Iranian president threatens consequences if arms embargo extended

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has threatened consequences if the UN Security Council prolongs an arms embargo against Iran at the behest of the United States.

UN resolution 2231, which is part of the 2015 Vienna nuclear deal, requires the embargo to be lifted, Rouhani told Iranian state TV on Wednesday. It is set to expire in October.

"If not, this would be a clear breach of the nuclear deal and will have consequences," Rouhani said.

He did not cite further details, though Iran has said in the past that it would leave the nuclear deal if the UN resolution is not enforced and the arms embargo lifted.

The United States left the agreement in May 2018, after which the Trump administration imposed additional sanctions against Iran.

Rouhani said he hoped the US would stand "alone and isolated" in the end.

The nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, was intended to enable Iran to have a civilian nuclear programme, while preventing nuclear weapons, in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

The agreement has been on the brink of failure, as the remaining signatories - China, France, Britain, Russia and Germany - can't implement the economic part of the deal with the US sanctions in place, prompting Tehran to also violate some provisions.