Russia and China are forcing the UN Security Council to vote Friday on a resolution that would give Iran a six-month extension before sanctions related to its nuclear programme are reimposed.

The last-ditch effort by Iran's few and closest allies is unlikely to garner enough support to pass the 15-member council. It comes a day before a series of UN sanctions are set to take effect as outlined in Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

That would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalise any development of Iran's ballistic missile programme, among other measures, further squeezing the country's reeling economy.

Britain, Germany and France, known as the E3, triggered the so-called “snapback” mechanism last month after accusing Tehran of failing to c

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