UN Security Council to vote in September on mandate of Iran expert panel
The UN Security Council will vote in September on extending the mandate of the panel of experts on sanctions against Iran. France, which holds the presidency of the Security Council this month, expects a difficult vote due to the position of Russia — the aggressor state — and China, which oppose the sanctions regime and oversight mechanisms, Korea Herald reports.
The mandate of the panel of experts, which supports the work of the UN sanctions committee on Iran, expires on September 26. UN diplomats said the vote is expected on September 17.
France’s position
France’s Ambassador to the UN, Jérôme Bonnafont, presenting the programme of the French presidency of the Security Council, stated that the nuclear issue and Iran’s failure to comply with its obligations to the UN would be at the centre of discussions on the country in September.
According to him, the issue of the mandate of the panel of experts was raised again in September 2025, when sanctions against Iran were reinstated after the country failed to meet its obligations under the nuclear programme. Unlike the panel of experts, the sanctions committee has no fixed term of authority.
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Risk of veto
According to diplomats, the vote may face a veto from Russia and China. Both countries believe that the Security Council no longer has a mandate to consider the Iranian nuclear issue.
In a joint statement in March, Russia and China said that the Security Council cannot restore Committee 1737 or its panel of experts. The committee was established in 2006 to oversee sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.
The dispute arose after the United Kingdom, France and Germany last year activated the mechanism for the automatic reinstatement of sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. These countries concluded that Tehran was not complying with the terms of the agreement. Iran denies seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
