US, Western Allies Clash with Russia and China at UN Over Iran Nuclear Program

The United States and its Western allies clashed with Russia and China on Thursday over Iran’s nuclear intentions, as Washington sought at the United Nations to further justify the war it launched on Iran two weeks ago.

During a meeting of the 15-member United Nations Security Council, chaired this month by the United States, Russia and China unsuccessfully attempted to block a discussion on a committee established to oversee and enforce UN sanctions on Iran. Their move was overruled by a vote of 11–2, with two abstentions.
Addressing the council, the US 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.
According to Waltz, all UN member states should enforce an arms embargo on Iran, ban the transfer and trade of missile technology, and freeze relevant financial assets.
He added that the UN provisions being re-imposed were not arbitrary but were specifically designed to address threats linked to Iran’s nuclear, missile and conventional arms programmes, as well as its continued support for terrorism.
Waltz further alleged that China and Russia opposed a functional sanctions committee because they intended to protect their partner, Iran, and continue defence cooperation that is now prohibited.
He also noted that the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had reiterated last week that Iran remains the only state without nuclear weapons to have produced and accumulated uranium enriched up to 60 percent, while refusing to grant the agency access to the stockpile.
However, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, accused the United States and its allies of fuelling hysteria over alleged Iranian plans to develop nuclear weapons—claims he said were never confirmed by IAEA reports.
Nebenzya argued that such claims were used as justification for launching another military action against Tehran and escalating tensions across the Middle East and beyond.
China’s representative, Fu Cong, also criticised Washington, describing it as the “instigator” of the Iranian nuclear crisis. He said the United States resorted to the use of force against Iran during ongoing negotiations, thereby undermining diplomatic efforts.
US President Donald Trump has cited Iran’s nuclear programme as justification for the war against the country. He recently claimed that Iran would have obtained a nuclear weapon within two weeks if the United States had not struck three key nuclear sites in June. However, sources indicated that this assertion was not supported by US intelligence assessments.
Meanwhile, Britain and France told the Security Council that re-imposing sanctions on Iran was justified because Tehran had failed to address concerns regarding its nuclear programme.
France stated that the IAEA could no longer guarantee the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities, adding that the country’s stockpile of nuclear material could be sufficient for the production of up to 10 nuclear devices.
(Reuters)