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Lebanon rejects Iran ’s “military gift”

Politics Materials 16 December 2014 13:07 (UTC +04:00)
Lebanon’s government did not accept Iran ’s military aid, the Islamic Republic’s Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said, the country’s Mehr news agency reported Dec. 16.
Lebanon rejects Iran ’s “military gift”

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 16

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

Lebanon's government did not accept Iran 's military aid, the Islamic Republic's Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said, the country's Mehr news agency reported Dec. 16.

Iran was ready to send the military equipment after Lebanese government's approval, Dehghan said, adding, "they rejected that".

Secretary of the Iran 's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani During his visit to Beirut on Sept.30 announced that Iran would gift the Lebanese army with military equipment and weapons.

On Nov. 10 Lebanese media outlet quoted the country's Defense Minister Samir Moqbel as saying the Cabinet will most likely reject the military donation.

During a visit to Tehran in mid-October, Moqbel declined to formally respond to Iran 's offer because of concern that accepting it could violate a UN Security Council resolution restricting that nation's arms trade.

Some rumors are swirling in Beirut that Washington had warned the military to reject the offer of Iranian arms.

Earlier Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali said that the Islamic Republic would not impose pressure to Lebanon over accepting Tehran 's "military gift".

The Iranian ambassador further expressed hope that Lebanese government could overcome "all legal barriers which prevent receiving the Iranian military donation."
It should be noted that in March 2007 the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1747 which established an embargo on the export from Iran of all arms and related materials, thereby banning all states and groups from purchasing or receiving arms from Iran . The resolution also called on all states to 'exercise vigilance and restraint' in their supply of any items covered by the UN Register of Conventional Arms to Iran.

Edited by CN

Umid Niayesh is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh

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