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In a improvement highlighting polarisation successful the UN Security Council, the monthly programme of enactment for the U.S. Presidency of the almighty UN organ could not beryllium adopted aft Russia and China raised objections concerning Iran.
The United States, a veto-wielding imperishable member, assumed the Presidency of the 15-nation UN Security Council for the period of March. As is customary, a monthly programme of enactment that outlines the Council’s anticipated meetings and events for the period is adopted by the UN assemblage astatine the commencement of the Presidency.
The Council President past briefs the media successful the UN office connected the UNSC programme of enactment and docket for the month.
However, the U.S.-drafted programme of enactment for its monthly presidency of the Council could not beryllium adopted connected Monday (March 2, 2026) aft the different veto-wielding imperishable members Russia and China raised objections pertaining to the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran.
“Russia & China objected to the adoption of the U.S.-drafted UNSC PoW (Programme of Work) for March,” Russia’s Permanent Mission to the UN said.
“We were compelled to instrumentality this measurement due to the fact that the provisional programme of enactment projected by the US included a briefing connected the enactment of the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran, whose enactment was allegedly resumed successful September 2025 pursuing the triggering by the U.K., France, and Germany of the “snapback” mechanics to reimpose the anti-Iranian Security Council resolutions,” Russia said.
“In February, we erstwhile again brought our presumption connected this substance to the attraction of our US colleagues, urging them to refrain from including specified an lawsuit successful the provisional programme of work. Unfortunately, our entreaty remained unheeded. For this precise reason, we had nary different prime but to entity to the adoption of the UNSC programme of enactment for March,” it said.
The UN Security Council had successful 2015 adopted a solution that implemented the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) concerning Iran's atomic programme. In August 2020, the United States invoked the resolution's "snapback" mechanism, nether which the Security Council tin reimpose UN sanctions.
Last year, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (U.K.) (collectively known arsenic the "E3") invoked the snapback mechanism, which resulted successful the sanctions being reimposed connected Iran connected September 27, 2025 “based connected Iran’s continuing “significant non-performance” of its atomic commitments.”
In the aftermath of the nonaccomplishment of the adoption of its monthly Programme of Work, the U.S. released its “Plan of Work” outlining the Council’s anticipated meetings and events for the month.
A property league by the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz to little members of the media connected the Programme of Work, initially scheduled for March 3, was besides cancelled.
Council Presidents traditionally big astir 2 signature events during their presidency. The archetypal signature lawsuit by the U.S. was a briefing connected March 2 titled “Children, Technology, and Education successful Conflict” nether docket point “Maintenance of planetary bid and security” which was presided implicit by First Lady Melania Trump, a history-making lawsuit since it was the archetypal clip ever that the spouse of a satellite person chaired a UNSC meeting.
The 2nd signature lawsuit that the U.S. is expected to big volition beryllium a briefing connected ‘Energy, captious minerals, and security’.
The U.S. took implicit the UNSC gavel conscionable a time aft it, on with Israel, launched subject strikes against Iran, sidesplitting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and different elder leaders.
Tehran launched retaliatory attacks against American and Israeli targets successful West Asia, a portion that is present plunged successful a devastating warfare that is impacting millions of civilians.
