The U.S. State Department published a fact sheet discussing the UN Secretary-General’s biannual report on resolution 2231, arguing that “Iran continues to defy the Security Council by providing arms to groups abroad in contravention of the [UN] arms embargo, including to proxy groups and terrorist organisations across the Middle East... Failing to extend the arms embargo [beyond October 2020] in light of this activity will risk greater violence and instability in the region”. The following day, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasised that “our objective is not to extend the arms embargo for another short period of time. That’s how we got into this mess… our objective is very clearly to say that the lifting of that arms embargo is not appropriate until such time as the world can be assured that these folks won’t use those weapons systems or the money that flows from the sale of those weapons systems are for malign purposes”. Pompeo further noted that while “we have the full authority to go exercise that right” to snapback, “we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to do this [extension] without having to go through a complex, difficult process at the UN”.