Last week in New York, the Russian-Chinese draft resolution to delay the re-imposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran by six months failed in the Security Council. Four members voted in favour, nine against, and two abstained.

That failure has resulted in two outcomes. First, it confirmed the automatic “snapback” of all prior UN sanctions on Iran as of midnight today. Second, it underscored the collapse of the 30-day diplomatic window meant to broker a compromise. In short, diplomacy failed, sanctions returned. The vote highlighted the sharp divide between Western powers and the China-Russia-Iran axis.

After Israel’s attack on Iranian facilities and subsequent US bombings of enrichment sites in June, Tehran entered talks with the E3 (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom). The E

See Full Page