extremism in all of its forms, in order to create more tolerant and peaceful societies.