U.S. loses Iran arms embargo bid as Putin pushes summit to avoid nuclear deal showdown

FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting on the state budget via a video conference call at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia July 16, 2020. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS

NEW YORK/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States lost a bid on Friday to extend a U.N. arms embargo on Iran as Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a summit of world leaders to avoid "confrontation" over a U.S. threat to trigger a return of all U.N. sanctions on Tehran.

In a U.N. Security Council vote, Russia and China opposed extending the weapons ban, which is due to expire in October under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Eleven members abstained, including France, Germany and Britain, while Washington and the Dominican Republic were the only yes votes.