The United Nations' sweeping economic and military sanctions look set to be reimposed on Iran a decade after they were lifted in a landmark international deal over its nuclear programme.
It comes after the UK, France and Germany wrote to the UN Security Council last month, accusing Iran of failing to fulfil its commitments, which triggered a mechanism giving Iran 30 days to find a diplomatic solution to avert renewed sanctions.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the re-imposition of international sanctions as unfair, unjust, and illegal. A last-minute resolution, led by China and Russia, to delay the move by six months only received four votes in the 15-member council.
The sanctions are set to come into force at 00:00 GMT on Sunday.
Iran stepped up banned nuclear activity after the US quit the deal in 2016, when Donald Trump criticized the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as flawed. Tensions escalated following bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities by Israel and the US after negotiations to reach a new nuclear deal fell through.
President Pezeshkian has stated that Iran would never seek to build a nuclear bomb, despite external pressures. He insists that Tehran requires reassurances against attacks on its nuclear facilities to normalize its enrichment program. The sanctions include an arms embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment, and a freeze of assets and a travel ban on Iranian figures and entities.
Unless a solution is found, UN sanctions will be followed by EU sanctions next week. Despite a call for negotiations from European foreign ministers, Iranian officials remain skeptical about the U.S. and their allies' sincerity in diplomatic talks.
Iran recently confirmed inspections of its nuclear sites have resumed, despite ongoing skepticism regarding the true nature of its nuclear program. Meanwhile, Russia has signed a substantial deal with Iran to build nuclear reactors, further complicating the geopolitical landscape.
