The Security Council met today to debate Iran's nuclear programme amid rising tensions in the Middle East, as the Russian Federation and China challenged the legality of United Nations sanctions on Tehran under the "snapback" mechanism.
The "snapback" mechanism, embedded in Council resolution 2231 (2015), allows UN sanctions on Iran to automatically return if Tehran is judged to be violating the nuclear deal, as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, agreed by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union.
If a participant in the deal notifies the Council of "significant non-performance", a 30-day process begins. Unless the Council adopts a resolution to continue sanctions relief, the previous UN sanctions automatically return. In August 2025, France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered this process. The Council later failed to adopt resolutions that would have preserved sanctions relief, so the mechanism ran its course and UN sanctions on Iran, including resolution 1737 (2006), were automatically reimposed on 27 September 2025.
At the outset, the representatives of the Russian Federation and China objected to holding today's session, arguing that the "snapback" mechanism had not been activated. France, United Kingdom and the United States, however, insisted that the mechanism had been triggered and that sanctions had therefore been reinstated. The Council subsequently decided to proceed with the meeting by a vote of 11 in favour to 2 against (China, Russian Federation), with 2 abstentions (Pakistan, Somalia).
United States Says Iran Rejected Diplomacy, Urges Enforcement of Sanctions
"Today was meant to be a straightforward mandated meeting of the 1737 Committee," said the representative of the United States, Council President for March, in his national capacity, referring to the 15-member organ's Committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 (2006), which required the subsidiary body to report to the Council every 90 days on its activities.
"Unfortunately, our Russian and Chinese colleagues continued to block this Committee's work as part of their collaboration with the Iranian regime," he said. He recalled that, on 19 September 2025, the Council voted against a draft resolution to extend sanctions relief for Iran, thereby triggering the snapback of UN sanctions. All UN Member States should now be implementing an arms embargo against Iran, banning the trade of missile technology and freezing financial assets as laid out in previous sanctions.
Noting that Iran had ample opportunity to negotiate in good faith and allow weapons inspections, he said Tehran refused. The 1737 Iran sanctions regime remains operational, he stressed, urging Council members to press Beijing and Moscow to allow for the appointment of a Committee Chair.
Moscow, Beijing Reject Legitimacy of 'Snapback' Sanctions on Iran
"We are disappointed that the majority of Council members did not muster up the courage to speak out against this flagrant violation of decisions previously taken by the Council," said the Russian Federation's representative. Accountability for the "lawlessness" taking place in that organ's work falls squarely on the United States presidency and those that are following its lead.
Recalling that Washington, D.C., unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018, he said that country - along with the United Kingdom, France and Germany - cannot trigger snapback sanctions against Iran. "These countries stripped themselves of the right to invoke the snapback by their chronic violations of [the Iran nuclear deal] and resolution 2231 (2015)," he said.
"It was the United States that unilaterally withdrew from the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], which triggered the Iran nuclear crisis," agreed China's representative, adding that Washington, D.C., also joined Israel in pursuing aggressive military action before the recent nuclear talks had even concluded. Strongly condemning that conduct, he urged the United States to reverse its course of action immediately and work towards a negotiated solution that meets the expectations of the international community. Relevant European countries should "cease fanning the flames" of war and play an equally constructive role, he said, warning that sanctions should never become tools to serve the narrow political interests of particular countries.
Iran Nuclear Programme Poses Major Global Security Threat
"We have repeatedly seen Iran not act in good faith to address international concerns," said the United Kingdom's representative, describing Iran's nuclear and missile programmes as some of the most pressing threats to global security over the last two decades. On that, France's delegate added that "Secrecy cloaks the situation surrounding Iran's stockpiles of 450 [kilogrammes] of highly enriched uranium," warning that such a quantity is enough to make several nuclear weapons and is being developed alongside a ballistic-missile programme. Stressing that his country never violated its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, he said Member States should support the work of the 1737 Committee, which monitors sanctions as a peaceful tool aimed at ending Iran's destabilizing activities.
"Iran must never be allowed to develop or acquire a nuclear weapon," said the representative of Denmark, stating that this is "so important" considering how the current escalations are unfolding. The representative of Bahrain said the situation on the ground shows that Tehran continues its aggressive behaviour, stressing that the 1737 Committee must function as it serves as "an essential mechanism to ensure that Iran abides by its international commitments and to promote the effectiveness of UN sanctions".
"The sanctions will remain in place," declared the representative of Latvia, "as long as Iran chooses to pursue its destabilizing nuclear programme, to refrain from granting unhindered access to [International Atomic Energy Agency] inspectors to all relevant sites and to not return to meaningful negotiations".
The representative of Panama reiterated support for the functioning of the 1737 Committee reinstated by the Council. His counterpart from Greece also supported the reinstatement of the Committee, expressing strong concern over Iran's nuclear programme and the necessity of full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and adherence to international obligations to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Colombia's representative, citing the rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East, urged Iran to guarantee the conditions needed for IAEA's timely access to all nuclear facilities to resolve outstanding safeguard issues, and to ensure proper inspection and verification.
Members Call for Balance, Diplomacy on Council Dispute over Iran Sanctions
The representative of Liberia joined other speakers in stressing the importance of cooperation with IAEA, also noting that his country's vote today reflects no political alignment. Rather, "it reflects fidelity to the Charter [of the United Nations], to the Council's own decisions and to the integrity of the non-proliferation regime", he said.
Somalia's delegate noted the divergent views among Council members regarding the 1737 Committee, underscoring the importance of a balanced approach that addresses the concerns of all parties in resolving current challenges.
"It is evident that the Council remains divided on the 1737 Committee issue," agreed Pakistan's delegate. That split is preventing agreement on the appointment of Chairs of the Council's subsidiary bodies, he said, advocating that the 1737 Committee be delinked from the others. "More than ever […] an enduring solution lies in embracing [diplomacy] rather than abandoning it for short-sighted policies," he said, with the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo describing diplomacy and international cooperation as "the most effective paths" to ensure peace and prevent further escalation.
Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here .
