On Friday, the UN Security Council voted on a proposal to keep Iran's sanctions relief under the 2015 nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA). Led by the Republic of Korea as council president for September, the draft needed 9 votes in favor to pass. It only got 4 yes votes, 9 no votes and 2 abstentions – so it failed. ❌
Why does relief matter? Under UN Resolution 2231, which backs the JCPOA, Iran enjoys eased sanctions on its economy. If the council doesn't extend relief, a snapback mechanism could automatically restore old sanctions. Britain, France and Germany (the E3) say they triggered this on August 28 by flagging Iran's non-performance.
But here's the catch: before you can snap back, you're supposed to use the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM) – think of it like asking for an extension on a group project. The DRM has 35 days to sort things out; if that fails, sanctions snapback kicks in. Critics argue the E3 side-stepped this step. 🤔
Meanwhile, China and Russia put forward their own plan: extend the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 for six more months to give diplomacy a shot. That idea had backing from Algeria and Pakistan too, but it didn't get the votes needed.
What's next? Resolution 2231 expires on October 18, 2025. After that, the Security Council can't formally back the nuclear deal anymore. Tick tock… ⏳
Bottom line: Without an extension, UN sanctions on Iran could snap back soon, adding fresh tension to global diplomacy. Stay tuned for updates! 🌍✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
