Why it is in the news
On 17 September 2026 the UN Security Council failed to adopt a United States-drafted resolution that would have carried the mandate of the Panel of Experts monitoring sanctions on Iran forward for one more year. The draft drew 11 votes in favour out of 15, but Russia and China each cast a negative vote as permanent members, and Pakistan and Somalia abstained.
The exam angle
Issue: The Security Council has kept a coercive sanctions regime in force while losing the only independent instrument capable of establishing whether it is obeyed. Examine what enforcement without verification does to the authority of collective security, and what it implies for reform of the Council’s working methods.