Diplomacy, Dialogue, Verification Remain Best Option to Ensure Solely Peaceful Nature of Iran’s Nuclear Programme,’ Senior Official Tells Security Council
(Note: Owing to the liquidity crisis affecting the Organization, complete coverage of today's Security Council meeting will be made available on Wednesday, 25 June.)
The Security Council met today to consider the latest developments related to the implementation of its resolution 2231 (2015), which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme, following a brokered ceasefire that brought a pause to recent hostilities — air strikes by Israel and the United States on Iranian nuclear sites, and Tehran’s subsequent missile attacks on a United States base in Qatar.
Addressing the 15-member organ, Iran’s representative firmly rejected accusations of terror, stating: “Iran never initiated this war. Once the aggressors stop the attacks, Iran will stop its lawful military response, as well.” He emphasized that Tehran would not overlook what he described as “deceit and double standards”, and warned that Iran’s armed forces remained fully prepared to respond to any violations.
“The wrong large-scale war they thought could force Iran into so-called unconditional surrender and make it abandon its peaceful nuclear programme […] has failed more clearly than ever,” he said. Stressing that “diplomacy and dialogue are the only path” to resolving “an unnecessary crisis”, he reiterated Iran’s continued support for a diplomatic solution.
Rejecting any effort to reinstate expired provisions of the Plan, he stressed that “resolution 2231 (2015) must conclude on schedule”. He accused European signatories of failing to uphold their commitments under the deal and criticized assertions that Iran was close to developing nuclear weapons as “falsehoods unsupported by credible evidence”.
“Our commitment is evident through our full implementation of the Plan,” he affirmed. “If the other parties truly want a resolution, they must respect Iran’s rights and stop undermining diplomacy.”
The original parties to the Plan are Iran, China, France, Germany, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, and the United States, with the European Union — though not a formal party — serving as the agreement’s facilitator. The United States withdrew from the accord in 2018.
Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, recalled that the Plan aims to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear programme. It included sanctions relief, nuclear programme restrictions and monitoring and verification. However, the Plan has faced many challenges since its inception, including the withdrawal of the United States from the agreement and Iran’s withdrawal from some of its commitments. Still, Iran and the United States engaged in five rounds of bilateral talks, facilitated by Oman.
The military escalation between Israel and Iran since 13 June and United States air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on 21 June complicated prospects for achieving full implementation of resolution 2231 (2015). Iran’s strikes on a base in Qatar further exacerbated insecurity in an already tense region. In its quarterly report of 31 May, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) observed that the significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran was of serious concern. IAEA had lost its continuity of knowledge on many aspects of Iran’s nuclear programme, as it had not been able to perform verification and monitoring activities in Iran for more than four years. In addition, IAEA was unable to verify the total stockpile of enriched uranium in the country and had not done so since February 2021.
The only measures that remain in effect pertain to nuclear activities and transfers. Those measures will remain in place until 18 October unless decided otherwise by the Council. The Secretariat received no allegations of violations of these provisions during the reporting period, she said. “Following the deadly clashes of the past 12 days, the ceasefire agreement is an opportunity to avoid a catastrophic escalation and achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear issue,” she said, adding: “Diplomacy, dialogue and verification remain the best option to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme and to bring about concrete economic benefits to the people of Iran”. The United Nations stands ready to support all relevant efforts in the region, and the Secretariat will continue to support the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015) until it expires on 18 October.
“This session takes place under most serious circumstances, with a dangerous cycle of escalation following military action against nuclear-related sites in Iran,” observed Stavros Lambrinidis, Head of Delegation of the European Union, speaking for Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in her capacity as Coordinator of the Joint Commission of the Plan.
Welcoming the announced ceasefire and urging “all sides to effectively implement it”, he underscored: “Ensuring that Iran does not acquire or develop a nuclear weapon remains a key security priority for the European Union.” Iran was already “far away” from its commitments under the Plan, he said, and it chose to continue the dramatic expansion of its programme at an “alarming” pace — “going beyond what is plausibly necessary for a civilian programme”. Further, IAEA has not been able to perform all Plan-related monitoring activities for more than four years, and therefore it has lost continuity of knowledge regarding several key components of Iran’s nuclear programme.
While many efforts have been made to preserve the Plan, he acknowledged that these efforts did not lead to the results expected — “and we are now in the current situation”. Noting that, in four months, the Council will no longer be seized of this matter under resolution 2231 (2015), he stressed: “A lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue can only be through a negotiated deal, not military action.” While the bloc’s High Representative has engaged diplomatically, he said that this matter can only be addressed in a “sustainable” manner with the “adequate” involvement of the international community. “Diplomacy must prevail,” he concluded.
“Israel is a peaceful nation — we pray for peace three times a day,” said that country’s representative; however, he warned: “We will respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire and to any threat facing our people.” He continued: “If there was a Nobel Prize for deception, the Iranian regime would win it every single year.” While diplomats talked, Iran built; while they negotiated, Iran enriched; while they hoped, Iran lied, he said. Tehran has been violating resolution 2231 (2015) with impunity “for as long as it existed”, he stressed, but the Council “just refused to see it”.
Nevertheless, he said that the international community “now knows what Israel has known for a long time — Iran was working on the key elements for a nuclear bomb in hidden facilities protected from international view”. And Israel took action to dismantle what the world allowed to grow unchecked. “We are often told that diplomacy must be given a chance,” he observed, but stressed that — despite being “given every chance” — it has so far failed. Urging those present to “take a different approach”, he said that his country and the United States have done their part. “Now, the world must do its part,” he stressed.
“The United States will not turn a blind eye to Iran’s non-compliance and ongoing threat to regional stability,” said its representative, noting that President Donald J. Trump has clearly called on Iran to make peace. “Despite the President’s continuous good faith efforts to negotiate and resolve these issues diplomatically, Iran’s leaders stonewalled and ultimately refused to agree to a deal that would have prevented them from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. Her country’s precision operation on 21 June effectively fulfilled its narrow objective to degrade Iran’s capacity to produce a nuclear weapon, she noted, asserting that “these strikes — in accordance with the inherent right to self-defence, collective self-defence, consistent with the UN Charter — aimed to mitigate the threat posed by Iran to Israel, the region and to more broadly, international peace and security”. Following this historic operation, President Trump immediately coordinated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. “In this critical moment, we must all urge Iran to seize this opportunity for peace and prosperity, and abide by its international obligations,” she appealed.
The representative of the Russian Federation condemned the United States and Israel for violating the Charter of the United Nations, Security Council resolutions, the IAEA charter and relevant resolutions of the IAEA General Conference. “They constitute a direct and very dangerous challenge to the authority of the NPT [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons], especially Iran's right guaranteed under Article 4 of the treaty to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including uranium enrichment”. Calling this “a major blow to the non-proliferation regime”, he said that these actions were carried out by two States — one being a depositary of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the other for decades having refused to accede to this crucial element of international security and subject its nuclear activities to IAEA safeguards, referring to the United States and Israel respectively. Together with China and Pakistan, the Russian Federation has proposed a draft Council resolution in search of a peaceful solution to the concerns surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme. Today, it will propose an updated version that considers the latest developments to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and the Council’s oversight of it.
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