Big news.  See “UN Security Council votes against lifting Iran ‘snapback’ sanctions,” PBS, 9-20-25.  See also “Iran Loses ‘Snap-Back’ Vote in a Landslide,” WSJ, 9-19-25.  The full editorial.  “Iran still isn’t serious about giving up the remains of its nuclear-weapons program. The consequence on Friday was the clinching of “snap-back” United Nations sanctions, set to take effect on Sept. 28. The Iranian regime has only itself to blame. The foreign ministers of the U.K., France and Germany offered in late July to extend the sanctions deadline in exchange for common-sense steps: Resume U.N. nuclear inspections and U.S. nuclear talks. Iran didn’t respond for a month, snubbed U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and threatened the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief. On Aug. 28 the European powers triggered what’s known as the snap-back mechanism. This started a 30-day countdown to the reimposition of sanctions lifted by Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal. These include an arms embargo, a ban on nuclear enrichment, and a ban on tests and transfers of ballistic missiles. As part of the countdown, a U.N. Security Council resolution had to be introduced proposing to save the sanctions relief. This way Iran would have one last chance to comply and get the sanctions called off, but the resolution could be vetoed if it didn’t. In the end, a veto wasn’t necessary. The resolution failed 9–4 on Friday, with two abstentions. Only Algeria, China, Pakistan and Russia voted to shield Iran from the sanctions. Iranian intransigence had antagonized the rest. Tehran now has only a week left to make real concessions before Sept. 28 arrives. So far it doesn’t seem interested. This week Iran’s regime asked the Europeans to cancel the snap-back and give up their leverage in exchange for mere promises ahead of negotiations. With IAEA inspectors sidelined, Iran also sought a U.S. guarantee that it would be allowed to extract its remaining stockpile of highly enriched uranium from under the rubble of its nuclear facilities. Nice try. Once in possession of that nuclear material, what if the Iranian regime decided not to dilute it as promised or squirreled some away? Tehran would be well on its way to nuclear weapons again. At present Iran can’t easily extract the highly enriched uranium without risking another U.S. or Israeli strike. The European powers have done well to see through Iran’s games. As IAEA reports from before the war in June laid bare, the regime has cheated for years on its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty commitments and then lied, stonewalled and covered up evidence. Iran had time to negotiate and blew it off. Now, if it wants a sanctions reprieve, let it return to compliance with its nuclear obligations. The only reason not to do so is to preserve the regime’s path to a nuclear weapon. After Israel exposed Iran’s vulnerability in June’s 12-day war, and President Trump sent the Air Force to remove all doubt, there’s less reason than ever to defer to Tehran. Now even the U.N. Security Council has rallied to the U.S. position: Zero Iranian enrichment, zero nuclear-capable missiles, full dismantlement.”

“Preparing for the End of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” National Interest, 9-19-25.