Iran’s Ambassador: The UN Security Council Squandered the Chance for Dialogue and Consensus

WANA (Sep 19) – Amir Saeid Iravani, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, following the U.S. and European pressure that blocked the adoption of a draft resolution on the “continuation of sanctions relief for Iran” at the Security Council, stated:

“Today, the Security Council squandered the opportunity for dialogue and consensus. Russia and China, acting in good faith, put forward a balanced initiative to extend Resolution 2231 and preserve diplomacy.”

Speaking at Friday’s Security Council session on Iran, the senior Iranian diplomat said:

“The United States and the E3 chose escalation, pressure, and division instead of accepting this rational path. The contradiction between their words and their actions once again proves that their true intention is not diplomacy but escalation. They must now assume full responsibility for the crisis they themselves have manufactured.”

He stressed: “Today’s move is hasty, unnecessary, and illegal. Iran recognizes no obligation to implement it. The grave consequences lie entirely with the U.S. and the E3, who fabricated baseless allegations against Iran while enabling the criminal attacks of the Israeli regime against safeguarded facilities.”

Iravani underlined: “This action, taken without consensus, undermines the Council, discredits diplomacy, and endangers the non-proliferation regime. Iran’s nuclear program will neither be destroyed by bombs, halted by sanctions, nor diverted from its peaceful path. The door to diplomacy is not closed—but it is Iran, not its adversaries, that will decide with whom, and on what basis, it will engage.”

Diplomacy Against the Snapback Mechanism . JCPOA

Full Statement by Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations:

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. President,

At the outset, allow me to express my profound appreciation to those Council members—including Algeria, Pakistan, China, and the Russian Federation—who rejected coercive policies and upheld the principles of diplomacy, justice, and law. Their vote today reflected a genuine commitment to diplomacy. Their stance sends a clear message: disputes must be resolved through dialogue, not crude instruments of pressure and intimidation. They have chosen to stand on the right side of history.

Mr. President,

Iran’s position is clear and consistent: Resolution 2231 must be implemented exactly as agreed. Its timelines are not recommendations or suggestions but binding obligations painstakingly negotiated and unanimously endorsed by this Council. Any attempt by the three European states to reimpose sanctions that were previously lifted is not only baseless but a direct assault on international law and the authority of the Security Council itself.

Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA were hard-won achievements, the product of over a decade of negotiations. Together, they resolved all concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and affirmed its exclusively peaceful nature. Iran implemented the agreement fully and in good faith. No other country has ever subjected itself to such rigorous and intrusive IAEA verification. We kept our word. The United States, the E3, and the European Union did not.

It was the United States that, in 2018, unilaterally tore up the agreement and reimposed sanctions, in blatant defiance of this Council. It was the E3 that failed to uphold their obligations, hiding behind empty promises while quietly following Washington’s dictates. Now, in a display of sheer hypocrisy, they claim Iran must be punished for measures we adopted only after years of enduring their breaches.

Mr. President,

We categorically reject the E3’s so-called notification of 28 August 2025. It is procedurally invalid, politically motivated, and legally null. By bypassing the JCPOA’s dispute resolution mechanism, the E3 have dismantled the very framework they profess to defend. Worse still, parties long in fundamental non-compliance cannot suddenly recast themselves as guardians of compliance. This is not law; it is opportunism masquerading as legality.

Iran’s remedial measures were neither reckless nor unilateral. They were measured, transparent, and fully consistent with our rights under the JCPOA. To distort these lawful measures as grounds to trigger the snapback mechanism is to reward violators and punish the compliant—a perverse inversion of justice that undermines the Council itself.

Mr. President,

This debacle unfolds against the backdrop of flagrant aggression. Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities were not secretly but openly attacked—by Israel, a rogue regime, and by the United States, a depository of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Facilities under IAEA monitoring were bombed in violation of every principle of international law and the foundations of the non-proliferation regime. Yet instead of condemnation, we witnessed silence—and worse, justification—from the very states now lecturing Iran on compliance. What clearer evidence could there be of double standards and hypocrisy?

Even so, Iran did not abandon diplomacy. On 9 September in Cairo, we reached an understanding with the IAEA to resume cooperation—a forward-looking and constructive step. But the U.S. and the E3, rather than seizing this opportunity, dismissed it, exposing once more the gap between their rhetoric and their real intentions. They speak of dialogue while suffocating it; they invoke diplomacy while burying it under threats.

This reckless move undermines dialogue, rewards aggression, and sets a dangerous precedent.

The E3 and the U.S., in concert with Israel, propagate false claims that Iran’s nuclear program poses a threat to peace and security. This is a fabrication. Iran has violated neither the JCPOA, nor the NPT, nor its safeguards obligations. Our nuclear program remains entirely peaceful.

Mr. President,

Even this Council’s impartiality has been compromised. Under pressure from certain permanent members, the Presidency disregarded the obligation to consult all JCPOA participants—including Iran, Russia, and China—before tabling today’s draft. This requirement is explicit in paragraph 11 of Resolution 2231 and was even reflected in the President’s draft. Yet in practice, the Presidency ignored this language, breached the Council’s impartiality, and effectively endorsed the E3’s position by putting the draft to a vote without ensuring that the positions of China, Iran, and Russia—actual JCPOA participants—were reflected.

This was not consensus-building; it was coercion. The result is a decision imposed upon the Council, not one belonging to the Council.

In conclusion, Mr. President, allow me to state Iran’s firm position:

1. Today’s action is hasty, unnecessary, and illegal. Iran recognizes no obligation to implement it.

2. The grave consequences lie entirely with the U.S. and the E3, who fabricated baseless charges against Iran while enabling Israel’s criminal attacks on safeguarded facilities.

3. This move, taken without consensus, weakens the Council, discredits diplomacy, and endangers the non-proliferation regime.

4. Iran’s nuclear program will neither be destroyed by bombs, halted by sanctions, nor diverted from its peaceful path. The door to diplomacy is not closed—but it is Iran, not its adversaries, that will decide with whom, and on what basis, it will engage.

Mr. President,

Today, the Council squandered the opportunity for dialogue and consensus. Russia and China, acting in good faith, presented a balanced initiative to extend Resolution 2231 and preserve diplomacy.

The U.S. and the E3, instead of embracing this rational path, chose escalation, pressure, and division. The contradiction between their words and their actions once again demonstrates that their real intent is not diplomacy but escalation. They must now bear full responsibility for the crisis they have created.

Let there be no doubt: Iran will steadfastly defend its sovereignty, its rights, and the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. We will not yield to coercion. We will not be intimidated by unlawful threats. And we will not allow this Council to be turned into an instrument of injustice.

Thank you, Mr. President.