UN Sanctions on Iran to Be Reinstated Following Security Council Vote

UN sanctions on Iran will be reinstated at the end of September after a Security Council resolution did not receive enough support to block the "snapback" mechanism outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal.

A resolution brought by South Korea, which currently holds the council presidency, secured only four votes - from China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria - instead of the nine needed, The Caspian Post reports citing The Independent.

This means sanctions suspended under the 2015 deal with the Security Council’s five permanent members and Germany will automatically “snap back” at the end of this month.

The sanctions include a conventional arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile development, travel bans, asset freezes, and bans on producing nuclear technology.

The “snapback” mechanism was built into the 2015 deal as a veto-proof enforcement tool: once triggered, the sanctions would resume unless the Security Council voted to stop them.

France, Germany and Britain moved last month to activate the mechanism, accusing Tehran of failing to meet its commitments.

Washington unilaterally withdrew from the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, during Donald Trump’s first presidential term.

French president Emmanuel Macron told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that the activation of the snapback process was essentially “a done deal”, claiming Tehran’s latest overtures were “not serious”.