AhlulBayt News Agency: The United States and several of its allies have vetoed a draft resolution that sought to delay the reactivation of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran, originally lifted in 2015 under the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA.
On Friday, the US, UK, France, Denmark, Greece, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia opposed the resolution, which proposed a six-month postponement of the sanctions.
China, Russia, Algeria, and Pakistan supported the draft submitted by Beijing and Moscow, while South Korea and Guyana abstained from voting.
According to the UN, the “snapback” mechanism remains active and will lead to the reimposition of sanctions on Iran this weekend, following the formal termination of the JCPOA.
The JCPOA, endorsed by UN Resolution 2231, was a nuclear deal that lifted sanctions imposed on Iran by the Security Council and Western powers over unsubstantiated claims about its nuclear program.
Despite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) never finding evidence of diversion in Iran’s nuclear activities, sanctions were enforced against the country.
In 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and reinstated its own sanctions that had previously been lifted under the agreement.
Two years later, Washington attempted to trigger the snapback mechanism on its own, further escalating tensions.
Following the US withdrawal, the UK, France, and Germany also ceased their trade commitments with Iran, violating the terms of the JCPOA.
The recent vote came after these three nations initiated their own effort to activate the snapback mechanism on August 28.
Western allies have continued to repeat accusations about Iran’s nuclear activities, despite the IAEA’s lack of evidence and its historically intrusive inspections of Iran’s facilities.
They have also consistently refused to acknowledge their own breaches of the JCPOA.
Iran responded to the US’s withdrawal with a year of “strategic patience” before gradually reducing its commitments under the deal, as permitted by its legal provisions.
During this time, Iran expressed willingness to engage in dialogue and negotiations to resolve the crisis caused by Western non-compliance.
Even after unprovoked attacks by Israel and the US on Iranian nuclear sites in June, Tehran did not rule out talks with the European trio, despite the IAEA being unable to continue inspections.
On September 9, Iran signed a framework agreement with the IAEA to resume cooperation, which had been suspended due to the attacks.
The Friday vote occurred despite warnings from Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and security chief Ali Larijani, against triggering the snapback.
Araghchi warned that the vote would end Iran’s agreement with the IAEA, while Pezeshkian said negotiations would be meaningless if the snapback was enacted.
During a meeting with anti-war activists in New York, Pezeshkian called the sanctions unwelcome but emphasized they did not mark “the end of the road.”
He stated that Iran would never surrender to the sanctions and would find ways to overcome any adverse situation.
China voices ‘deep regret,’ discourages renewed aggression
China’s Deputy UN Ambassador Geng Shuang expressed “deep regret” over the failure to pass the resolution and emphasized that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solutions.
He urged the US to show political will and refrain from further military actions against Iran.
Geng also called on the European trio to engage sincerely in diplomacy and abandon their strategy of sanctions and pressure.
Russia slams US, allies for lack of ‘courage, wisdom’
Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy echoed China’s concerns, criticizing the lack of courage and wisdom among Security Council members who opposed the resolution.
He said the US and European allies should have chosen diplomacy over coercion, warning that their approach only escalates regional tensions.
Polyanskiy also noted that Iran had made significant efforts to cooperate, but Western powers refused to compromise.
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