UN Security Council Nixes Resolution to Halt Reimposition of Sanctions Against Iran

Latest Developments

Sanctions on Iran Set To Return: The 15-member UN Security Council voted on September 19 against a resolution to halt the imminent reimposition of UN sanctions against Iran, known as “snapback.” Only four countries — China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria — voted in favor of the resolution, falling short of the requisite nine votes needed to pass. UN sanctions on Iran will be reimposed on September 27, though negotiations to delay their implementation may continue throughout the next 10 days, during the forthcoming UN General Assembly. The “snapback” mechanism enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231 — which endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — would freeze Iranian assets abroad, restore arms and missile embargos on Iran, outlaw Tehran’s ballistic missile testing, restore prohibitions against its uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, and ban nuclear trade with the regime.

Macron Affirms Snapback Is ‘Done Deal’: A day before the UNSC vote, French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed that the snapback mechanism would be triggered and sanctions would be reimposed against Iran at the end of September. When asked by Israel’s Channel 12 News whether snapback was a “done deal,” Macron answered, “Yes, I think so. Because the latest news we have from the Iranians [is] not serious.” Macron explained that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “tried to make a reasonable offer,” but the proposal was not enough to convince the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — collectively known as the E3 — to extend the snapback deadline by several months.

UN Envoy Rejects Decision: Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani rejected the UNSC’s decision after the vote, calling the move “hasty, unlawful, and politically motivated.” Iravani insisted that Iran’s nuclear program was “exclusively peaceful” and threatened that the United States and the E3 would “now bear full responsibility for the crisis they have manufactured.” Separately, Araghchi cautioned ahead of the vote that world leaders should “choose diplomacy over confrontation,” adding that “the stakes could not be higher.”

FDD Expert Response

“Today’s historic vote on snapback — 10 years in the making — will restore by next week critical restrictions on Iran’s illicit nuclear, missile, arms, banking, and shipping efforts. Importantly, these bans will help prevent Tehran’s rebuilding of key weapons programs following their decimation during the June war by prohibiting relevant foreign trade with the regime. Snapback also restores the legal basis against Iranian enrichment and reprocessing, which supports President Trump’s demand that the regime fully, verifiably, and permanently dismantle its nuclear weapons program.” — Andrea Stricker, Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow

“In 2018, Europe opposed the United States’ withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In 2020, Europe worked to circumvent U.S. sanctions and opposed Trump’s unilateral snapback. But in 2025, Iran has, through its repeated violations of the nuclear deal, persuaded Europe to implement Trump’s policy from 2018. Quite the achievement for Tehran’s negotiating team.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow