Written By Dwayne Ferreira.
Iran sanctions monitoring by UN experts ends after Russia and China veto a US-backed Security Council resolution extending the panel.
UNITED NATIONS — Russia and China have vetoed a United States-backed resolution that would have allowed United Nations experts to continue independently monitoring international sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme.
The vote at the UN Security Council on Thursday effectively ended the mandate of the expert mechanism responsible for examining alleged sanctions violations and attempts to circumvent restrictions imposed on Tehran.
The United States had sought to retain the monitoring arrangement after sanctions against Iran were restored last year following disputes over Tehran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Britain and France were among the countries supporting the US-backed proposal, but Russia and China used their veto powers as permanent members of the Security Council to block it.
Western governments have argued that independent monitoring is necessary to establish whether sanctions are being breached and to identify networks helping Iran obtain restricted materials or conduct prohibited transactions.
Russia and China rejected that position, accusing Western governments of politicising the Security Council and arguing that disputes surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme should instead be resolved through diplomacy.
Iran has repeatedly denied Western allegations that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and maintains that its nuclear activities are intended for peaceful purposes.
The disagreement comes amid continuing international tensions surrounding Tehran’s nuclear programme and the wider security situation in the Middle East.
The panel of experts had already been unable to operate normally during the previous year because Security Council members failed to agree on appointments.
The latest veto means the UN will no longer have the same independent expert mechanism dedicated to reporting publicly on implementation of the sanctions regime.
