In a new move, Russia and China reacted negatively on Thursday to the UN Security Council's request for the complete revival of the Iran sanctions monitoring committee and urged Tehran to cease the accumulation of highly enriched uranium. These developments come after the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) unanimously voted to refer Iran to the Security Council due to its non-compliance with nuclear regulations, leading to increased international pressure on Tehran.
Firm Opposition from Moscow
Russia strongly opposed efforts to revive the sanctions committee, with the country's representative, Vassily Nebenzia, emphasizing that Moscow "will never allow sanctions to be reimposed on Tehran" and accused Western powers of distorting facts related to Iran's nuclear program. He stated: "The Russian Federation firmly opposes attempts to misuse the Security Council's authority for political settlements with Tehran."
The 1737 sanctions committee was established in 2006 to monitor sanctions imposed on Iran's nuclear program and was suspended after the 2015 nuclear agreement. This committee was officially revived after the return of UN sanctions last year, but has remained practically ineffective due to disagreements with Russia and China over the legality of resuming sanctions.
Pressure on Iran
The British ambassador to the Security Council, Sarah MacIntosh, emphasized that all UN member states are obligated to implement sanctions resolutions against Iran and urged Tehran to address the global community's concerns regarding its nuclear program. She also called for the immediate appointment of a chair and members of the committee's expert panel.
The U.S. Special Political Representative, Jennifer Loretta, announced that Washington will seek to collaborate with its partners in the coming days to assess options to ensure adequate infrastructure in this regard. Meanwhile, Bahrain has urged Security Council members to work constructively and promptly to reach an agreement on selecting members of the expert panel.
