Statement on the Expiration of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231

Statement of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in The Hague on the Expiration of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), concluded in 2015 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the 5+1 Group, was endorsed and formalized through United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, thereby acquiring binding legal status under international law. According to the provisions of this resolution, its period of validity was set for ten years, expiring on 18 October 2025.

With the expiration of this period, the JCPOA and the resolution endorsing it are considered terminated. Accordingly, all the provisions, commitments, and restrictions stipulated therein regarding Iran’s nuclear program and related mechanisms have ceased to be in effect. Consequently, the Iranian nuclear file, which had been on the Security Council’s agenda under the item “non-proliferation,” must be removed from the Council’s list of issues under consideration. This clearly means that, as of the expiration of Resolution 2231, Iran’s nuclear program must be treated in the same manner as that of any other non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Resolution 2231 and its annex, the JCPOA, represented one of the major achievements of multilateral diplomacy in recent decades, which demonstrated considerable effectiveness and credibility in its early years of implementation. Regrettably, the irresponsible withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA in 2018, followed by the failure of the three European countries (the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) to fulfill their obligations, seriously undermined this diplomatic achievement. The latest instance of such behavior is their abuse of the JCPOA’s dispute resolution mechanism in an attempt to reimpose terminated Security Council resolutions.

In light of the above, the Islamic Republic of Iran hereby declares:

1. The actions of the three European countries and the United States to reinstate terminated Security Council resolutions, undertaken without adherence to the relevant legal procedures, are devoid of any legal or practical validity. The Secretariat of the Security Council is not authorized to recognize or implement such unlawful actions.
2. From the viewpoint of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the measures taken by the three European countries in no way affect the legal framework or provisions of Resolution 2231, including its expiration date of 18 October 2025. The Resolution has expired as scheduled. The Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, and the member states of the Non-Aligned Movement have also reaffirmed this position and voiced their opposition to any illegal action contrary to this established process.
3. As stated in the joint communications of Iran, China, and Russia addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Security Council has not adopted any decision authorizing the UN Secretariat to independently draw conclusions regarding the reimposition of terminated resolutions. This authority rests exclusively with the Security Council itself.
4. Any attempt to re-establish Security Council sanctions mechanisms, including the sanctions committee and the panel of experts, is illegal and lacks any legal basis.
5. The Islamic Republic of Iran calls upon all Member States of the United Nations to refrain from giving any effect to the unlawful claims and actions of the three European countries and the United States regarding the reinstatement of terminated sanctions, and to consider Resolution 2231 as expired and concluded.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, while reaffirming the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program, reiterates its steadfast commitment to diplomacy as the means to safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights of the Iranian nation, including the right to peaceful nuclear energy.