United Nations: Russia and China block the extension of sanctions monitoring against Iran
The sanctions themselves, however, remain in force
Russia and China on Thursday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution aimed at a one year extension to the mandate of experts tasked with monitoring the implementation of international sanctions against Iran. Presented by the United States, the text received 11 votes in favor and two against, while Somalia and Pakistan abstained. The Russian and Chinese vetoes were enough to prevent its adoption.
The sanctions themselves, however, remain in effect.
The sanctions were reinstated on September 27, 2025, at the initiative of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, who had activated the "snapback" mechanism provided for by the 2015 nuclear agreement. These measures notably include the freezing of Iranian assets abroad, restrictions on arms sales to Tehran, and sanctions related to the development of Iran's ballistic missile program.
The American resolution was intended to allow the UN panel of experts to continue independently monitoring the implementation of these measures and to document any possible violations. In reality, however, this group had not been able to function over the past year due to the Security Council’s failure to reach an agreement on the appointment of its members.
After the vote, the American representative Jennifer Locetta accused Moscow and Beijing of seeking to prevent independent monitoring that could shed light on prohibited cooperation with Iran. She stated that the disappearance of the panel created a vacuum that could benefit Tehran and those seeking to circumvent the sanctions.
Russia, for its part, disputes the very legality of the reimposition of sanctions. Its ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, argued that the use of the "snapback" mechanism was illegal and the American resolution therefore lacked any legal basis.
Moscow also accused the United States of having chosen confrontation by submitting the text to a vote despite Russian and Chinese objections.
Iran welcomed the vetoes by its two allies, considering that they had prevented a new attempt by the United States and its partners to use the Security Council for political purposes. France, for its part, indicated that it would study other ways to ensure the monitoring of sanctions, notably based on the model of the mechanism established after the dissolution of the panel of experts in charge of North Korea.