But what about Iran?

December 5, 2000

The United States and 32 other nations have agreed to tighten the export of 
portable air defense systems, the State Department announced Tuesday. 

The agreement sets "comprehensive and strict controls on the export" of the 
missiles, known as "Man-Portable Air Defense Systems," according to a written 
statement from U.S. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher. 

Included in the agreement are surface-to-air missiles such as the Stingers 
and SA-128s. 

The agreement is the product of a two-year joint effort by the State 
Department and the Pentagon, and marks the first accord to place multilateral 
controls on the shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. Boucher said the new 
multilateral controls are similar to those already used in the United States. 

The countries participating in the agreement all belong to the 33-nation 
Wassenaar Arrangement, which comprises most of the world's major arms 
exporters. 

The group was established by the Clinton administration in 1996 to promote 
"transparency, responsibility and restraint" in international transfers of 
conventional arms and sensitive dual-use items. 

Countries participating in the new missile agreement will secure guarantees 
of end-users of the weapons from recipient governments, as well as assurances 
of proper security procedures for their handling and storage. 

Boucher said the agreement "will make America and the world safer" by keeping 
the missiles out of the hands of "terrorists and outlaws," and will reduce 
the threat of illegal black market acquisitions for use against US troops and 
aircraft and international peacekeepers. 

The countries that make up the Wassenaar Agreement are Argentina, Australia, 
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, 
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New 
Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian 
Federation, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine,