Russia and China veto U.S. resolution on Iran sanctions at the UN Security Council

Russia and China have vetoed a U.S. draft resolution at the UN Security Council seeking to extend the mandate of the committee overseeing sanctions on Iran, Al Jazeera reported Thursday.

According to a Security Council report, the two permanent members opposed the draft since its text was presented in late August, objecting to the so-called “snapback” mechanism for reimposing international sanctions on Iran. The mechanism was created under Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and allows any original participant to trigger the clause if it believes Iran is seriously violating the pact.

Russia and China argued that the sanctions’ return was invalid and that the JCPOA, along with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, expired at the end of last year.

The veto marks another diplomatic clash between Washington on one side and Moscow and Beijing on the other over the Iran file, as the U.S.–Iran war enters its seventh month with no end in sight.

Source: Al Jazeera