A Chinese envoy on Friday called for a United Nations (UN)-led international investigation of the September 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
Over a year ago, the Nord Stream pipelines transporting natural gas from Russia to European markets were ruptured in a series of explosions underneath the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark.
Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, briefed the meeting on the progress of the investigation.
It has been more than 18 months since the Nord Stream incident. It is simply regretful that no conclusion has been drawn, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN.
China has noted that Sweden and Denmark, two major parties to the incident, announced in February 2024 the termination of their country-specific investigations. The two countries' investigations did not disclose substantive information, nor reveal concrete progress and draw any clear conclusions, sparking even more speculations and misgivings in the international community, Geng told the Security Council.
"After more than a year of investigations, no truth has been established, with only scant information offered. With the situation standing where it is, one cannot help but suspect a hidden agenda behind the opposition to an international investigation, while lamenting the potential cover-up and loss of quantities of compelling evidence. We reiterate our call for the early launch of a UN-led international investigation to bring the truth to light for the world," said Geng.
Russia is a main party to the Nord Stream pipeline explosions. China calls on the countries concerned to actively communicate and cooperate with Russia and jointly investigate the incident. On the Nord Stream issue, it is important to avoid double standards within the international community, and especially within the Security Council, he said.
China calls for UN-led int'l probe of Nord Stream blasts
China calls for UN-led int'l probe of Nord Stream blasts
China calls for UN-led int'l probe of Nord Stream blasts
China calls for UN-led int'l probe of Nord Stream blasts
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran have agreed to continue cooperation and bridge differences within the framework of the relevant international agreements, according to President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami on Tuesday.
Eslami made the statement at a joint press conference with Rafael Grossi, visiting director general of the IAEA, following their meeting earlier in the day in the central Iranian province of Isfahan.
Eslami said the IAEA should remain unaffected by external "political influence and pressures" and play a professional role.
In addition, on the sixth anniversary of the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Eslami once again emphasized Iran's position on the issue.
"Iran did not withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. It was the U.S. that tore up the deal and failed to fulfill its responsibilities and did not allow other countries to cooperate on it," said Eslami.
Also speaking at the press conference, Grossi said that the IAEA has engaged in thorough and constructive discussions with Iran, charting a roadmap for future cooperation. Both sides will continue to collaborate and engage in dialogue, while earnestly addressing remaining differences, according to Grossi.
Grossi emphasized that the IAEA will fulfill its responsibilities to play a role in promoting the return of the nuclear deal to the right track.
"We need to work together in order to be in a better place, in order to put things back on track, in order to facilitate as well return to wider agreements in the form of the JCPOA or any other form that Iran may wish to agree," he said.
Grossi arrived in Iran on Monday to attend an international nuclear conference and meet a number of the country's high-ranking officials.
Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. However, the United States withdrew from the agreement in May 2018, reinstating sanctions and prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.
Efforts to revive the JCPOA commenced in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria, but despite multiple rounds of negotiations, no substantial progress has been reported since the last talks in August 2022.
IAEA, Iran agree to continue cooperation, bridge differences
