Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday welcomed the end of the UN arms embargo on Iran, which is set to expire on Sunday. “Today's normalization of Iran’s defense cooperation with the world is a win for the cause of multilateralism and peace and security in our region,” he tweeted. Iran’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, published a statement ahead of the expiry of the arms embargo. “Today is a momentous day for the international community, which in defiance of the US regime's efforts, has protected UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” it said, using the official name of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. “As of today, all restrictions on the transfer of arms, related activities and financial services to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and all prohibitions regarding the entry into or transit through territories of the United Nations Member States previously imposed on a number of Iranian citizens and military officials, are all automatically terminated,” it added. “Therefore, as of today,” continued the statement, “the Islamic Republic of Iran may procure any necessary arms and equipment from any source without any legal restrictions and solely based on its defensive needs, and may also export defensive armaments based on its own policies. It should be underlined here that rejecting imposition in any form is the cornerstone of Iran's foreign policy. Therefore, the imposition of any restriction on any field including finance, the economy, energy, and armaments has never been recognized by Iran.” The statement also took aim at the US and said it “must abandon its destructive approach vis-à-vis Resolution 2231, return to full compliance with its commitments under the United Nations Charter, stop violating international law and ignoring international order.” In August, Washington started the process of restoring all pre-2015 UN sanctions against Iran. The move to activate the “snapback” came after the UN Security Council rejected the US resolution to extend the arms embargo on Iran, which is due to expire in October. However, the president of the UN Security Council rejected the US demand , saying there was no general agreement among council members. Following the failure to activate the “snapback” mechanism, the Trump administration announced an executive order and new sanctions against Iran aimed at enforcing United Nations sanctions. The sanctions included an indefinite ban on weapons sales and allows for sanctions on any international companies or individuals that seek to violate the embargo.