“Despite the intensification of diplomatic efforts during the second half of 2025, there has been no agreement on the path forward regarding Iran’s nuclear program,” concluded the head of UN diplomacy, Rosemary DiCarlo.
Ms. DiCarlo – the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding – reminded the Council that the best option for the international community is a negotiated settlement that would ensure a peaceful Iranian nuclear program and provide sanctions relief.
At the heart of the divide between Security Council Members disagree over the legitimacy of holding meetings related to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran signed the agreement alongside the five permanent members of the Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States – as well as Germany and the European Union (EU).
First post-snapback meeting
Tuesday’s meeting was the first to take place since France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the so-called “snapback mechanism” (reimposition of sanctions against Iran), citing “significant non-fulfillment” of their commitments under the plan.
UN Security Council meeting on non-proliferation (December 23, 2025)
The United States, the United Kingdom, France and other members of the Security Council have argued that the resolution that led to the nuclear deal remains in force and that the Council should therefore continue to meet to discuss the issue of nuclear nonproliferation.
“Iran’s failure to comply with its international obligations related to its nuclear program constitutes a serious threat to international peace and security,” said Jay Dharmadhikari, France’s deputy permanent representative to the UN. He added that, if increased to military enrichment levels, the Iranian stockpile “would be sufficient to produce 10 nuclear explosive devices.”
Iran: “No mandate” for discussions on non-proliferation at the Security Council
Russia’s delegate, Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia, took aim at the Slovenian presidency of the Council, regretting that it had not “found the courage to impartially respect your obligation not to act at the request of those who insisted on holding a Security Council meeting on a non-existent agenda item.”
“The JCPOA committee no longer exists,” he added. “Therefore, the EU is no longer the coordinator and therefore should not be allowed to inform the UN Security Council.”
Speaking on behalf of Iran, Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani insisted that Resolution 2231 (2015) expired on October 18, 2025 and therefore “ceased to have any legal effect or operational mandate.” It concluded that there was “no mandate for the Secretary-General to submit a report and no mandate for the Council to discuss it.”
Today, he said, the Council is witnessing a “calculated distortion” of the resolution and a “deliberate spread of disinformation” about Iran’s nuclear program.
European Union representative, deputy head of delegation Hedda Samson, speaking as an observer, took a different view. “The return of sanctions and nuclear restrictions should not mean the end of diplomacy, quite the contrary,” she stressed, calling on Iran to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) withIAEA) with up-to-date and verifiable declarations on the quantity and location of nuclear materials and related activities.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
