AhlulBayt News Agency: Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, criticized the UN Security Council’s decision not to permanently lift sanctions on Iran, saying it weakens the organization, harms diplomacy, and threatens the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Iravani made the statement after the 15-member Council voted down a resolution aimed at preventing the reactivation of severe economic sanctions on Iran over its peaceful nuclear activities.
He declared that Iran does not consider itself bound by the Council’s “rushed, unnecessary, and unlawful” decision.
He placed full responsibility for the consequences on the United States, Britain, France, and Germany—the European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iravani accused the U.S. and the European trio of making baseless claims against Iran while supporting Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, which are under IAEA safeguards.
He asserted that Iran’s nuclear program cannot be destroyed by bombs, halted by sanctions, or diverted from its peaceful mission.
He added that diplomacy remains an option, but Iran alone will decide whom to engage with and under what terms.
China and Russia have rejected the European effort to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran, calling the snapback mechanism “illegal and invalid.”
In a joint statement, both countries—signatories to the JCPOA—said they would not comply with the snapback and would continue normal trade with Iran.
China’s UN envoy Fu Cong warned that triggering snapback could derail diplomatic efforts and lead to unpredictable and severe consequences.
He argued that rushing a vote on the resolution could worsen tensions and hinder resolution of the issue.
Fu also questioned whether the European trio had the legal authority to invoke the snapback mechanism.
The UN Security Council voted against permanently lifting sanctions on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
The draft resolution, proposed by South Korea as Council president, failed after nine members opposed it. Sanctions are now set to return by September 28 unless a major agreement is reached.
Russia, China, Pakistan, and Algeria supported the resolution, while two members abstained.
On August 28, Britain, France, and Germany informed the Council that they had activated the snapback mechanism—a 30-day process to restore all UN sanctions on Iran.
Iran rejected the move, citing the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and the European trio’s failure to uphold their commitments, instead aligning with unlawful sanctions.
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