The United States, Europe and Israel are responsible for holding back the United Nations Security Council's adoption of a sanctions relief resolution on Iran, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the UN, said on Friday.
The United Nations Security Council failed to adopt a resolution on Friday that would have continued to provide sanctions relief for Iran under the 2025 Iran nuclear deal.
The draft resolution, put forward by the Republic of Korea (ROK) in its capacity as Security Council president for September, failed to get the nine positive votes required for adoption, with Algeria, China, Pakistan and Russia voting in favor, Guyana and the ROK abstaining, and the remaining nine Security Council members, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany, voting against.
After the Security Council vote, Iravani strongly condemned the efforts by Britain, France and Germany, known as E3, to restore sanctions against Iran, calling such a move illegal, ineffective, and a "political abuse of process." He stressed that the U.S., European countries and Israel are primarily responsible for the current situation.
"This move is a political abuse of process. It was the U.S. that left the JCPOA. It was Italy that failed its obligations, and it was Israel, backed by the U.S., that attacked Iran's safeguard nuclear facilities. Instead of condemning aggression, Italy defended it, and now they punished Iran," he said.
Iravani emphasized that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and operates under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), adding that "the door for diplomacy is not closed, but it will be Iran, not the adversaries, who decides with whom and on what basis to engage."
He warned that such actions undermine the authority of the Security Council, disrupt diplomatic efforts, and jeopardize the non-proliferation mechanism. Sanctions and threats cannot prevent the peaceful development of Iran's nuclear program, he said.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday evening, condemning the attempts by the E3 to forcibly push for the Security Council's resolution to restore sanctions against Iran.
The statement said that the E3's actions were illegal, unreasonable and provocative, severely damaging the current diplomatic process. It noted that, in the absence of consensus in the Security Council and with opposition from several member states, such actions further erode the credibility of the Security Council and undermine the non-proliferation mechanism.
The statement warned that if the relevant Security Council sanctions resolutions were to be reinstated as a result, the U.S. and the E3 would bear full responsibility.
In the statement, Iran reiterated its determination to continue its peaceful nuclear program and said that it reserves the right to respond accordingly to any illegal actions while safeguarding its rights and interests through diplomatic means.
The statement called on all responsible members of the international community to reject the actions of the E3 to forcibly push for the restoration of sanctions against Iran in the Security Council.
Iran calls out US, Europe, Israel for holding back Security Council's adoption of sanction relief resolution on Iran
