UN Security Council maintains sanctions to Iran, but there is still time for postponement

The United Nations Security Council rejected a resolution project on Friday to permanently suspend sanctions on Iran, but Tehran and the main European powers still have eight days to try to reach a postponement.

Composed of 15 members, the UN Security Council had to vote on the resolution project on Friday, amid a 30-day process launched by the United Kingdom, France and Germany on August 28 to reimpts UN sanctions, accusing Tehran not to meet the 2015 agreement with the world powers to prevent the development of a nuclear weapon. Iran denies having any intention in this regard.

Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria voted in favor of the preliminary text this Friday. Nine members voted against and two abstained.

The Voting of the Security Council marks the beginning of a week of intense diplomacy while the world leaders – including Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian – are in New York to the UN General Assembly.

The door for diplomacy is not closed, but it will be Iran, not the opponents, who will decide with whom and on what is engaged, ”Iran’s ambassador amir Savani told UN, to journalists after the vote.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will meet with his European colleagues in New York next week, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, he said, adding that Friday’s divided vote illustrates that “there is no consensus on the Council.”

The United Kingdom, France, and Germany have offered to postpone the restoration of sanctions for up to six months – to make room for long -term conversations about Tehran’s nuclear program – if Iran reestablish access from UN nuclear inspectors, addressing concerns about their enriched urean in stock and getting involved in conversations with the United States.

“Without these more basic conditions being met, there is no clear way to a quick diplomatic solution,” British Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the board.

“We are ready for new commitments, diplomatically, next week and beyond, to try to solve the differences.”

Any delay in repaying sanctions would require a resolution of the Security Council. If it is not possible to reach an agreement for an extension by the end of September 27, all UN sanctions will be resumed.

The interim US ambassador, Dorothy Shea, said that although the US voted against the resolution on Friday, this “does not prevent the possibility of real diplomacy,” adding that the return of sanctions to Iran “does not prevent further removal through diplomacy.”

“Most importantly, President Trump continued to reiterate the continuous readiness of the United States for a significant, direct and deadline dialogue with Iran – either before the process of return of sanctions on September 27 or later,” she said to the board.

UN French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said that since the 30 -day process – known as Snapback – was triggered, the Foreign Ministers of Germany, France and the United Kingdom met twice with their Iranian colleague.

“Our hand is still extended to find a negotiated solution,” he said to the advice before the vote.

Separately, strategic allies of Iran, Russia and China, completed a security board resolution project at the end of last month that would extend the 2015 agreement for six months and exhort all parties to immediately resume negotiations. But they have not yet requested a vote.

Russia and China, which are also part of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, rejected the UN -reimp, UN sanctions to Iran’s proposal.

China’s Ambassador at UN, Fu Cong said that the attempt to trigger snapback was “harmful to diplomatic effort to an early resumption of negotiations and may even have catastrophic consequences that are impossible to predict and lose years of diplomatic efforts at once.”