Lavrov Complained Of A "trap"
- 28.09.2025, 15:38
The UN Security Council resolution puzzled the Russian minister.
The resumption of UN sanctions against Iran was the result of a "trap" created against Tehran by Western countries. This was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a press conference following his participation in the high-level week of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
According to him, the United States and its allies deliberately built a snapback mechanism into UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which allowed the West to single-handedly renew sanctions against Iran, ignoring the position of other Security Council members. Lavrov emphasized that Russia and China opposed the restoration of restrictions and sought their postponement, but their initiative was rejected. According to the minister, the decision of the Security Council confirms that "the West uses international structures exclusively in its own interests."
The UN Security Council on September 28 reimposed sanctions against Iran, suspended almost a decade ago after the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Tehran's nuclear program. The decision was taken after Russia and China's initiative to postpone the restrictions for six months failed on September 26: four countries voted in favor of their resolution, nine against, and two more abstained.
The sanctions include freezing Iran's foreign assets, banning the development and production of nuclear technology, and reinstating the arms embargo. The measures are applied under the snapback mechanism provided for in the JCPOA: it allows for the automatic return of restrictions in the event of Tehran's "material default".
The sanctions against Iran were first imposed by the UN Security Council in 2006 and have been tightened several times. In 2015, Tehran agreed to limit uranium enrichment, give up developing nuclear weapons and allow IAEA inspectors into nuclear facilities. In exchange, Western countries lifted the restrictions, and the sanctions were officially lifted as of January 2016.
In August 2025, however, Britain, Germany and France initiated a procedure to reinstate the sanctions, accusing Iran of "persistent and substantial non-compliance" with its obligations under the deal. In particular, they cited more than 60 IAEA reports over the past six years that documented violations.
The situation escalated in the summer of 2025, when Israel, backed by the US, struck Iranian nuclear facilities for several days, and Tehran responded by suspending cooperation with the IAEA.