A UN Iran Nuclear Sanctions Clash unfolded on Thursday as the United States and its Western allies confronted Russia and China at the Security Council over Tehran’s nuclear intentions. The meeting came as Washington sought to defend its war on Iran and push for stricter enforcement of UN measures linked to Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes.
Russia and China tried to block discussion of the 1737 Committee, the body set up to oversee and enforce UN sanctions on Iran. However, they were overruled by an 11-2 vote, with two abstentions
Addressing the council, US envoy Mike Waltz accused Moscow and Beijing of trying to shield Tehran by obstructing the work of the 1737 Committee. He said all UN member states should enforce an arms embargo on Iran, restrict missile technology transfers and freeze relevant financial assets.
Waltz argued that the sanctions under discussion were narrowly focused on what Washington sees as threats from Iran’s nuclear, missile and conventional arms programmes, as well as its support for terrorism. He also said Russia and China wanted to protect Iran and preserve defence cooperation that would again be prohibited under reimposed measures.
Russia And China Reject US Claims On Iran
Russia’s UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, accused the US and its allies of creating hysteria over what he called unproven claims that Iran was seeking a nuclear weapon. He said those allegations were being used to justify military action against Tehran and to escalate the wider Middle East crisis.
China’s representative, Fu Cong, called Washington the instigator of the Iranian nuclear crisis. He said the US had used force against Iran during negotiations and had undermined diplomatic efforts.
Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani also rejected the allegations, saying Tehran’s nuclear programme has always been exclusively peaceful. He added that Iran would not recognise any attempt to enforce sanctions against it.
Western Powers Back Fresh Pressure On Tehran
Britain and France told the Security Council that re-imposing sanctions was justified because Iran had failed to address long-running concerns over its nuclear programme. France said the International Atomic Energy Agency could no longer guarantee the programme’s peaceful nature.
The US side also pointed to the IAEA’s position that Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state known to have produced and accumulated uranium enriched up to 60 per cent. France further argued that Tehran’s stockpile was sufficient for 10 nuclear devices.
