Iran, China, and Russia have written a joint letter to the United Nations secretary-general, affirming the termination of UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2231 concerning the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear energy program.
The letter, penned by the diplomatic missions of these three countries to the United Nations, was addressed to Antonio Guterres.
The letter stated that they “affirm that, in accordance with operative paragraph 8 of Resolution 2231, all its provisions are terminated after 18 October 2025.
The date, therefore, “marks the end of the Security Council’s consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue,” the countries’ envoys added.
The resolution endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a historic 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and others.
Upon ratification, it mandated suspension of nuclear-related sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The United States, though, left the deal and returned its sanctions in an illegal and unilateral move in 2018.
In 2020, Washington even tried unsuccessfully to trigger the JCPOA’s so-called “snapback” mechanism that would return all nuclear-related bans against Iran.
The US’s European allies then succumbed to American pressure, betraying a pledge to return Washington to the deal and also suspending their own trade with the Islamic Republic.
The overall Western bid has been focusing on allegations of Iranian nuclear activities’ “diversion,” claims that have never been verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency, despite its most intrusive inspections to date.
Earlier this year, the European states – namely the UK, France, and Germany – tried their hand at triggering the “snapback” mechanism that led to the restoration of the sanctions late last month.
The letter reminded that the trio had no legal right to have the sanctions restored in light of their own non-commitment to the JCPOA.
“The E3, having themselves ceased to perform their commitments under both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 and also failing to exhaust the procedures of the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM), lacks the standing to invoke its provisions.”
They, meanwhile, noted that the Security Council’s adherence to the resolution’s expiration date “contributes to strengthening the authority of the Council and the credibility of multilateral diplomacy.”
The diplomats finally called on all parties to create a favorable atmosphere and conditions for diplomatic efforts.
Hossein Amiri - M.a.Mahmoudi
