Russia and China end a United Nations Security Council mandate for independent monitoring of international sanctions on Iran, effective Thursday, according to reporting by Reuters. The move revives their position that UN sanctions were lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal and that subsequent measures should not remain in place.
The Reuters and Japan Times accounts say all UN sanctions on Iran were reimposed about a year ago after France, Britain and Germany accused Tehran of violating the 2015 agreement. The monitoring mandate is tied to implementing those UN sanctions and assessing compliance related to the restrictions. Iran denies it is pursuing nuclear weapons.
Across the outlets, the central points align on who ends the mandate (Russia and China) and the timing and dispute backdrop (reimposition of UN sanctions a year ago amid allegations of non-compliance with the 2015 nuclear pact). The differing emphasis is mainly on the legal argument used by Russia and China versus the shared factual chronology of the sanctions dispute.
