UN Security Council Backs Restoration of Iran Sanctions
The global organization has rejected a resolution, backed by Russia and China, to extend relief for Tehran
The UN Security Council has voted down a Moscow and Beijing-sponsored resolution that called for a six-month extension of sanctions relief for Iran, thereby paving the way for the re-imposition of restrictions on its nuclear program.
During Friday’s vote, the draft received four votes in favor from China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria, with nine votes against and two abstentions. This outcome signifies that sanctions on Iran, which were lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreed with major world powers in 2015, will be reinstated starting from midnight GMT on Saturday.
This development follows an announcement a month ago by the JCPOA signatories – France, Germany, and the UK – that they had activated the so-called “snapback mechanism,” citing Tehran’s “significant non-compliance” and breaches of the agreement.
Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, stated during the UNSC meeting that Moscow “categorically rejects” the claims by Paris, Berlin, and London that they were entitled to trigger the snapback mechanism.
He emphasized that by opposing the prolongation of sanctions relief, the Western countries “conclusively demonstrated that all of their assurances over the years about focusing on achieving a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear program issue were mere posturing.”
US Deputy Representative Dorothy Shea welcomed the vote’s result, labeling the draft resolution “a futile effort to absolve Iran of any accountability for its continued significant failure to adhere to its nuclear commitments.”
In June, American and Israeli forces bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, asserting their actions were aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring an atomic bomb. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Friday that the re-imposition of sanctions on his country would establish a “dangerous precedent,” which could potentially undermine the UNSC’s credibility.
He characterized the Western countries’ actions as “legally invalid, irresponsible, and null and void,” while stressing that Tehran would “never yield to threats or pressure.”
However, Araghchi affirmed that Iran remains prepared for discussions on its nuclear program. “Diplomacy never ceases, but it has become more challenging,” he remarked.