China, Russia veto Iran sanctions panel extension at UN

The UN Security Council on Thursday failed to adopt a US-drafted resolution that would have extended the mandate of a panel of experts monitoring sanctions on Iran, after China and Russia vetoed the measure.

The draft received 11 votes in favor, with China and Russia voting against and two members abstaining. It sought to extend the mandate of the 1737 committee's Iran sanctions panel of experts until September 2027.

The committee and its expert panel had been suspended under Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted in 2015 to endorse the Iran nuclear deal. The UK, France and Germany last year triggered a "snapback" mechanism, arguing that the move restored previous UN sanctions and revived the committee and its expert panel.

China and Russia dispute the validity of the snapback and said that Resolution 2231 expired in October 2025, meaning the previous sanctions regime and its subsidiary bodies were not restored.

"Security Council Resolution 2231 expired on Oct 18, 2025, and the Security Council has ended its consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue," Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, told the Council.

"Disregarding these facts, forcing through the restoration of sanctions against Iran in the Security Council, and putting forward an obviously controversial draft resolution will only undermine the unity and credibility of the Council and create obstacles to diplomatic efforts," Fu said, adding that China firmly opposed the move.

Fu said that as the situation in the Middle East and negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue "remain deeply deadlocked", the Security Council should "play a constructive role in promoting negotiations and easing tensions, rather than becoming a platform for individual members to engage in political confrontation and exert pressure".

Fu said China calls on the countries concerned to fully implement the measures related to the "Termination Day" under Resolution 2231, "uphold the authority of the Security Council and the credibility of multilateral diplomacy, and create the necessary conditions for a political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue".

Fu said the immediate priority amid the conflict in the Middle East is to urge the parties concerned to remain calm and exercise restraint, cease the use or threat of force, ease tensions, and create the necessary conditions for the parties to restore and implement a ceasefire, return to negotiations and reach a peace agreement.

Vital waterway

Meanwhile, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are still running high.

The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early on Friday a "violating" oil tanker that sought "illegal" passage through the Strait of Hormuz was struck the previous night and brought to a halt.

In a statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News, the navy said the Togo-flagged oil tanker, named Trend, stopped after it caught fire following the strike.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis exchanged fresh cross-border strikes on Thursday, creating new threats to global oil supplies.

Houthi-run television reported Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah Province close to the Saudi border near the Red Sea coast, and in the vicinity of Taiz further inland to the south.

Saudi Arabia's civil defense said a Yemeni living in Saudi Arabia had been killed by debris from a drone intercepted over the western city of Taif, the first death Riyadh has announced in repeated Houthi attacks since fighting escalated last week.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State said on Thursday it had approved the potential sale of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

Agencies contributed to this story.

minluzhang@chinadailyusa.com