Iran envoy says Russia and China veto of anti-Iran resolution will be recorded in history

Iran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said on Friday that the United States' effort to use the UN Security Council to reimpose sanctions on Iran was again blocked by vetoes from Russia and China. In a post on his X account late on Friday, Jalali wrote that Washington had sought to exploit the Security Council to restore sanctions that he said had been permanently lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran's nuclear deal.

Jalali said the support of Russia and China deserves appreciation and will be recorded in history. He described sanctions as an outdated and antiquated tool belonging to past periods that has lost its effectiveness, adding that the world of tomorrow belongs to those who believe in a multipolar world and multilateral cooperation. He also said the patience and steadfastness of the Iranian people had helped bring about that moment.

Earlier on Friday, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations expressed appreciation to Russia and China for vetoing the US-sponsored anti-Iran resolution. The mission said on Thursday, local time, that during that day's Security Council meeting, the US draft resolution was not adopted. It described the draft as submitted with political motives and aimed at reviving the mandate of the Panel of Experts associated with the committee linked to Resolution 1737, which it called illegal.

The episode centers on the Security Council's handling of the resolution's committee and its Panel of Experts, a structure tied to earlier sanctions decisions on Iran. According to the Iranian mission, the US draft sought to restore that panel's mandate, a move Tehran opposed. Russia and China, both veto-wielding members of the Security Council, blocked the measure, preventing its adoption.

The statements from Jalali and the Iranian UN mission reflect Tehran's position that the sanctions in question were lifted under the JCPOA and that attempts to reinstate them through the Security Council are without legal basis. Jalali framed the vetoes as part of a broader shift toward multipolarity and multilateral cooperation, arguing that sanctions have lost their utility.

According to Mehr News, the Iranian ambassador's remarks and the UN mission's statement followed the Security Council's failure to adopt the US-sponsored draft, with both Russian and Chinese vetoes cited as the reason the resolution did not pass.