Russia and China on Thursday opposed a UN Security Council call for the full resumption of the committee overseeing sanctions on Iran, urging Tehran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.The push came a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors voted to refer Iran to the Security Council over its nuclear non-compliance, intensifying international pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme.Russia rejected the effort to revive the committee, with its envoy Vasily Nebenzya stating that Moscow “won't allow sanctions on Tehran to be reimposed under any circumstances” and accusing Western powers of distorting facts surrounding Iran's nuclear programme.“The Russian Federation categorically repudiates attempts to manipulate the authority of the Security Council to settle political scores with Tehran,” Mr Nebenzya said. “Such irresponsible actions make the prospect of a negotiated solution a more far-off prospect.”The Security Council established the 1737 Sanctions Committee in 2006 to oversee sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear programme. It became defunct following the 2015 nuclear agreement.The committee was formally restored following the reimposition of UN sanctions last year, but has remained largely paralysed by a dispute with Russia and China over the legality of the sanctions snapback. It currently has no chair and its panel...
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