Iran Praises China and Russia’s UN Veto, Declares the Unipolar Order Over

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took to X on Thursday to applaud the vetoes cast by China and Russia at the United Nations Security Council. In a rather impassioned post, he argued that the two permanent members had “rejected the political abuse of the Security Council” and, in doing so, reminded the world that the era of a single power dictating terms through force is finally behind us.

His message was clear: multilateralism still matters, whereas “unilateralism serves no one’s interests.” Ghalibaf’s tweet echoed a sentiment that has been bubbling up in Tehran for months – a feeling that the West’s attempts to resurrect the old‑school “snapback” of sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal are more about political theatre than law.

The vote in question concerned a draft resolution, originally drafted by the United States, that sought to prolong the mandate of the Panel of Experts that monitors the 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee. The panel’s mandate was due to expire in September 2027. While eleven members voted in favour, China and Russia each lodged a veto, and the resolution was dead on arrival.

Back in August 2025, France, Germany and the United Kingdom invoked the snapback clause to re‑impose UN sanctions that had been lifted after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Russia and China blasted that move as “legally invalid,” insisting that all sanctions automatically terminated on 18 October 2025 when Resolution 2231 expired.

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, speaking before the vote, said there were “no legal or procedural grounds” for the snapback. He warned that the United Nations was being turned into a “stage for illusionary legitimacy” by a handful of members. Likewise, Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong urged the Council to focus on negotiation rather than becoming a “platform for political confrontation and pressure.”

The United States and the United Kingdom were, unsurprisingly, not shy about their disappointment. U.S. Ambassador Jennifer Locetta called the veto “expected” and warned that the panel would have “shone a light on prohibited bilateral defensive cooperation” involving Iran. Britain’s envoy, Sarah MacIntosh, accused Moscow and Beijing of “shielding Iran,” pointing to Russia’s similar veto on a North‑Korea sanctions panel back in March 2024.

Because the resolution failed, the Panel of Experts will not be reconstituted, leaving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the sole independent monitor of Iran’s nuclear activities. The IAEA’s Board of Governors has already asked Director General Rafael Grossi to report Iran’s alleged non‑compliance to the Security Council – the first such referral in two decades.

In Tehran, the reaction to the vetoes was largely celebratory. Ghalibaf’s statement captured a broader narrative in Iranian foreign policy: a push for a more balanced, multipolar world where major powers respect each other’s legal rights. Whether this moment marks a genuine shift or simply a diplomatic footnote remains to be seen, but for now, the vetoes have certainly sparked a lively debate about the future of global governance.