New York: The long-disputed UN chapter on Iran’s nuclear programme has officially closed. Iran, Russia and China have written to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declaring that Resolution 2231 stands terminated.
The letter was sent by the three nations’ permanent missions. It stated that they “affirm that in accordance with operative paragraph 8 of Resolution 2231, all its provisions are terminated after October 18, 2025”. The statement added that the date “marks the end of the Security Council’s consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue”.
Resolution 2231 had endorsed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear activities. When adopted, it was hailed as a diplomatic victory after years of tension over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
That balance collapsed in 2018. The United States pulled out of the deal, reimposing sanctions in what Tehran and its allies called an unlawful act. Then in 2020, Washington tried and failed to trigger the JCPOA’s “snapback” mechanism, a clause meant to restore sanctions if Iran breached commitments.
Europe soon followed Washington’s lead. Britain, France and Germany froze trade with Iran and abandoned their promise to restore America to the pact. Their argument rested on allegations that Iran’s nuclear programme had been diverted for non-civilian purposes, accusations the International Atomic Energy Agency has never confirmed, even after years of intrusive inspections.
Early this year, the European trio made another attempt to revive the snapback process, restoring sanctions in September. Iran, Russia and China dismissed the move as baseless.
Their joint letter to the UN reminded the world that the Europeans “had no legal right to have the sanctions restored in light of their own non-commitment to the JCPOA”. The message underlined that “the E3, having themselves ceased to perform their commitments under both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 and also failing to exhaust the procedures of the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM), lacks the standing to invoke its provisions”.
The allies also said that respecting the October 18 expiry date “strengthens the authority of the Council and the credibility of multilateral diplomacy”.
Their closing appeal urged all nations to help build “a favourable atmosphere and conditions for diplomatic efforts”.
After a decade of friction and failed mediation, the Iranian nuclear file, once the most contentious item on the UN agenda, now reaches a formal end. For Tehran and its partners, October 18 will not only mark a date on the calendar. It marks the day they say the West’s last claim on Iran’s nuclear issue finally expired.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
