Pakistan abstained from voting on a US-sponsored resolution seeking to extend the mandate of a panel monitoring UN sanctions on Iran, as Russia and China vetoed the measure at the Security Council on Thursday.
Eleven members of the 15-member council voted in favour of the resolution, while Russia and China voted against it. Pakistan and Somalia abstained.
The Panel of Experts assists the Security Council committee overseeing sanctions on Iran by monitoring their implementation, examining reports of alleged violations and making recommendations to the council. Its current mandate expires on Sept 26.
The panel, however, has not been operational for about a year because council members have been unable to reach consensus on the appointment of experts.
The vote reflected continuing divisions within the Security Council over the legal status of sanctions on Iran. Britain, France and Germany maintain that UN sanctions were restored in September 2025 after they invoked the “snapback” mechanism under Resolution 2231, citing what they described as Iran’s significant non-performance of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
Russia and China dispute the validity of the snapback process and maintain that Resolution 2231 expired in October 2025, arguing that the council should no longer consider the Iranian nuclear issue under that framework.
Addressing the council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said Islamabad remained concerned that consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue had become increasingly complicated.
“We have clearly come a long way from the spirit of cooperation and peaceful settlement of disputes that characterised the adoption of resolution 2231 more than a decade ago,” he said.
Ambassador Ahmad said regional hostilities, strikes on nuclear facilities and differences among permanent members of the Security Council had further complicated efforts to address the issue through diplomacy.
He reiterated Pakistan’s position that dialogue should remain central to resolving outstanding questions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Pakistan has consistently advocated the primacy of diplomatic engagement and the imperative of avoiding confrontation and conflict,” he said.
The ambassador said the issue should be addressed through peaceful means while respecting the rights, obligations and responsibilities of all parties.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying the UN nuclear watchdog should be allowed to perform its safeguards responsibilities independently and without political interference.
“The IAEA should ensure this important work as per its mandate, independently and without political interference,” he said.
Ambassador Ahmad said Pakistan would continue its efforts to promote regional peace and stability, building on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“We call on all parties to implement the commitments agreed in the Islamabad MoU, return to the negotiating table and allow diplomacy to deliver for the sake of regional and international peace and security,” he said.
