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Iran, China, Russia Pledge Coordinated Action Against European Efforts to Reinstate UN Sanctions on Tehran
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York, US, Sept. 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
Iran, China, and Russia have pledged coordinated action against European efforts to reinstate United Nations sanctions on Tehran, denouncing them as “illegal” after repeated negotiations failed to reach an agreement over the Iranian nuclear program.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi met with his Chinese and Russian counterparts to explore deeper diplomatic collaboration amid escalating tensions with the West.
“We agreed on coordinated action against the unlawful efforts of Germany, France, and the UK to bring back sanctions that had been lifted,” the Iranian diplomat said.
Last month, Britain, France, and Germany formally initiated the 30-day process to activate the snapback mechanism, accusing Tehran of violating the 2015 nuclear deal meant to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief — a move Iran condemned as “unjustified and unlawful.”
Russia and China, both signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal, have backed the Islamist regime in Tehran while firmly opposing Europe’s efforts to reinstate UN sanctions.
Facing the looming threat of economic sanctions and still reeling from its 12-day war with Israel, Iran is seeking support from its allies to restore and strengthen its defense capabilities.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI), announced that Tehran signed an agreement with Moscow to build more nuclear power plants in the country, further deepening their ties.
Earlier this year, Russia pledged to build eight nuclear power plants in Iran, including four in the southern province of Bushehr.
According to a press release from the AEOI, the newly signed deal aims to expand bilateral cooperation on the “peaceful use of nuclear energy,” with the goal of strengthening energy security, advancing technology, and promoting sustainable development.
This week, Iran also received Russian MiG-29 fighter jets, while the country awaits delivery of more advanced Sukhoi Su-35s, emphasizing the regime’s latest push to rebuild its military capabilities.
“Once these systems are fully in place, our enemies will understand the language of power,” Abolfazl Zohrevand, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, told local media.
The Iranian lawmaker also claimed that Tehran is receiving China’s HQ-9 and Russia’s S-400 air defense systems “in significant numbers.”
According to the Associated Press, Iran has also started rebuilding several ballistic missile facilities as part of a wider effort to restore its missile program, which was significantly damaged during its war with Israel.
The United Kingdom, France, and Germany — collectively known as the E3 — have offered to delay the reimposition of UN sanctions for up to six months to allow more time for negotiations on a long-term agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.
However, the offer depends on Tehran restoring access for UN inspectors, addressing concerns about its enriched uranium stockpile, and engaging in talks with Washington.
Unless Iran and the European powers reach a deal to postpone the reimposition of sanctions within the next few days, the snapback process will move forward.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that the country would withstand any renewed sanctions and continue pursuing its national interests, emphasizing that Tehran would “never bow before aggressors.”
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful civilian purposes. However, Western countries have accused Tehran of seeking the capability to develop nuclear weapons.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.