US will not let Iran buy arms: Pompeo

The United States will not allow Iran to purchase conventional arms after a UN prohibition on this expires in October, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, The New York Times reported.

"We're not going to let that happen," Pompeo told reporters at a news briefing. "We will work with the UN Security Council to extend that prohibition on those arms sales, and then in the event, we can't get anyone else to act, the United States is evaluating every possibility about how we might do that."

The United States, in 2018, withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal that sought to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. As part of that deal, a UN arms embargo on Iran expires in October.

A U.S.-drafted resolution to extend the embargo has been given to Britain, France, and Germany, all parties to the nuclear deal, a US official confirmed. Still, UN diplomats said it had not been shared with the remaining 11 UN Security Council members, including Russia and China. Russia and China, which hold vetoes on the council and are parties to the nuclear deal, are believed to be eager to sell armaments to Iran.

"We are urging our E3 partners to take action. It is within their capacity to do," he added, referring to Britain, France, and Germany, each of which can force the "snapback" of all UN sanctions on Iran - including the conventional arms embargo - lifted under the nuclear deal.