UN Security Council Rejects Iran Sanctions Relief Over Nuclear Program

Sanctions would freeze assets, impose arms restrictions, and curb missile development unless a last-minute deal is reached.

An Iranian flag flutters in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, just outside the southern city of Bushehr, Iran, on Aug. 21, 2010. Vahid Salemi/AP

The U.N. Security Council has voted against lifting sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, amid mounting pressure from European powers who say Tehran has failed to meet its nuclear commitments.

On Sept. 19, the council rejected a resolution put forward by South Korea, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member body.

The measure was voted down by nine members.

Four countries, including China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria, backed the resolution.

The decision activates the “snapback” mechanism, under which all U.N. sanctions that were in place prior to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will automatically be reinstated on Sept. 27 unless a new agreement is reached.

The action plan was intended to limit Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Restored sanctions would freeze Iranian assets abroad, impose an arms embargo, and restrict activities linked to ballistic missile development.

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, collectively known as the E3, along with China and Russia, are signatories to the JCPOA.

In recent months, the E3 and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, have engaged Tehran over concerns that it continues to expand its nuclear program in defiance of JCPOA provisions.

After talks failed to yield concessions sought by European officials, the E3 announced on Aug. 28 that they would trigger the sanctions snapback mechanism.

On Sept. 17, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the UK, together with Kallas, held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The discussion followed an agreement reached between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the previous week on resuming cooperation, including the inspection of nuclear sites.

Western diplomats, however, said that Iran has not taken the steps needed to avoid the reapplication of sanctions.

Ahead of the vote, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the “snapback” mechanism under U.N. Resolution 2231, which restores sanctions if Iran breaches the 2015 nuclear deal, would be triggered.

When asked in an interview on Thursday on Israel’s Channel 12 whether the “snapback” was a done deal, Macron said, “Yes, I think so because the latest news we had from the Iranians is not serious.”

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, questioned Macron’s remarks.

“Why should President Macron be ‘rushing’ to select an Israeli TV channel to reject what he admits to be a reasonable proposal from Iran and instead reassure his ’selected‘ audience that snap-back is a ’done deal'?!” he wrote on X.

Iran’s Araghchi said on Sept. 18 that Tehran had offered a “reasonable and actionable plan” to European counterparts to avert “an unnecessary and avoidable crisis.”

US Withdrawal and Rising Tensions

The United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term.

Trump called it “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.”

Washington said at the time that the deal failed to address Iran’s ballistic missile program, did not adequately protect U.S. security interests, and lacked robust verification measures.

On Sept. 15, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told IAEA’s annual general conference that Iran’s uranium-enrichment program must be “completely dismantled.”

“Iran’s persistent lack of transparency with the IAEA—and particularly Iran’s nuclear escalations—are unacceptable. If it wasn’t already clear enough, I will restate the United States’ position on Iran,” he said.

“Iran’s nuclear weapons pathway, including all enrichment and reprocessing capabilities, must be completely dismantled.”

His remarks followed months of escalating tensions.

Israel launched a series of air strikes on key targets in Iran a day after the IAEA’s 35-nation board of governors passed a resolution on June 12 declaring Iran noncompliant and in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

The two nations then engaged in an air war for 12 days, in which Washington also bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities. A cease-fire was reached in late June.

U.S. officials and Trump have said that strikes carried out by B-2 stealth bombers destroyed Iran’s ability to enrich uranium at three sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Several intelligence assessments have been leaked to the media suggesting otherwise; however, they have drawn criticism from Trump and others.

Iran and the United States were attempting to negotiate a new deal to replace the JCPOA, with a sixth round of negotiations set to take place in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on June 15.

Those talks were canceled following the Israeli strikes.