Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing under agenda item "Non-proliferation"
Mr.President,
We thank USG DiCarlo and UNSC 2231 Facilitator, Ambassador Frazier of Malta, for their briefings. Availing of this opportunity I would like to thank Ambassador Frazier and her team for efforts to prepare a 6-month report by 2231 Facilitator that the Security Council adopted by consensus last week.
We also take note of the report of the Head of the Delegation of the European Union, Mr. Olof Skoog. We regret to note that his statement was far from the principles of impartiality to which the European Union should adhere when carrying out its duties as coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission. Instead of outlining the objective situation around the Plan, European colleagues try to place the responsibility for the current crisis in the implementation of the JCPOA on Iran and do everything they can to "obscure" the illegitimate and destructive measures taken by the United States, the European parties to the JCPOA and Brussels itself. In particular, their violation of the commitments set out in the Plan amidst the persisting unilateral anti-Iranian restrictions which they were supposed to lift this past October.
Mr.President,
The adoption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015 was a unique example of what multilateral diplomacy can do in today's world. At that time, parties to the nuclear deal set aside political differences and took a truly pragmatic approach that accounted for the interests of all stakeholders and ensured that they had every opportunity to monitor the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program. However, the further we go, the more we see that some of the states-parties to the JCPOA, as well as the one state that simply withdrew from it, are trying their best to reduce to a zero this common diplomatic achievement.
Against this background, we must state that in her speech, 2231 Facilitator once again preferred not to name the reason for the failure of the full implementation of the JCPOA, which everyone is well aware of –withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear deal in 2018 and the imposition of illegitimate unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran. More than five years have passed, the US Administration has changed, the United States is approaching a new electoral cycle, but there have been no real steps on Washington's part to rectify the situation. The American promises to abandon the policy of maximum pressure on Tehran and return to the nuclear deal have remained an empty sound. Further to this, the situation is only getting worse. US violations of the JCPOA and UNSC resolution 2231 have long assumed a chronic nature.
Unfortunately, the UN Secretary-General still prefers to ignore this obvious fact in his reports, limiting himself to modest appeals to Washington to lift anti-Iranian sanctions or provide for exemptions. Similarly, the report disregards the actions of Great Britain, Germany, France and the European Union, which have followed in the footprints of their overseas friends for years. I would not like to think that this is how SG Guterres showed his personal solidarity with their actions.
In fact, the text of Secretary-General's report may give the deeply erroneous impression that Tehran bears the main responsibility for the dysfunctionality of the JCPOA. However, it is clear to any reasonable person on whose side of the court the ball is. We should remain mindful that Iran's return to fulfilling its suspended voluntary obligations to limit its nuclear program can take place only given reciprocity of the Western parties and the United States, whose actions led to the current situation. This approach is what Russia stood for from the very beginning and ultimately, it was this approach that underpinned the comprehensive decision of the JCPOA Commission. However, the US and European participants of the Plan of Action actually sabotaged efforts to finalize this package. On top of that, the UK, Germany, France and the EU chose to deal another direct blow to the prospects of a full-scale recovery of the JCPOA.
The decisions of the UK, Germany, France and the EU to disregard their obligations and unilaterally maintain the anti-Iranian restrictions that they were supposed to lift on October 18, 2023, are little different from the actions of the United States in terms of their destructive effect on the implementation of the JCPOA and UNSC resolution 2231. The only difference is that Washington neglects the nuclear deal in full, while London, Berlin, Paris, and Brussels only in part. Once again, we see clear disregard for international law, the UN Charter and the authority of the Security Council. As for the UN Secretary-General, who, it would seem, should defend these principles and is well aware of the true state of affairs, he simply ignores these facts.
We should like to point out that any reference to Article 36 of the JCPOA and the dispute resolution mechanism (DRM) allegedly invoked in 2020 at the Vienna platform, which the Western parties to the JCPOA are trying to use to justify their deeply illegitimate actions, is irrelevant here. Russia has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the DRM was not invoked due to numerous procedural gaps that were not eliminated. Moreover, in letters circulated in the Security Council during the reporting period, the United Kingdom, France and Germany accuse Iran of failing to ratify the Additional Protocol to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA while cynically and hypocritically omitting the fact that Tehran should have taken steps in that direction after the full-fledged lifting of the illegal unilateral sanctions.
Mr.President,
We are no less concerned about the ongoing attempts by a small group of countries to disseminate a narrative about violations of paragraphs 3 and 4 of Annex B of Security Council resolution 2231. Their fervor has not diminished even after the expiration of the restrictions. Now they are scolding Iran on backdate. Western countries continue to emphasize the alleged "deliveries of Iranian drones to Russia to use in Ukraine" and continue to incite the UN Secretariat to violate Article 100 of the UN Charter by insisting on some kind of “investigations”.
In this context, it was an unpleasant surprise that the Secretary-General's report contained a reference to a "private demonstration" (hosted by the Permanent Mission of the United States) of some wreckage of what was said to be drones allegedly downed in Ukraine. The demonstration was a “members only” type of gathering to which our American colleagues invited neither us nor Iranians. Apparently, in that case truth would have been hard to swallow for the organizers. Whom the Americans did invite to their “get-together” was representatives of the United Nations Secretariat. Regretfully, the latter gave in to this provocation. By choosing to attend this event, representatives of Team 2231 clearly overstepped their official duties as set out in Note S/2016/44 of the President of the Security Council of January 16, 2016. We recommend that our American colleagues, who claim so zealously that the Secretariat hold mandate to conduct some kind of "investigation", study that document very carefully.
We would also like to recall that Team 2231 has neither the authority nor the expertise to carry out verification, inspection or attribution activities within the framework of Security Council resolution 2231. Actions of the Secretariat that have not received prior approval from the Security Council cannot serve as a basis for any conclusions and assessments.
Regardless of the provocations of Western countries, the fact remains. No convincing arguments have ever been presented to support the fabrications about violations of the missile provisions of Annex B. All the letters circulated in the UN Security Council and Team 2231 in this regard were reduced to some speculations, suspicions and "understandings". As we know, there were not and could not be any deliveries to circumvent the provisions of UNSC resolution 2231. No credible evidence to the contrary has been given, nor has any evidence been given that the debris presented by the Americans and the British had been collected in Ukraine. Against this background, we reject attempts to use the reports by the Secretary-General and 2231 Facilitator to spread unsubstantiated insinuations and, as a consequence, to raise the degree of tension around the Iranian nuclear program. Today, the US representative did not say a word of his own about the implementation of resolution 2231, or rather the United States' failure to implement it, but focused on yet another round of allegations against Russia and Iran.
Mr.President,
The US and European parties to JCPOA will not be able to cover up for their own violations of the Plan and resolution 2231 by any illegitimate unilateral actions and raising tensions. It is these countries that bear the key responsibility for the failure to implement the nuclear deal, and it is them who must bring their policies in line with its letter and spirit. For our part, Russia firmly believes that Security Council decisions must be implemented in strict compliance with the agreed parameters. Any attempts by the United States and European parties to the JCPOA to revise them in retrospect are illegal, dangerous and undermine the carefully calibrated balance of interests that underpins UNSC resolution 2231. Against this backdrop, we expect the Western countries to abandon their policy of unilateral restrictions against the Islamic Republic of Iran as soon as possible. Any other scenarios call into question the prospects of the JCPOA and lead to an escalation around the Iranian nuclear program with very likely devastating repercussions for the already tense situation in the Middle East.
Russia remains convinced that there are no alternatives to the JCPOA. The early reset of the Plan is the only right path that would meet the interests of regional and international security. We hope that the Secretary-General, who calls the JCPOA "the best possible way" to ensure the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program, will not allow any controversial (to put it mildly) elements in his reports that jeopardize the already fragile prospects for a full-scale restoration of the Vienna agreements.
Thank you.
