UN meeting on Iran nuclear file abuse of process

Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran’s chargé d’affaires at the UN, made the remarks in a letter to France’s permanent representative, which holds the Security Council presidency this month. He said the meeting on what is called the “1737 Committee’s activity” is a clear abuse of the Council’s procedure and authority.

Darzi said Iran’s position is clear, continuous and formally registered in official correspondence with the Secretary-General and the Council president. He said Resolution 2231 expired on 18 October 2025, and that from that date, all provisions, measures and restrictions related to the nuclear issue were permanently terminated. The Security Council ended its consideration of Iran’s nuclear issue, and the “non-proliferation” agenda item was removed from the Council’s agenda.

He said the so-called snapback mechanism was never triggered by the three European countries because they lacked the legal standing to invoke it, having failed to meet their own obligations under the JCPOA and Resolution 2231.

Darzi said the root causes of the current situation lie primarily in the illegal attacks by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran’s peaceful, safeguarded nuclear facilities. Over the past two years, while Iran was moving actively and in good faith on the path of negotiation and diplomacy, the U.S. and the Israeli regime carried out illegal and criminal acts of aggression against Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including its safeguarded nuclear facilities. These, he said, constitute acts of aggression and flagrant violations of the UN Charter and the peremptory prohibition on the use or threat of force.

He said the repeated accusations against Iran’s nuclear programme are political. Iran has been a committed member of the NPT since 1970, and its nuclear programme has been under extensive IAEA supervision for nearly 25 years. The agency has never reported any diversion of nuclear material in Iran. That record should be evaluated objectively and impartially, he said.

Darzi said the failure to properly address illegal attacks on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities, including in the IAEA Board of Governors’ recent resolution, raises serious concerns about the agency’s institutional balance and credibility. Political pressure cannot replace an objective assessment of safeguards.

He said the non-consensual resolution adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors on 9 September 2026 was driven by U.S. and E3 political considerations and lacks the requirements of objectivity and impartiality. Like previous resolutions, it remained silent on the illegal and criminal attacks by the U.S. and the Israeli regime on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities.

Darzi said Security Council meetings and procedures must not be abused to raise political or unproven accusations against member states, or to provide political cover for illegal actions. Formal and procedural action alone cannot lend legitimacy to unsupported claims.

Iran called on the Security Council to fully abide by the UN Charter and international law, and to reject opportunistic and deliberate attempts by the U.S. and some members to politicise or instrumentalise its procedures, meetings and mechanisms.

MNA