An arms embargo is an embargo that applies to weaponry, and may also apply to "dual-use technology". An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes.
Contents
- Argentina
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Peoples Republic of China
- South Africa
- List of current arms embargoes
- Former embargos
- References
Argentina
US President Jimmy Carter implemented an arms embargo against the 1976 Argentinian Proceso de Reorganizacion Nacional (National Reorganization Process) military junta due to the Dirty War that took place from 1974 to 1983. The embargo was joined by the United Kingdom following the 1982 Falklands War. The ban was lifted in the 1990s after Argentina was named as a Major non-NATO ally. During those years, Argentine armed forces shifted to Western European countries and Israel for supplies.,
Indonesia
The United States government imposed an arms embargo against Indonesia in 1999 due to human rights violations in East Timor. The embargo was lifted in 2005.
Iran
The United States imposed economic sanctions against Iran following the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However, to secure the release of American hostages, several senior Reagan Administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran in the 1980s, in a scandal called the Iran–Contra affair. In 1995 the US expanded sanctions to include firms dealing with the Iranian government.
In March 2007, UN Security Council Resolution 1747 tightened the sanctions imposed on Iran in connection with the Iranian nuclear program. The UN sanctions were lifted on 16 January 2016.
People's Republic of China
The United States and European Union stopped exporting arms to China after 1989, due to the reaction by China's Government towards the protest in Tiananmen Square. In 2004-05, there was some debate in the EU over whether to lift the embargo.
South Africa
The arms embargo of South Africa from 1977 extended to dual-use items. The embargo was lifted by Resolution 919 in 1994.
List of current arms embargoes
The countries included in the list are under arms embargo of the United Nations or another international organization (EU, OSCE and others) or country. In some cases the arms embargo is supplemented by a general trade embargo, other sanctions (financial) or travel ban for specific persons. In some cases the arms embargo applies to any entity residing or established in the country, but in others it is partial – the recognized government forces and international peacekeepers are exempted from the embargo.