Why Moscow and Beijing Stood by Tehran
WANA (Oct 20) – With the expiration of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 on October 18, a new chapter has opened in the legal and geopolitical dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. Once again, Russia and China have positioned themselves firmly beside Tehran. The two Eastern powers—longtime critics of Western unilateralism—are using their institutional weight within the UN, legal arguments, and diplomatic coordination with Iran to reject the legitimacy of Western attempts to trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism and restore previous sanctions.
A New Phase in the East–West Confrontation
While the United States and the European trio (France, Britain, and Germany) seek to justify the reactivation of sanctions through political interpretations of the nuclear deal’s clauses, Moscow and Beijing have made it clear that such a move has no legal basis and violates the UN Charter. Both countries emphasize that, under operative paragraph 8 of Resolution 2231, all its provisions expire on October 18, 2025, leaving no legal framework for reviving rescinded resolutions.
For Russia and China, the dispute is not merely a legal quarrel—it is a test of the Security Council’s credibility and a measure of the shifting balance of power in an international system where the East is redefining its role against the West.
Tripartite Meeting of the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Iran, China, and Russia – March 14, 2025 / WANA News Agency
Confrontation in the Security Council
At the Council’s September 26 session, Moscow and Beijing jointly introduced a draft resolution to extend Resolution 2231. Though passage was unlikely, the move allowed both powers to state their positions with unprecedented clarity and force.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, told the French delegate: “The European trio pressured Iran based on lies, while Iran pledged responsible behavior and reached an agreement with the IAEA. You have no independence—your big brother in Washington decides for you. You’ve forgotten international law and turned the Security Council’s legitimacy into a game.”
In the same meeting, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative Geng Shuang stressed that Tehran had shown “positive signs for engagement and negotiation,” adding: “There is still room for diplomacy, and this opportunity should not be sacrificed to political calculations.”
Weeks earlier, during the September 18 Council session—when the European trio, backed by Washington, sought to vote on restoring previous sanctions—Russia and China once again stood with Tehran. Referring to Iran’s legal arguments, the Russian envoy declared: “There is no legitimacy for reimposing sanctions on Iran. The European action constitutes a blatant violation of Resolution 2231 and a disregard for the Council’s legal mechanisms.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Addresses UN Security Council on Failed Russia-China Draft Resolution
WANA (Sep 27) – The UN Security Council session on Friday, convened to vote on a draft resolution by Russia and China aimed at extending the provisions of Resolution 2231, became the stage for a sharp intervention by Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Araghchi began by thanking China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria for […]
The Tehran–Moscow–Beijing Alignment
On October 17, just a day before the resolution’s expiry, Iran, Russia, and China sent a joint letter to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council. The letter affirmed that “all provisions of Resolution 2231 terminate on October 18, 2025.” Portions of the letter—later shared by Iran’s foreign minister on social media—illustrated the depth of legal and diplomatic coordination between the three capitals in countering Western narratives around the nuclear deal.
At the same time, Moscow and Beijing defended Tehran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, calling it evidence of Iran’s responsibility and transparency—an argument that directly challenged Western claims of non-compliance. Both powers also signaled that even if sanctions return, Iran will not face isolation, pointing to their expanding strategic and technological partnerships with Tehran.
Araghchi on Joint China–Iran–Russia Letter to UN
WANA (Oct 19) – Iran’s Foreign Minister has issued a statement regarding a joint letter by China, Iran, and Russia addressed to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council. Seyed Abbas Araghchi shared excerpts from the letter on his account on the social platform X, writing: “China, Iran, and Russia emphasize […]
Defending Principles, Not Just Iran
The current support from Russia and China goes far beyond short-term tactics. It reflects a broader geopolitical contest in which the East and West are realigning their principles and spheres of influence. For both powers, the Iranian case represents a platform to defend foundational norms such as national sovereignty, non-interference, and multilateralism.
Moscow and Beijing view Western efforts to restore sanctions as symptomatic of a declining Western hegemony and a deepening crisis of legitimacy in the international order. In this light, defending Iran is tantamount to defending a world order where legitimacy stems from consensus and equality—not from unilateral power.
Presidents of Iran and China. Social media / WANA News Agency
A Test of Multipolar Diplomacy
The alignment of Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing over Resolution 2231 marks the first real test of multipolar diplomacy—an arena where legal reasoning and political influence intersect. Through the language of international law and the institutional mechanisms of the UN, Russia and China have shaped a new dynamic within the Security Council: opposing the West no longer implies isolation but signals the emergence of a bloc that sees itself as the custodian of a post-Western world order.
In this context, defending Iran became a defense of the principles of finality of UN resolutions and sovereign equality among nations—principles now at the heart of the global contest between East and West.
Iranian and Russian Presidents. Social media / WANA News Agency
