US and allies clash with Russia and China at UN over Iran nuclear program

March 12 (Reuters) – Tensions flared at the United Nations on Thursday as the U.S. and its Western allies confronted Russia and China over Iran’s nuclear activities, while Washington defended its military campaign against Iran that began two weeks ago.

During a session of the 15-member U.N. Security Council, chaired this month by the U.S., Russia and China attempted to block a discussion on the committee responsible for monitoring and enforcing U.N. sanctions on Iran. Their effort failed, with the council voting 11-2 in favor of the discussion, and two countries abstaining.

Speaking to the council, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz criticized Russia and China for shielding Tehran by opposing the operations of the so-called 1737 Committee.

“All U.N. members should be enforcing an arms embargo on Iran, halting the transfer of missile technology, and freezing related financial assets,” Waltz said. He emphasized that the measures are targeted to counter threats from Iran’s nuclear, missile, and conventional weapons programs, as well as its ongoing support for terrorist activities.

Waltz also accused Russia and China of trying to keep the sanctions committee ineffective to continue defense cooperation with Iran, which is now prohibited under U.N. rules. He pointed out that last week the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran remains the only non-nuclear weapons state to have produced uranium enriched up to 60 percent and has denied the IAEA access to this stockpile.

In response, Russia’s U.N. ambassador Vasily Nebenzya argued that the U.S. and its allies were exaggerating threats from Iran’s nuclear program, which the IAEA had not verified. “This hysteria serves to justify another military operation against Tehran and heightens tensions in the Middle East and beyond,” he said.

China’s representative Fu Cong accused Washington of instigating the crisis and claimed that U.S. military action during negotiations undermined diplomatic efforts.

Iran’s ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, later reiterated to reporters that Iran’s nuclear work is strictly peaceful and rejected any enforcement of sanctions.

President Donald Trump has cited Iran’s nuclear program as the rationale for his military actions. Earlier this month, he claimed that Iran would have developed a nuclear weapon within two weeks if the U.S. had not targeted three key nuclear sites in June—an assertion reportedly not backed by U.S. intelligence assessments.

The U.K. and France supported the re-imposition of sanctions, citing Iran’s failure to resolve concerns about its nuclear program. France added that the IAEA could no longer verify the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear work and noted that the country’s enriched uranium stockpile is sufficient for up to ten nuclear weapons.

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