UN sanctions against Iran to resume over banned nuclear activity

The United Nations is poised to reimpose sweeping sanctions on Iran over a revival of banned nuclear activity, a development that would mark the first broad return of punitive measures since many were lifted under the 2015 agreement. Britain, France and Germany notified the U.N. Security Council last month that Tehran had failed to fulfil its commitments, triggering a 30-day clock to seek a diplomatic solution and avert renewed sanctions. If no credible path emerges, the council’s move could be followed by a parallel EU package next week as part of a coordinated Western effort to pressure Tehran. The mechanism gives Iran a final chance to address the concerns that triggered the measure, while keeping open the possibility of negotiations.

A last-minute bid by China and Russia to delay the move by six months failed, winning only four votes in the 15-member Security Council. With the council unable to muster the necessary support to stall, the sanctions aimed at Iran’s economy and its nuclear program could snap back into effect, reflecting a breakdown in the multinational effort to preserve the 2015 deal. Tehran’s ban on certain activities, which had been lifted as part of the JCPOA, would be among the measures affected as the Council reasserts its oversight amid a broader regional tension.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly this week, condemned the re-imposition of sanctions as “unfair, unjust, and illegal.” He told a group of reporters that Tehran would never seek to build a nuclear weapon and insisted Iran would stay within the Non-Proliferation Treaty, even as it argued against what it described as Western pressure. Pezeshkian argued that foreign powers were pursuing a superficial pretext to destabilize the region and urged restraint. He added that Tehran would require assurances that its nuclear facilities would not be attacked by Israel in order to normalize an enrichment program, a reference to historical tensions and past Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian sites. He also pointed to negotiations held before those strikes, accusing the United States of not taking the talks seriously. The president’s remarks underscored Tehran’s position that the current impasse is the result of outside pressure, not a threat from Iran itself.

The sanctions package, if imposed, would include an arms embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment, and prohibitions related to ballistic-missile activities capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Additional measures would freeze assets and impose travel bans on Iranian figures and entities, while authorizing countries to inspect Iran Air and Iran Shipping Lines cargo. The measures are designed to squeeze Tehran economically while constraining its ability to advance a nuclear program that Western governments say has potential military aims. Iran has argued that its program is purely civilian, and officials have sought guarantees that its facilities would be shielded from external attack as a condition for broader cooperation.

The timing of renewed sanctions comes as European foreign ministers pressed Iran to resume negotiations with the United States, to cooperate with the IAEA, and to account for its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters at the U.N. on Friday that Washington had betrayed diplomacy, but that the E3—Britain, Germany and France—had “buried” any prospect of progress by their stance. He said the negotiation with the United States was “in fact a pure dead end,” signaling Tehran’s readiness to engage only under terms it deems acceptable. The comments reflect a deepening stalemate as Western powers insist on verifiable limits and inspections, while Iran emphasizes security assurances and a broader regional security framework.

IAEA officials confirmed this week that inspections of Iranian nuclear sites had resumed after a hiatus that followed heightened strikes by the United States and Israel. Western powers and the IAEA say they remain unconvinced that Iran’s nuclear program is purely peaceful, even as Tehran maintains its civilian justification and pledges continued dialogue within the treaty framework. The agency’s verification work remains a central pillar of the international effort to monitor Iran’s activities and to deter any covert effort to advance weaponization.

Russia on Friday signed a $25 billion agreement to build four nuclear power reactors in southern Iran, state media reported, underscoring a broader strategic dynamic in which Tehran seeks closer partnerships with major powers to offset Western pressure. The deal comes as Iran contends with the prospect of renewed sanctions and as Moscow seeks to broaden its own influence in the region through energy cooperation and weapons diplomacy.

The path forward remains uncertain. If no diplomatic solution is found within the 30-day window, United Nations sanctions would be reimposed first, followed by European Union measures next week, according to the mechanism invoked by Britain, France and Germany. The United States and its allies have argued that a return to sanctions is necessary to prevent any relapse into a broader nuclear crisis, while Iran has warned that renewed restrictions would jeopardize cooperation with the IAEA and threaten regional stability. In the meantime, Tehran has signaled a willingness to continue talks, conditioning any restoration of compliance on security assurances and a clear pathway to normalizing its enrichment activities within internationally monitored limits.