UN Security Council to vote Friday on delaying return of Iran sanctions

The United Nations Security Council will vote on Friday on a resolution proposed by Russia and China to delay the reimposition of sanctions on Iran for six months, but diplomats said it was unlikely to pass.

All U.N. sanctions on Iran are due to be reimposed at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday (0000 GMT) after Britain, France and Germany triggered a 30-day process accusing Tehran of violating a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.

A resolution in the 15-member U.N. Security Council needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by either Britain, France or the United States. Diplomats said there were likely to be a lot of abstentions from the vote and the text was unlikely to be adopted.

Iran and European powers have this week been trying to strike a last-ditch deal to delay the return of sanctions and make space for long-term negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program.

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Britain, France and Germany have offered a delay of up to six months - to allow space for talks on a long-term deal on Tehran's nuclear program - if Iran restores access for U.N. nuclear inspectors, addresses concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engages in talks with the United States.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Tehran was fully prepared to face any scenario and would adjust its policies if U.N. sanctions were reinstated, though he expressed hope they would not be revived, Iranian state media reported.