Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / IRAN SANCTIONS
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: UN / IRAN SANCTIONS
TRT: 04:08
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / CHINESE / FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 12 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
12 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya at the Council dais
4. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“The anti-Iranian resolutions of the Security Council lost their force in 2015, when resolution 2231 was adopted. Resolution 2231 itself expired, as per the resolution itself, on the 18th of October 2025. The Security Council has not taken any other decisions on this issue. Thus, resolution 1737 long ago lost its force and relevance. So, let's not parrot to assertions about supposedly the snapback having been invoked.”
5. Wide shot, Council
6. SOUNDBITE (English) James Kariuki, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United Kingdom:
“The United Kingdom, alongside France and Germany, triggered the snapback mechanism procedure in full accordance with Security Council Resolution 2231. We did so because of Iran's significant non-performance of its commitments under the JCPoA, as Russia and China know, the snapback process completed on 28th September 2025 and as a result, six UN Security Council resolutions and UN sanctions have come back into force.”
7. Pan right Council vote
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Waltz, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“The result of the voting is as follows 11 votes in favour, two votes against, two abstentions. The provisional agenda has been adopted.”
9. Wide shot, US Ambassador Mike Waltz at the Council dais
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Waltz, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“Today was meant to be a straightforward mandated meeting of the 1737 Committee. But unfortunately, our Russian and Chinese colleagues continue to block this committee's important work as part of their collaboration with the Iranian regime.”
10. Wide shot, Waltz at the Council dais
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Waltz, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“All member states of the United Nations should be implementing an arms embargo against Iran, banning the transfer and trade of missile technology, and freezing relevant financial assets in line with the robust UN sanctions that had been in place before 2015 and have now been snapped back into place.”
12. Wide shot, Council
13. Med shot, Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong at the Council dais
14. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fu Cong, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, People's Republic of China:
“The Iranian nuclear issue must ultimately return to the track of a political and diplomatic settlement. I want to emphasize that it was precisely the United States that unilaterally withdrew from JCPoA, which triggered the Iranian nuclear crisis. It was also the United States that, in total disregard of its own credibility, on two occasions joined Israel and resorted to a blatant use of force against Iran during the negotiation process, which rendered the diplomatic efforts futile. The United States, as the instigator of the Iranian nuclear issue crisis, violates international law and the purposes and principles of the UN charter. China strongly opposes to such conduct.”
15. Wide shot, Council
16. SOUNDBITE (French) Jérôme Bonnafont, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, France:
“Iran has violated its obligations on a massive scale. These 450 kilos of uranium, enriched to 60 percent bear witness to that fact. Iran says it doesn't want to develop a nuclear weapon. Okay, but when deeds contradict words, is it the words that count or the deeds? Today's strikes against neighbours in the region give us the answer we're looking for. Iran says and said again yesterday that it is not attacking its neighbours but is only targeting military facilities. Facts on the ground prove the contrary.”
17. Wide shot, end of Council session
Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong today (12 Mar) told the Security Council that it was “the United States that unilaterally withdrew" from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), "which triggered the Iranian nuclear crisis,” and “on two occasions joined Israel and resorted to a blatant use of force against Iran during the negotiation process, which rendered the diplomatic efforts futile.”
Before the start of today’s open briefing on the work of the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran, the Russian Federation requested a procedural vote on the adoption of the meeting’s agenda.
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said, “the anti-Iranian resolutions of the Security Council lost their force in 2015, when resolution 2231 was adopted. Resolution 2231 itself expired, as per the resolution itself, on the 18th of October 2025. The Security Council has not taken any other decisions on this issue. Thus, resolution 1737 long ago lost its force and relevance.”
Nebenzya said, “let's not parrot to assertions about supposedly the snapback having been invoked.”
The United Kingdom’s Ambassador James Kariuki, for his part said the UK, alongside France and Germany, had “triggered the snapback mechanism procedure in full accordance with Security Council Resolution 2231.”
Kariuki said, “we did so because of Iran's significant non-performance of its commitments under the JCPoA, as Russia and China know, the snapback process completed on 28th September 2025 and as a result, six UN Security Council resolutions and UN sanctions have come back into force.”
The result of the voting was 11 votes in favour of the agenda’s adoption, two votes against, and two abstentions.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz said, “today was meant to be a straightforward mandated meeting of the 1737 Committee. But unfortunately, our Russian and Chinese colleagues continue to block this committee's important work as part of their collaboration with the Iranian regime.”
Waltz argued for the validity of the snapback mechanism and said, “all member states of the United Nations should be implementing an arms embargo against Iran, banning the transfer and trade of missile technology, and freezing relevant financial assets in line with the robust UN sanctions that had been in place before 2015 and have now been snapped back into place.”
Fu said, “the Iranian nuclear issue must ultimately return to the track of a political and diplomatic settlement,” and stressed that “the United States, as the instigator of the Iranian nuclear issue crisis, violates international law and the purposes and principles of the UN charter.”
French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont told the Council that Iran “has violated its obligations on a massive scale,” adding that 450 kilos of enriched uranium in Iran’s possession, “bear witness to that fact.”
Bonnafont said, “Iran says it doesn't want to develop a nuclear weapon. Okay, but when deeds contradict words, is it the words that count or the deeds? Today's strikes against neighbours in the region give us the answer we're looking for. Iran says and said again yesterday that it is not attacking its neighbours but is only targeting military facilities. Facts on the ground prove the contrary.”
The 1737 Sanctions Committee was established by resolution 1737 of 23 December 2006, which required it to report to the Council every 90 days on its activities. Prior to the agreement on the 2015 JCPoA, which the Council endorsed through resolution 2231 of 20 July 2015.
Resolution 2231 suspended all prior sanctions resolutions on Iran, including resolution 1737, rendering defunct the 1737 Committee and its reporting requirement. Subsequently, the Council held biannual briefings on the implementation of resolution 2231.
In September 2025, the “E3” parties to the JCPOA—France, Germany, and the UK—triggered the deal’s “snapback” mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran that the JCPOA and resolution 2231 had suspended.
