Iran and North Korea have blocked a United Nations treaty on the international arms trade.
The proposed global treaty on conventional arms trade - the first of its kind - needed support from all 193 members of the UN to be approved.
The treaty would have required countries to set national regulations for all cross-border transfers of most conventional weapons and to regulate arms brokers, the BBC reports.
That would have meant ensuring that their arms contracts do not violate embargoes and will not be illegally diverted or potentially used to commit human rights violations.
Supporters of the treaty can still take it to the UN General Assembly for a vote, where it is expected to pass next week by an overwhelming majority.
