The United Nations Security Council rejected a US resolution to extend an Iranian arms embargo on Friday.
Only two of the Council's 15 members, the United States and Dominican Republic, voted in favour, while all European allies of Washington abstained.
Russia and China voted against the US resolution as expected.
The result increases the likelihood that the US will try to unilaterally force a return of UN sanctions, which experts say threatens to plunge the Council into one of its worst-ever diplomatic crises, the Gulf Today reported on Saturday.
