WANA (Oct 18) – Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the Security Council Vasily Nebenzia, reaffirmed Iran’s position regarding the expiration of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

 

Araghchi stated that the European attempt to invoke what they have termed a “notification of the commencement of the snapback mechanism” is procedurally flawed and substantively invalid. Accordingly, he emphasized that any claim of reviving or reinstating terminated resolutions is null, devoid of legal foundation, and incapable of producing any binding effect.

The United Nations Security Council

Below is the full text of Minister Araghchi’s letter:

 

H.E. Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

H.E. Mr. Vasily Nebenzia, President of the Security Council

 

With reference to my previous correspondence, including the latest dated 27 September 2025, I wish to inform you that UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) has, in accordance with its explicit provisions, definitively expired on 18 October 2025. In this regard, I would like to reiterate the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran as follows:

 

Ten years ago, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) entered into force with the endorsement of Resolution 2231 (2015), reflecting the international community’s shared belief that diplomacy and multilateral engagement constitute the most effective means for resolving disputes.

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran, consistent with its commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes, accepted and fully implemented the JCPOA in good faith. Despite Iran’s verified and comprehensive compliance, the United States, in blatant violation of its obligations, first failed to implement its commitments and subsequently, on 8 May 2018, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, reimposing and even expanding its illegal, unilateral, and extraterritorial sanctions.

 

These coercive actions represented a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter, severely disrupting the implementation of the JCPOA. The European parties to the JCPOA—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—despite their initial pledges to preserve the agreement and offset the impact of the U.S. withdrawal, not only failed to fulfill their commitments but also imposed additional unlawful sanctions against Iranian entities, thereby committing further material breaches of the accord.

 

All such instances of serious non-performance have been thoroughly documented and repeatedly brought to the attention of the Secretary-General and the Security Council. The Islamic Republic of Iran has exercised utmost restraint in the face of these repeated and fundamental violations, undertaking extensive diplomatic efforts to restore balance and preserve the agreement.

 

After maintaining full compliance for one year following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran, consistent with its rights under the JCPOA, began phased, proportionate, and reversible remedial measures on 8 May 2019. Subsequently, Iran engaged constructively to facilitate the United States’ full return to the agreement, ensure the European parties’ adherence to their obligations, and achieve complete sanctions relief. Regrettably, these efforts were obstructed by the United States and the European trio, whose insistence on maximalist demands and continued enforcement of unlawful unilateral sanctions undermined the JCPOA’s central objective of normalizing Iran’s international economic relations.

 

Iran’s record of constructive engagement—including numerous consultations with the European parties and even indirect talks with the United States—demonstrates its sustained commitment to diplomacy. Nevertheless, these good-faith efforts were met with acts of sabotage and aggression targeting Iran’s safeguarded, peaceful nuclear facilities. In recent months, rather than implementing their commitments, the three European countries have launched a new campaign of political manipulation and legal distortion, seeking to misuse the so-called “snapback mechanism” against Iran.

 

On 28 August 2025, the European JCPOA participants, lacking any legitimate, legal, procedural, or political basis, unilaterally and arbitrarily sought to bypass the JCPOA’s established dispute resolution process and directly approach the Security Council to activate the so-called “snapback mechanism.” As detailed in the joint letter of the Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the People’s Republic of China, and the Russian Federation dated 28 August 2025, this European attempt is procedurally defective and substantively invalid.

 

No action taken in contravention of Resolution 2231 can create any legal obligation for UN Member States. The Security Council’s voting record and the explicit positions of its members confirm that the purported “notification” lacks any legal validity. Consequently, any claim of “reviving” or “reinstating” terminated resolutions is null and void, devoid of legal foundation, and incapable of generating binding effects.

 

Your Excellencies,

 

In light of the above, the Islamic Republic of Iran underscores that the course of action pursued by the three European countries constitutes a clear abuse of legal process and is contrary to both the letter and spirit of Resolution 2231 (2015) and the JCPOA. Resolution 2231 established a clear and limited framework for the termination of all previous resolutions related to Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. Under its operative paragraph 8, the resolution and its associated provisions, along with all terminated sanctions resolutions referenced therein, were to expire automatically in accordance with the timeline set by the Council. The Security Council has not adopted any subsequent decision to extend, suspend, or alter this timeline in any way.

 

The Council’s deliberations and votes in September 2025 further confirmed the absence of any consensus to reinterpret or amend the resolution’s provisions.

 

In the same context, the 19th Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, held on 15–16 October 2025 in Kampala, Uganda, reaffirmed—through the participation of its 121 Member States—the timely expiration of Resolution 2231, emphasizing that “the cooperative and multilateral spirit which led to the consensus adoption of Resolution 2231 (2015) must continue to be respected, and that all provisions and timelines of the resolution must be fully observed. The Movement further stresses that all provisions of this resolution should terminate in accordance with its operative paragraph 8.”

 

Two voting sessions of the Security Council, held respectively on 19 and 26 September 2025, clearly demonstrated the lack of consensus among Council members regarding the validity of the so-called “snapback” notification. As in 2020, when the Council confirmed that the United States—having withdrawn from the JCPOA—lacked standing to invoke the mechanism, the European attempt likewise lacks any legal basis or effect and cannot serve as grounds for any action or decision regarding Resolution 2231 or previously terminated sanctions resolutions.

 

Moreover, Resolution 2231 grants no authority whatsoever to the UN Secretary-General or the Secretariat to determine, declare, reapply, or reinstate resolutions that have expired pursuant to its operative paragraph 8.

 

Any such action would exceed the legal limits established by the UN Charter and Resolution 2231 and would conflict with the Secretariat’s strictly administrative and impartial role. The Secretariat is neither a decision-making nor an interpretive body; it cannot modify or extend the legal effects of Security Council decisions, nor may it unilaterally create obligations for Member States. Any “notification” or “endorsement” issued by the Secretariat in this regard would be legally null and would undermine the institutional credibility of the United Nations.

 

Similarly, any attempt to revive or reactivate subsidiary bodies such as the “Sanctions Committee” or “Panel of Experts” following their termination under operative paragraph 8 lacks any legal basis. No Member State, Secretariat, or UN official may lawfully act in this regard without a new and explicit decision by the Security Council.

 

Accordingly, Resolution 2231 (2015) remained in effect until 18 October 2025, after which, pursuant to operative paragraph 8, all its provisions and the provisions of previously terminated sanctions resolutions ceased to have any legal effect. None of the terminated measures may be revived or reimplemented thereafter. Any attempt to do so is illegal, void, and devoid of validity from the outset.

 

It would be appreciated if this letter were circulated as an official document of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.

 

Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Iran's Foreign Ministry

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Statement on the Termination of UN Resolution 2231

WANA (Oct 18) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a statement today (Saturday, October 18, 2025) regarding the termination of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. The statement reads as follows:   As previously emphasized in Iran’s official positions and statements concerning the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) […]

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