KEY POINTS
- Russia calls the UN Security Council vote to reimpose sanctions on Iran as provocative and illegal.
- Britain, France and Germany accuse Tehran of breaching the 2015 nuclear deal.
- Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria backed a draft resolution to lift sanctions on Iran.
- US envoy Dorothy Shea said Washington’s “no” vote leaves room for diplomacy and talks with Iran.
MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday slammed the UN Security Council vote to reimpose economic sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme and warned of a risk of an “escalation of tensions”.
“The Russian side has repeatedly pointed out the provocative and illegal nature of the actions of the European countries participating in the JCPOA,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Britain, France and Germany were among the parties to a 2015 deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that gave Iran relief from UN sanctions in return for UN-monitored restrictions on its nuclear activities.
The three governments say Iran has reneged on its commitments under the deal, which has been effectively moribund since Washington pulled out in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The United Nations Security Council voted Friday, after European pressure, to reimpose the UN sanctions on Iran.
“These actions have nothing to do with diplomacy and lead exclusively to a further escalation of tensions surrounding the Iranian nuclear program,” the Russian ministry said.
In August, Moscow warned that the reimposition of sanctions against Iran risked “irreparable consequences”.
On Friday, the UN Security Council did not adopt a draft resolution to permanently lift sanctions on Iran, but Tehran and key European powers still have eight days to try and agree to a delay.
The 15-member UN Security Council was required to vote on the draft resolution on Friday after Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process on August 28 to reimpose UN sanctions, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal. Iran denies having any such intention.
Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria voted in favour of the draft text on Friday. Nine members voted against it, while two abstained.
The Security Council vote has now set up a week of intense diplomacy while world leaders – including Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian – are in New York for the annual high-level UN General Assembly.
Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea said that while the US voted “no” on Friday, it “does not impede the possibility of real diplomacy”, adding that a return of sanctions on Iran “does not preclude later removal through diplomacy”.
“More importantly, President Trump has continued to reiterate the United States’ ongoing readiness for meaningful, direct, and timebound dialogue with Iran – be it prior to the conclusion of the snapback process on September 27, or after,” she told the council.
Russia and China finalised a draft Security Council resolution late last month that would extend the 2015 deal for six months and urge all parties to immediately resume negotiations. But they have not yet asked for a vote.
