The
UN Security Council on Friday blocked an attempt by Russia and China to delay sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, leaving the measures set to take effect Saturday. Britain’s UN envoy confirmed the sanctions will proceed, while Iran warned the West would be responsible for any fallout.
"This council does not have the necessary assurance that there is a clear path to a swift diplomatic solution," Barbara Wood, Britain’s envoy to the UN, said after the vote, as cited by Reuters.
"This council fulfilled the necessary steps of the snapback process set out in resolution 2231, therefore UN sanctions targeting Iranian proliferation will be reimposed this weekend," she added.
China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria again supported giving Iran more time to negotiate with the European trio, known as the E3, and the United States, which withdrew from the nuclear accord unilaterally in 2018.
Unless an eleventh-hour deal is reached, the reinstated sanctions, initiated by Britain, France, and Germany, will freeze Iranian assets abroad, block arms sales to Tehran, and penalize developments in its ballistic missile program, further straining the country’s struggling economy.
China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria again supported giving Iran more time to negotiate with the European trio, known as the E3, and the United States, which withdrew from the nuclear accord unilaterally in 2018.
The decision is likely to escalate already high tensions between Iran and the West. Iran’s response remains uncertain, though officials have previously threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, potentially following North Korea’s 2003 exit and subsequent development of nuclear weapons.
European leaders initiated the "snapback" mechanism last month, accusing Tehran of violating the nuclear accord and citing failure of high-level negotiations. Since the 30-day window began, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has met with French, British, and German counterparts in an attempt at a last-minute deal ahead of the UN General Assembly, but talks “did not produce any new developments, any new results,” a European diplomat was quoted as saying by
AP.
European sources now say they “expect that the snapback procedure will continue as planned.”
Iran is currently the only non-nuclear-weapon state enriching uranium up to 60 percent, close to weapons-grade levels. The country has been hesitant to allow full inspections of its nuclear programme following a 12-day conflict with Israel in June, during which Israeli and US strikes targeted Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran says will “never bow” to pressure over nuclear programme
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi vowed Friday that the country will "never bow" to Western pressure over its nuclear program, after a failed UN Security Council bid by Moscow and Beijing to postpone sanctions.
He also left the door open for further talks before Saturday’s deadline, which could halt the automatic implementation of harsh economic measures.
“The US has betrayed diplomacy, but it is the E3 which have buried it,” Araghchi told the council, calling the snapback “legally void, politically reckless and procedurally flawed," as reported by Reuters. “Diplomacy will never die, but it will be more difficult and more complicated than before,” he added.
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