U.N. Security Council to vote on proposal delaying ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran

The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Friday on a proposal that would delay the implementation of “snapback” sanctions on Iran by six months, giving the Islamic republic more time to negotiate a solution to its nuclear program.

The council is facing a proposal backed by Iran’s allies, Russia and China, that would see the deadline for the U.N.-backed sanctions moved from Sept. 27 to April 18, 2026. This weekend’s deadline was originally set in late August by France, Germany and the U.K., who accused Iran of failing to uphold its duties under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

If the body votes down the proposal, Iran will be subject to intense sanctions, originally paused under the 2015 deal. Those sanctions include an arms embargo, international asset seizures, travel restrictions for Iranian officials and a ban on the sale of materials used in uranium enrichment.

The proposal would need the support of nine out of the 15 members of the Security Council to pass. 

Beyond further sanctions pressure on Iran, the snapback sanctions threaten to further isolate the Islamic republic. Over the last month, Iran has repeatedly threatened to suspend cooperation with the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, known as the International Atomic Energy Agency, if sanctions are handed down, which could leave Tehran’s nuclear sites with no oversight.

Iran’s parliament had passed a law earlier this year halting cooperation with the agency but has since promised to restart inspections of nuclear sites. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier this month that Iran would tear up any agreements it has with the IAEA if sanctions come down.

During negotiations in August, Europe demanded that Iran restart investigations of its nuclear sites through the IAEA, provide an accounting of its stockpiles of enriched uranium and restart negotiations with the U.S.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used his speech before the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday to harshly criticize Europe’s decision to impose further sanctions.

“They falsely presented themselves as parties of good standing to the agreement, and they disparaged Iran’s sincere efforts as insufficient. All of this was in pursuit of nothing less than the destruction of the very JCPOA, which they themselves had once held as the foremost achievement of multilateral diplomacy,” he said.