Moscow: The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation has criticized the recent vote by the UN Security Council to reject a proposal aimed at extending sanctions relief for Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal, labeling it as provocative and counterproductive.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the ministry described the move as detrimental to ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at lifting sanctions and restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Russia, along with China, Algeria, and Pakistan, voted in favor of continuing the sanctions relief. However, the European countries and the United States exerted significant pressure on non-permanent members of the UNSC, leading them to adopt what Russia views as counterproductive positions.
The statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry also highlighted that the stance of the European countries, the United States, and South Korea, which currently holds the UNSC presidency, towards the "snapback process" was marked by illegality and provocation, potentially escalating tensions over the Iranian nuclear issue.
The UNSC draft resolution did not secure the nine votes required for adoption, resulting in the automatic re-imposition of previous UN sanctions on Iran. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed outrage at the vote, deeming it illegal and unjustifiable, and asserted Iran's right to respond, warning that the actions of the E3 (the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) might undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Countries including Denmark, France, Greece, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, the United Kingdom, and the United States voted against, while Guyana and the Republic of Korea abstained. UNSC Resolution 2231, which endorsed the JCPOA in July 2015, outlined the process for lifting UN sanctions and the mechanism for re-imposing them in cases of "significant non-performance" by any of its participants, including China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, the US, the European Union, and Iran.