Russia and China Obstruct UN Sanctions Panel to Shield Iran, US Ambassador Mike Waltz Says

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz accused Russia and China of deliberately obstructing the UN Security Council’s 1737 Sanctions Committee to shield Iran from scrutiny.

“Reporter Sita Planasari March 13, 2026 | 11:42 am TEMPO”

Tempo.co

He condemned what he called “the performative handwringing supposedly over process” and asserted that “the reality is Russia and China do not want this committee because it will continue to protect their partner Iran.”

Tempo.co

Tempo.co notes the 1737 Committee was established in December 2006 and "is required to report its activities to the Council every 90 days," and cites Waltz’s remarks as reported by Anadolu.

Russia and China pushed back at the meeting through their UN envoys, framing the dispute as procedural and legal.

Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia called for a procedural vote to block the session and contended that the E3 lack authority to trigger the ‘snapback’ mechanism.

Tempo.co

China’s UN envoy Fu Cong described the E3’s snapback activation as “procedurally and legally flawed,” and Nebenzia accused the U.S. of “legal violations.”

The dispute follows an August 28, 2025 activation of the snapback by the E3 to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran.

“Reporter Sita Planasari March 13, 2026 | 11:42 am TEMPO”

Tempo.co

Tempo.co reports the E3 cited alleged Iranian violations of the 2015 nuclear deal while Tehran insists its program is peaceful.

The article notes Israel, the U.S. and several European countries accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

Waltz also accused Russia and China of sustaining military trade ties with Iran in violation of UN resolutions and said the U.S. would work “to ensure Iran can no longer hold the world hostage with its missile, drone and certainly not a nuclear program.”

The meeting exposed a sharp legal and political impasse at the Security Council: Western delegations say the snapback is legitimate, while Russia and China view it as procedurally flawed and are using procedural votes to block scrutiny.

Tempo.co records Nebenzia’s warning that Western delegations are trying to “legalize their claims” and Fu Cong’s broader appeal for the Council to help parties build trust and to avoid escalation, including urging “a certain country” to stop manipulating the Council.

Tempo.co

The article’s text also notes its reporting drew on Anadolu, and Tempo.co is the single provided source here; I can expand the summary with additional reporting if you supply other articles.