Iran-Russia nuclear cooperation ‘not easily derailed’ by snapback sanctions
Amid mounting Western efforts to revive UN sanctions on Iran through the controversial “snapback” mechanism, Moscow aligned itself with Tehran and backed its position. On September 19, Russia voted in favor of the permanent lifting of Iran sanctions at the UN Security Council under Resolution 2231, the framework that endorsed the 2015 nuclear agreement.
When that measure failed to gain adoption, Moscow, together with Beijing, introduced a draft resolution seeking a six-month extension of UNSCR 2231 to buy more time for diplomacy. That initiative, however, was also struck down by the top body on September 26.
Even after sanctions were formally reinstated at the close of snapback’s 30-day deadline, Russia strongly denounced the move as “illegal,” rejecting the reimposition of UN sanctions outright. Moscow echoed Tehran’s argument that the European trio—France, Germany and the UK—had no legal standing to invoke the mechanism, rendering the sanctions null and void.
At the same time, Tehran and Moscow have pressed ahead with steps to expand their strategic partnership. During the visit of Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, to Russia last week, the two sides signed a raft of nuclear cooperation agreements, including plans for the construction of eight reactors by 2040 and a $25-billion accord to build four third-generation power plants in Iran’s southern province of Hormozgan.
With Security Council resolutions now back in force, Iran-Russia relations stand at a critical juncture. Mahmoud Shouri, an expert on Russian affairs, has told Iran Daily that the return of sanctions will not hamper Tehran-Moscow cooperation.
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