Russia and China ended the UN mandate for independent monitoring of sanctions on Iran

On Thursday, Russia and China brought an end to the UN Security Council’s mandate for independent monitoring of international sanctions against Iran, reiterating their claims that all UN measures against Tehran had been lifted under the nuclear deal with world powers, UNN reports, citing Reuters.

All UN sanctions against Iran were reinstated a year ago after France, the United Kingdom and Germany accused Tehran of violating the 2015 nuclear deal, which was intended to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies having any intention of creating nuclear weapons.

This involved reinstating the work of an independent panel of experts to monitor violations, report to the 15-member Security Council and provide recommendations on further action. However, over the past year the Council operated without a panel of experts on Iran because it was unable to agree on their appointment—a decision that must be made by consensus.

On Thursday, Russia and China vetoed a resolution that would have extended the mandate for independent monitoring of the sanctions. Eleven Council members voted in favor, while Pakistan and Somalia abstained.

"Without an independent panel of experts, this Council loses its primary source of impartial, evidence-based information on sanctions violations, creating a monitoring gap that benefits only the Iranian regime and those who profit from circumventing these measures," U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jennifer Lochetta said after the vote.

To add

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran seven months ago, claiming that their goal was to stop Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran during his first presidential term (in 2018), calling the agreement "the worst in history."

On Thursday, Russia and China accused their Western counterparts of politicizing the Security Council’s work.

"We strongly urge our Western colleagues to stop the extremely dangerous actions on the Iranian front that threaten to further complicate efforts to resolve the crisis in the Persian Gulf," Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya told the Security Council. — "The only way to resolve differences and address concerns... regarding Iran’s nuclear program is through political and diplomatic efforts."