Russia, China Poised to Block Iran Sanctions Panel

By Staff, Agencies

Russia and China are poised to challenge a new Western push to revive UN sanctions oversight on Iran, setting up another confrontation at the Security Council later this month, Reuters reported Wednesday.

France, which holds the Council presidency this month, is expected to call a September 17 vote on renewing the mandate of the panel of experts supporting the UN committee overseeing sanctions on Iran.

The panel’s mandate expires September 26 during the annual UN General Assembly, raising the prospect of a contentious diplomatic clash.

Meanwhile, France has placed Iran’s nuclear program and what it described as Tehran’s failure to meet UN obligations among the Council’s key issues. French UN Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said the Council would have to decide the panel’s future following the restoration of sanctions in 2025.

However, Moscow and Beijing have rejected the renewed sanctions framework and questioned the Council’s authority to revive mechanisms linked to it. Both could veto the proposed renewal, with Russia and China stating in March that the Council “cannot proceed to re-establish the 1737 Committee or its Panel of Experts.”

The dispute follows last year’s move by Britain, France and Germany to trigger the UN nuclear deal’s “snapback” mechanism and restore sanctions on Iran, despite Tehran’s repeated denial that it seeks nuclear weapons, citing doctrinal, ethical and religious prohibitions.

The standoff also echoes Russia’s 2024 veto of a UN sanctions-monitoring panel on the DPRK.

Meanwhile, Western governments cite Iran’s uranium enrichment as a concern, while Tehran maintains its program is peaceful. As the panel’s mandate nears expiration, the September vote could deepen the Security Council’s divide over sanctions pressure on Iran.