UN Security Council fails to extend Iran sanctions relief

The United Nations Security Council on Friday failed to adopt a resolution that would have continued to provide sanctions relief for Iran under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

The draft resolution, put forward by the Republic of Korea in its capacity as Security Council president for September, won four votes in favor, nine against and two abstentions, falling short of the nine positive votes required for adoption.

If adopted, the resolution would have prevented a "snapback" of UN sanctions against Iran, a mechanism contained in the Iran nuclear deal and Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Britain, France and Germany – the three European countries of the JCPOA, known as the E3 – claimed they triggered the snapback mechanism on August 28 by notifying the Security Council of Tehran's "non-performance."

Under Resolution 2231, UN sanctions in place before the adoption of the resolution would resume 30 days after the notification, unless the Security Council adopts a resolution to decide otherwise.

However, the legality of the E3 move has been questioned because it bypassed the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM) provided for in the JCPOA and Resolution 2231.

According to the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, the DRM has 35 days to resolve a disagreement. A snapback can be triggered only if the DRM fails to resolve the issue.

China and Russia tabled a draft resolution that would extend the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 for six months to allow time for diplomacy.

Resolution 2231 expires on October 18, 2025, after which the Security Council would no longer consider the Iran nuclear deal.

Algeria, China, Pakistan and Russia voted in favor of Friday's draft resolution. Guyana and the Republic of Korea abstained. The remaining nine Security Council members voted against it.