The United States and its Western allies clashed with Russia and China at the United Nations on Thursday over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, as Washington sought to reinforce its justification for the military campaign it launched against Iran two weeks earlier.
During a meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council—currently chaired by the United States—Russia and China attempted unsuccessfully to block a discussion on a committee tasked with overseeing and enforcing U.N. sanctions on Iran. Their effort was rejected in an 11-2 vote, with two countries abstaining.
Addressing the council, U.S. envoy to the United Nations Mike Waltz accused Moscow and Beijing of trying to shield Tehran by obstructing the work of the so-called 1737 Committee.
He said all U.N. member states should enforce an arms embargo on Iran, prevent the transfer or trade of missile technology, and freeze related financial assets.
Waltz argued that the proposed reinstatement of U.N. measures was not arbitrary but narrowly focused on addressing threats stemming from Iran’s nuclear, missile, and conventional weapons programs, as well as its support for militant groups. He also claimed Russia and China opposed an effective sanctions committee because they wished to continue defence cooperation with Iran, which would be banned under the sanctions.
He added that the International Atomic Energy Agency had recently reiterated that Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed state to have produced and accumulated uranium enriched to 60%, and that Tehran had denied the agency access to this stockpile.
Russia’s U.N. ambassador Vasily Nebenzya rejected the accusations, saying the United States and its allies had fuelled “hysteria” about alleged Iranian plans to develop nuclear weapons—claims he said were not backed by IAEA findings.
Nebenzya argued that the narrative was used to justify another military intervention against Tehran, further escalating tensions in the Middle East and beyond.
China’s U.N. representative Fu Cong also criticised Washington, calling the United States the driving force behind the Iranian nuclear crisis. He said the U.S. had resorted to the use of force against Iran while negotiations were ongoing, undermining diplomatic efforts.
Iran’s U.N. ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani later told reporters that the country’s nuclear programme has always been purely peaceful and that Tehran would not recognise any attempt to enforce sanctions against it.
U.S. President Donald Trump has cited Iran’s nuclear activities as the main reason for launching military strikes, saying earlier this month that Iran could have developed a nuclear weapon within two weeks if the United States had not attacked three key nuclear facilities in June. However, sources have said this assertion was not supported by U.S. intelligence assessments.
Britain and France told the Security Council that reinstating sanctions was warranted because Iran had failed to address international concerns about its nuclear activities. France added that the IAEA could no longer confirm the peaceful nature of the programme and warned that Iran’s nuclear stockpile was large enough to produce material for roughly 10 nuclear weapons.
Click here for more on World News
