Russia, China veto U.S. proposal for UN experts to keep monitoring sanctions on Iran

Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-proposed UN Security Council resolution to extend the mandate of experts monitoring sanctions on Iran's nuclear program. These sanctions were reimposed via the 'snapback' mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal. The vetoes, which Russia and China justified by claiming the snapback was illegal and the resolution politically motivated, create a monitoring gap, prompting Western powers to consider alternative enforcement mechanisms for Iran's nuclear obligations.