UN Security Council divided over Iran sanctions

The United Nations Security Council held a meeting on Thursday on issues related to Iran's nuclear program, amid sharp divisions among members over UN sanctions and the escalating crisis in the Middle East.

China's permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong, told the Security Council during a mandated meeting of the 1737 Sanctions Committee that China is "seriously concerned that" the US decision to hold this meeting now will aggravate tensions in the Middle East and harm prospects for a political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

"Against the backdrop of renewed fighting in the Middle East and an unprecedentedly complex and severe situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear issue, the president of the Council insists on holding this meeting, which will aggravate contradictions and confrontation among all parties and undermine the prospects for a political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue," said Fu.

The meeting took place as part of the Council's consideration of a sanctions committee established in 2006 to oversee sanctions on Iran's nuclear program. The committee was required to report to the Council every 90 days.

The committee was suspended under Resolution 2231 following the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

In August, France, Germany and the UK (known as the E3) triggered the JCPOA's "snapback" mechanism to restore UN sanctions, following the United States' withdrawal from the agreement in 2018. Israel, the United States and several European countries say Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran denies this.

The United States, which holds the Council presidency this month, convened the meeting to resume reporting by the sanctions committee. While the US on Thursday accused China and Russia of "blocking" the committee's work, the two countries oppose the move, saying the committee no longer exists.

"China has repeatedly pointed out that the E3's attempt to trigger the snapback mechanism has procedural and legal flaws. Resolution 2231 expired on October 18 last year, and the Security Council has terminated its consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue," said Fu.

The meeting was scheduled on Tuesday and postponed to Thursday.

Fu added that China supports the procedural motion proposed by Russia's UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya and "does not intend to comment on the work of the Committee".

"The United States and Israel must immediately stop military operations, refrain from attacking Iranian facilities under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, avoid further escalation and prevent the conflict from spreading across the Middle East," said Fu.

He said the crisis was "triggered by the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA" and by its military actions with Israel during negotiations with Iran, saying the United States' actions "violate international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter".

"European countries should stop fueling the tension and play a constructive role in easing the situation," Fu added.

Fu said the Security Council's actions "cannot serve as a tool for sanctions or the political agenda of individual countries" and "countries should stop politicizing the Council".

The UN Refugee Agency said on Thursday that between 600,000 and one million Iranian households are now temporarily displaced inside their country as a result of the ongoing conflict.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's UN ambassador, told reporters on Thursday that Security Council Resolution 2231 "definitively terminated on 18 October 2025", calling the claims that the "snapback" mechanism had been triggered were "baseless".