Iran Denounces U.S. and European Move to Re‑impose Lifted UNSC Resolutions

TEHRAN (Iran News) In a statement, the ministry said Resolution 2231 and the restrictions it contains on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program must be regarded as having expired on schedule — on 26 Mehr 1404 (18 October 2025) — and that the recent action by the three European states, instigated and pressured by the United States, amounted to an improper exploitation of the JCPOA dispute‑settlement process.

The statement argued that the three European states themselves have been guilty of “material and persistent” failures to fulfil their JCPOA commitments and therefore have committed “significant non‑performance” of their obligations. It added that, by explicitly or implicitly supporting military attacks by the Israeli regime and the United States on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities — facilities that fell under the JCPOA and the IAEA safeguards regime — those countries flagrantly violated international law and the non‑proliferation regime, in particular Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, and thereby openly breached both the JCPOA and UNSC Resolution 2231.

“Iran’s European counterparts, like the United States, have, with manifest bad faith, committed grave and continuous violations of the text and spirit of the JCPOA and have not engaged in dispute resolution with any bona fide effort,” the ministry said.

The statement further argued that any attempt to resurrect terminated resolutions is legally unfounded and unjustifiable, and also morally and logically unacceptable. Iran said its peaceful nuclear program was comprehensively addressed under Resolution 2231 and its annex, the JCPOA, and that the ten‑year sunset period should be considered ended on the scheduled date of 26 Mehr 1404 (18 October 2025).

Iran also accused the three European states of failing to abide by the procedures laid down in Resolution 2231 in their handling of the matter. The ministry cited operative paragraph 11 of Resolution 2231, which instructs the Security Council to “take into account the views of the states concerned.” It expressed regret that, despite the clear positions of other JCPOA participants — expressly Iran, China and the Russian Federation — and under pressure from the three European states and the United States, the Council President unlawfully put a draft resolution to a vote.

The statement referred to a joint letter from the foreign ministers of China, Iran and Russia dated Aug. 28, 2025, stressing that the Security Council cannot act on the basis of a distorted communication from the three European states. It added that any action contrary to or inconsistent with Resolution 2231 cannot create legal obligations for UN member states.

Accordingly, the Islamic Republic of Iran rejected the claim by the three European states and the United States that previously ended resolutions — which were terminated under Resolution 2231 in 2015 — have returned. Iran stressed that no legal obligations arise for UN member states, including Iran, from the provisions or mechanisms of those terminated resolutions and urged all countries to refuse recognition of what it called an illegal situation inconsistent with Resolution 2231. Iran said its principled position on this matter was set out in an official letter to the UN Secretary‑General dated 5 Mehr 1404.

The ministry reminded readers that over the past two decades Iran has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve issues surrounding its peaceful nuclear program and has shown readiness to find a fair and reasonable solution that guarantees the Iranian people’s right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy while providing necessary transparency and assurance regarding the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities. It noted that Iran fully implemented the JCPOA from 2015 until 2019 (i.e., until one year after the United States’ unlawful withdrawal) and that its remedial measures under JCPOA paragraphs 26 and 36, adopted from May 2019, were deliberately structured so that Iran could return immediately to its obligations should the European parties and the United States resume their JCPOA commitments.

Over the past four years, Iran said, it presented numerous initiatives and proposals to restore full JCPOA implementation by all parties or to negotiate another negotiated understanding to resolve outstanding issues related to Iran’s nuclear program — efforts that failed because of the three European states’ or the United States’ lack of seriousness and absence of good faith.

The ministry also addressed the military strikes by Israel and the United States on Iranian nuclear facilities during the period 23 Khordad to 3 Tir 1404 (13–24 June 2025), saying the three European states’ alignment with the attackers marked the peak of their blatant breach of JCPOA obligations and demonstrated manifest bad faith. The statement said the attacks — which caused deaths and injuries among Iranian citizens and damage to nuclear facilities as well as some vital national infrastructure — constitute a war crime and, in addition to criminal responsibility for those who carried out and ordered the attacks, give rise to international responsibility for the aggressor parties for committing internationally wrongful acts. Iran said it will use all available means to prosecute and punish the perpetrators and to claim compensation.

The ministry said that in the past two months Iran made extensive efforts to prevent the three European states from abusing the JCPOA dispute‑settlement mechanism. Those efforts included an understanding reached with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 18 Shahrivar 1404 and the presentation of constructive and reasonable proposals on this and other nuclear‑related matters — initiatives that, the ministry said, failed due to the three European states’ and the United States’ inattention and maximalist demands.

“It is clear that rather than creating the space required for diplomacy and engagement, the three European states and the United States have chosen confrontation and crisis‑making, mistakenly believing that by reviving terminated Security Council resolutions they will gain a new lever of pressure,” the statement concluded. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will vigorously defend the nation’s rights and interests and will respond appropriately and decisively to any move that harms the rights or interests of the Iranian people.”