Sanctions on Iran set to return after UN Council rejects resolution

The United Nations Security Council has voted not to permanently lift economic sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme—meaning sweeping sanctions will be reimposed on Tehran unless a new agreement is reached.

The move activates the “snapback” mechanism, under which all UN sanctions in place before the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) will automatically be reimposed on Iran by September 28, unless a major diplomatic breakthrough occurs.

Advertisement

The resolution, introduced by South Korea, the current president of the 15-member Council, failed to secure the nine votes needed to block the sanctions from taking effect at the end of the month, as outlined in the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers.

Russia, China, Pakistan, and Algeria voted in favor of the draft text on Friday. Nine members voted against, and two abstained.

The resolution to block the sanctions failed by a vote of four to nine, delivering a major economic blow that Tehran has called “politically biased.”

Despite intense diplomatic efforts, Tehran and key European powers now have just eight days to negotiate a possible delay before the snapback takes effect.

UN Resolution 2231, which endorsed the JCPOA in July 2015, established the framework for lifting sanctions, while also creating a mechanism for reimposing them in the event of “significant non-performance” by any participant—namely China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, the US, the EU, and Iran.

Under paragraph 11 of the resolution, if a signatory notifies the Council of a serious breach, the Council president must, within 30 days, put a draft resolution to a vote to maintain sanctions relief.

If that draft is not adopted, previous UN sanctions are automatically reimposed,meaning that unless the Council explicitly votes to maintain sanctions relief, the original sanctions snap back into place.

Iran has rejected the activation of the snapback mechanism by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, calling it “null and void,” according to Iranian Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani.

“The E3’s attempt to reimpose sanctions is baseless, illegal, and unjustified. Iran rejects and condemns the unlawful E3 notification. It bypassed the JCPOA dispute mechanism, has no legal foundation, and is null and void,” Amir Saeid Iravani told the media.

“The door for diplomacy is not closed, but it will be Iran—not its adversaries—who decide with whom and on what basis to engage,” he said.

Iravani also confirmed that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will meet with his European counterparts next week in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He noted that the divided vote showed “no consensus in the Council.”

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia stated that there were no legal, political, or procedural grounds to activate the snapback mechanism or to vote on the draft resolution. He accused the E3—France, Germany, and the UK—of acting outside the framework of both Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA.

“Attempts by European countries to present the situation as though they have the right to activate the punitive provisions of prior resolutions, while themselves failing to fulfil their own obligations… cannot hold water,” Vassily Nebenzia, Russian Ambassador to the UN said.

Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong also urged caution, pointing to “major discrepancies” among Council members regarding the snapback and warning that a rushed vote could “exacerbate state confrontation” and undermine diplomatic efforts.

However, UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward defended the E3’s action, stating that the decision to invoke the snapback was “entirely legal, justified, and consistent” with the terms of Resolution 2231.

She cited the August 28, 2025 notification submitted by France, Germany, and the UK, explaining,“All that is required to trigger snapback is… a notification by a JCPOA participant state of an issue that it believes constitutes significant non-performance of commitments under the JCPOA.”