Mike Waltz, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on Thursday that by refusing to recognize “snapback” sanctions on Iran, Russia and China “have chosen to not only look the other way, but to defang some of the only teeth this institution has.”
The envoy spoke during a procedural meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Moscow’s and Beijing’s vetoes last month at the U.N. Security Council.
The clash came over the legal validity of sanctions on Iran related to the U.N.-endorsed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, otherwise known as the Iran nuclear accord.
The snapback clause in the 2015 pact was meant to automatically reinstate U.N. sanctions if Iran violated the deal so that no council member could veto it.
Russia and China, both Iranian allies that depend heavily on the Islamic Republic, say the U.N. resolution endorsing the JCPOA, for legal purposes, expired on Oct. 18, 2025, and that no such mechanism exists to carry on with sanctions at the Security Council.
They vetoed the extension of the mandate of the panel of experts that supported the 1737 Sanctions Committee, which was created to monitor violations and carry out enforcement actions.
“Those who vetoed this resolution love to lecture all of us on their love for the U.N. Charter and this institution,” Waltz said on Thursday.
He noted that in the past, Russia and China have supported nuclear-related actions against the Islamic Republic.
“Now, while Iran attacks its neighbors and continues to seek a nuclear weapon, all in blatant violation of numerous Security Council resolutions, where are Russia and China?” Waltz said.
He said contrary to Russian and Chinese claims, the U.N. sanctions website shows active snapback sanctions against Iran.
“We know that Iran exported arms and related materiel to Russia, Venezuela under the Maduro regime and countries in Africa,” Waltz said. “We also have information that Russia transferred fighter aircraft and armored vehicles to Iran in late 2025.”
“These are precisely the activities independent experts should investigate,” he said.
Waltz said that Washington would form a panel and invite other countries to join. He did not say how the initiative would work.
