Russia and China exercised their veto power at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, blocking a United States-backed resolution that sought to authorize UN experts to continue monitoring sanctions imposed on Iran. The move effectively dissolves the Security Council’s independent monitoring panel responsible for overseeing compliance with the penalties.
The rejected resolution would have extended the mandate for the independent supervision of sanctions that were reinstated last year following accusations from Western nations that Iran had breached the 2015 nuclear agreement. Iranian officials maintain that the country is not pursuing nuclear weapons nor violating the pact.
Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, addressed the council after the vote, urging Western nations to cease what he described as dangerous actions regarding Iran that risk further complicating the crisis in the Persian Gulf.
The Security Council had previously reinstated the expert panel in 2025 to track and report on sanctions violations, including recommending additional measures. However, due to ongoing disagreements among member states, the experts were never formally appointed, resulting in a lack of consensus within the 15-member body.
During the Thursday vote, 11 members supported extending the mandate, while Pakistan and Somalia abstained. Jennifer Locetta, the deputy US ambassador to the UN, argued that the absence of an independent expert panel deprives the council of its primary source of impartial, evidence-based reporting on sanctions violations, creating a monitoring gap that benefits the Iranian regime and those facilitating evasion.
In response to the veto, Iran’s mission to the UN expressed gratitude to Moscow and Beijing for opposing what it termed a politically motivated draft resolution by the United States. In a statement on X, the mission praised Russia and China for their “consistent and principled positions” and noted that their actions prevented another attempt by the US and its allies to exploit the Security Council for political purposes.
UN sanctions were officially reimposed against Iran in September 2025 when France, Germany, and the United Kingdom invoked the “snapback” mechanism, reinstating six earlier Security Council resolutions targeting Iran’s nuclear and military programs.
This diplomatic clash follows recent tensions, including the US barring Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, from attending the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) annual conference in Vienna earlier this week. The Security Council had rejected a waiver to lift his travel ban, which is part of the snapback sanctions targeting Iranian officials linked to the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Consequently, Eslami and his delegation were forced to cancel their trip after Austria revoked his visa.
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