Iran exporting arms to Syria in violation of ban | WPN World People News

Iran is continuing to export arms to the Syrian government in violation of an international ban on weapons sales, according to a confidential United Nations report.

The draft report has described three seizures of Iranian weapons shipments, including two bound for Syria, in the past year.

The report has been submitted by a panel of sanctions-monitoring experts to the Security Council's Iran sanctions committee.

"Iran has continued to defy the international community through illegal arms shipments," it stated. "Two of these cases involved (Syria), as were the majority of cases inspected by the Panel during its previous mandate, underscoring that Syria continues to be the central party to illicit Iranian arms transfers."

The third shipment involved rockets that Britain said last year were headed for Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

"The Panel recommends the designation (blacklisting) of two entities related to these interdictions," Reuters quoted the report as saying.

"The report also takes note of information concerning arms shipments by Iran to other destinations."

The arms that Iran was attempting to send to Syria included assault rifles, machine guns, explosives, detonators, 60mm and 120mm mortal shells and other items, the panel said.

The latest incident was an arms shipment discovered in a truck that Turkey seized on its border with Syria in February, according to the report, Reuters said. Turkey announced last year that it was imposing an arms embargo on Syria.

Source: Middle East News.Net