UN Security Council debate sanctions against Iran

O the UN body held the session on resolution 1737 on sanctions for Iran's nuclear programme because Iran did not suspend its uranium enrichment programme.

This session, scheduled to take place every 90 days, revived the dispute between its members for the automatic reactivation of sanctions to the Persian State, which, according to China and the Russian Federation, is not legal.

“The Russian Federation completely rejects attempts to manipulate the Council’s authority to settle political accounts with Tehran,” said Russian UN representative Vasili Nebenzia.

The bottom line is the ‘snapback’ automatic replacement mechanism, which activates when a Member State denounces a significant non-compliance with Iran.

In 2025, France, Germany and the United Kingdom requested its reactivation for alleged Iranian negligence.

For their part, China and the Russian Federation requested the extension for six months of the resolution which contemplates the gradual abolition of UN sanctions against Iran to buy time to negotiate, but the initiative was rejected.

Today's session again showed the Council's division on the subject.

Russians and Chinese opposed, while Pakistanis and Somalis abstained.

The US representative, Jennifer Locetta, justified her country's position to extend the sanctions package with the lack of access of the International Atomic Energy Organisation (IEAO) to Iran.

The OIEA Board of Governors adopted on Wednesday a resolution criticising Iran for failing to fulfil its nuclear non-proliferation obligations and referred the matter to the UN Security Council.

This was the first time since 2006 that a resolution of the OIEA Board of Governors on Iran and addressed to the Security Council, where Russian Federation and China have veto power.