UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution Thursday that would have authorized U.N. experts to keep monitoring sanctions that were reimposed against Iran last year over its nuclear program.
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that → veto → program
The U.N. Security Council sanctions are still in effect, which freeze Iran’s assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures.
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which → freeze → measures
Using a provision in the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the “snapback” mechanism, which reimposed the sanctions on Sept. 27, 2025.
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which → use → Sept.
It restored the Security Council sanctions committee and authorized a panel of U.N. experts to monitor implementation.
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It → restore → implementation
The United States had drafted a resolution to extend the U.N. expert panel’s mandate for a year.
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States → draft → year
The proposal was defeated by a vote of 11-2, with Somalia and Pakistan abstaining, because of the Russian and Chinese vetoes.
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Somalia → defeat → vetoes
It comes as the Trump administration is pursuing a wider campaign to isolate Tehran from its remaining economic partners as the more than six-month-old war in Iran has hit a stalemate.
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war → come → stalemate
Separately, Thursday, the administration went after digital currency networks that it says are illegally providing sanctioned Iranian entities with access to the international financial system.
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it → go → system
The Treasury and State Departments announced that they had targeted two companies — BitBank and the Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Co. — and three associates of BitBank’s previously sanctioned chief, Babak Zanjani, who are accused of playing a role in helping Iran evade sanctions.
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Iran → announce → sanctions
At the United Nations, Iran’s U.N. mission thanked China and Russia for vetoing the U.S. resolution, saying on social media that the countries “prevented yet another cynical attempt by the United States and its allies to abuse the Security Council for their political purposes.”
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countries → thank → purposes
Since Israel and the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025, U.N. nuclear inspectors have been unable to verify the status of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
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inspectors → strike → uranium
The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said Iran maintained a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
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Iran → say → %
U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N. Jennifer Locetta said the United States wasn’t surprised by the vetoes on Thursday because the experts “would have shined the light” on prohibited cooperation between Iran and its partners.
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experts → say → Iran
She said the vetoes are part of a broader effort to prevent expert monitoring of sanctions, and even the appointment of panel members, “to stifle reporting that implicates their own activities in support of rogue regimes.”
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that → say → regimes
In March 2024, a Russian veto ended U.N. monitoring of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program.
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veto → end → program
In Mali, sanctions were terminated, and Locetta said that in Yemen and the Central African Republic expert appointments have been delayed or refused.
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appointments → terminate → Yemen
While the panel of experts for Iran was authorized a year ago and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed members, they were never approved.
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they → authorize → members
“Without an independent panel of experts, this council loses its principal source of impartial, evidence-based reporting on sanctions violations, creating a monitoring gap that only benefits the Iranian regime and those who profit from evading those measures,” Locetta warned.
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Locetta → lose → measures
Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia reiterated Moscow’s claim that the “snapback” of sanctions against Iran was illegal, and therefore the resolution to extend the mandate of the panel of experts “was deeply flawed and did not have any legal basis.”
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resolution → reiterate → basis
Russia and China had strongly urged the U.S. and its allies not to put the resolution to a vote, which would only increase tensions in the council, Nebenzia said, but Washington “decided to opt for confrontation.”
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Washington → urge → confrontation
French U.N. Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont, the current council president, said implementing sanctions is “a crucial instrument to encourage Iran” to return to its nuclear obligations.
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implementing → say → obligations
France will study how to ensure sanctions are enforced, he said.
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he → study → ?
One possibility would be to follow what happened after the North Korea panel of experts was abolished: establishing a monitoring team that includes France, Germany, the U.K. and the United States.
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that → follow → France
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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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Lee → contribute → report
The Aporia
