Russia and China blocked a United Nations resolution that would have allowed U.N. experts to continue monitoring sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. These sanctions, which were reactivated in September 2025 using a provision from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the major European powers (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom), are still in place. They include freezing Iran’s foreign assets, halting arms deals with Tehran, and penalizing the development of Iran’s ballistic missile program. The U.S. had proposed extending the mandate of the U.N. expert panel for one year as part of an effort to isolate Iran economically. However, the resolution failed with an 11-2 vote, with Somalia and Pakistan abstaining, due to vetoes from Russia and China. Since Israel and the U.S. conducted airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025, U.N. inspectors have been unable to confirm the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. According to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Iran is believed to hold 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% — just a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran’s U.N. mission praised China and Russia for vetoing the resolution, saying the two countries “prevented yet another cynical attempt by the United States and its allies to abuse the Security Council for their political purposes.” The U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., Jennifer Locetta, said she was not surprised by the Russian and Chinese vetoes. She argued that the expert panel “would have shined the light” on Iran’s prohibited cooperation with other countries. She claimed the vetoes are part of a broader effort to prevent monitoring of sanctions and the appointment of panel members, in order to avoid reporting that might expose their own support for Iran. Locetta also pointed out that similar issues have arisen in other regions. For instance, in March 2024, a Russian veto ended U.N. monitoring of sanctions against North Korea. In Mali, sanctions were terminated, and in Yemen and the Central African Republic, expert appointments have been delayed or refused. The Iran panel was authorized a year ago, but its members have not been approved. Without an independent panel, Locetta warned, the council loses its main source of impartial reporting on sanctions violations. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia reiterated Moscow’s position that the reactivation of sanctions against Iran was illegal, making the resolution to extend the expert panel’s mandate “deeply flawed and without legal basis.” He said Russia and China had urged the U.S. and its allies not to bring the resolution to a vote, as it would increase tensions. However, Washington proceeded with the vote anyway. French U.N. Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont, who is currently the council president, emphasized that enforcing sanctions is a key tool to encourage Iran to return to its nuclear commitments. France is considering ways to ensure sanctions are implemented, possibly by creating a monitoring team composed of France, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S., similar to the approach taken after the North Korea panel was disbanded.