The proposal submitted by Russia and China, Iran’s closest allies on the 15-member UN Security Council, did not receive enough support on Friday, September 26, 2025, to prevent the reimposition of UN sanctions scheduled to take effect on Saturday under Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers. Nine votes were required to halt the sanctions, but the measure failed to gain sufficient backing.
Unless a last-minute agreement is reached, sanctions reinstated by Britain, France, and Germany will once again freeze Iranian assets overseas, block arms deals with Tehran, and impose penalties on any development of ballistic capabilities. The move is likely to escalate tensions between Iran and Western countries. It remains uncertain how Iran will respond, as officials have previously threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, following the example of North Korea, which abandoned the treaty in 2003 and subsequently developed nuclear weapons.
China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria supported giving Iran additional time to negotiate with the European nations, known as the E3, and the United States, which unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, criticized the Western nations during the council meeting, stating that diplomacy should be prioritized over “coercion that only escalates regional tensions.”
Efforts to reach a compromise were constrained by remarks from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who called peace talks with the US “a dead end.” Ahead of the annual UN gathering in New York, Iranian officials emphasized that they had made “multiple proposals to keep diplomacy open.” Iranian diplomat Araghchi noted on social media that while Iran had sought dialogue, “the E3 has failed to reciprocate, and the US has intensified its demands,” urging the council to approve an extension for negotiations.
European countries expressed willingness to delay sanctions only if Iran meets several conditions. These include resuming direct negotiations with the US on its nuclear program, granting UN inspectors access to nuclear sites, and providing clarity on more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium under the UN’s monitoring. Iran is currently the only non-nuclear weapons state enriching uranium up to 60 percent, approaching weapons-grade levels.
Earlier this month, Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog signed an agreement, mediated by Egypt, to resume cooperation, including inspections of nuclear facilities. However, Iran has warned that it could terminate this agreement and suspend all IAEA cooperation if sanctions are reinstated.
The country has remained cautious about allowing full access to inspectors, particularly after the twelve-day conflict with Israel in June, which involved Israeli and US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, raising questions about Tehran’s enriched uranium stockpile. Despite this, IAEA inspectors are currently in Iran examining a second intact facility and will remain until sanctions are implemented. Earlier, they observed fuel replacement at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant at the end of August. European officials have noted that these inspections alone are insufficient to prevent the enforcement of sanctions.