Security Council resolution aimed at halting the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program failed Friday after weeks of last-ditch diplomatic talks appeared to break down days before the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders.
The resolution put forth by South Korea, the current president of the 15-member council, did not garner the support of the nine countries required to halt the series of sanctions from taking effect at the end of the month, as outlined in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom moved last month to trigger the “ snapback mechanism,” which automatically reimposes all U.N.
Sanctions that were in effect before the nuclear deal.
Those penalties included a conventional arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile development, asset freezes, travel bans and a ban on producing nuclear-related technology.
The Islamic Republic already is reeling from a 12-day war with Israel and a decades-long financial crisis.
Using the snapback mechanism will likely heighten tensions between Iran and the West.
It’s unclear how Iran will respond, given that in the past, officials have threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, potentially following North Korea, which abandoned the treaty in 2003 and then built atomic weapons.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Friday, emphasized its commitment to safeguarding its interests and rights, including through diplomacy, and said it reserves the right to respond appropriately to any unlawful action.
Before the vote, Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the U.N. said the Europeans were using the council as “a tool for their bad faith play, as a lever to exert pressure on the state in favor of a state which is trying to defend its sovereign interests.”.
The political importance lies in whether the issue moves from public comment into formal action, party response, court record, election authority notice or administrative decision.
