The UN Security Council rejected, by a vote of 4 to 9, a resolution sponsored by Russia and China that would have extended UNSC 2231 by six months. UNSC 2231 is the resolution that ratified the 2015 nuclear deal between six powers and Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Russia’s Deputy UN Envoy Dmitry Polyanskiy, told the chamber that Iran had done all it could to accommodate Europeans, but that Western powers had refused to compromise.
In response, Jérôme Bonnafont, the Permanent Representative of France to the UN, claimed that Iran had not taken any serious steps to avoid the renewal of sanctions, reported Al Jazeera. Bonnafont added, however, that diplomacy should continue and that the reimposition of sanctions didn’t mean a negotiated settlement couldn’t be reached later.
The result is that the “snap back” of UN sanctions on Iran takes effect at 8 PM EDT on Sept. 27. Both Iran and Russia regard the snap back to be patently illegal, as the U.S. withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and the Europeans failed to meet their obligations.
“Iran has taken all possible steps toward the E3 and the U.S. But what compromises have Washington, London, Paris, and Berlin made in these 28 days? None whatsoever. No matter what Tehran does, Western countries keep issuing new ultimatums. Colleagues, this is not diplomacy, this is deception and theater of the absurd,” Polyanskiy told the council.
Ultimately, the Polyanskiy argued, snap back doesn’t matter because UNSC 2231 expires on Oct. 18. “As the Security Council failed to decide to technically extend UN Security Council Resolution 2231, it will expire in accordance with the terms established therein on the date of completion of the JCPOA on October 18, 2025. After this, any restrictions and rules it provides for, including those regarding the Iranian nuclear program, will lose their relevance,” he said following the vote.
