Iran, Russia, and China Formally Notify UN of Legal End to Security Council Resolution 2231
In a significant diplomatic move, Iran, alongside its strategic partners Russia and China, has formally dispatched a joint letter to the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the UN Security Council. This action, announced by a senior Iranian diplomat, marks a pivotal step in cementing the international legal position that UN Security Council Resolution 2231 has definitively expired.
A Coordinated Diplomatic Offensive
Kazem Gharibabadi, the Legal and International Deputy of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, revealed the details in a televised interview, outlining a broad diplomatic campaign leading up to October 18th—the day the resolution was set to terminate.
“In recent days, aiming to counter the hypocrisy and duplicity of Western countries and the U.S., we have worked to align a wide range of nations with our legal interpretation,” Gharibabadi stated. He emphasized that this effort has garnered substantial international backing.
Widespread International Consensus
The diplomat highlighted two key developments that demonstrate growing global support for this stance. First, he pointed to a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) foreign ministers in Uganda, where he said over 121 member countries affirmed that Resolution 2231 concludes on October 18th. “This extensive alignment of NAM member states is highly significant,” Gharibabadi noted.
Second, he referenced a statement from a group of 21 nations within the “Friends of the UN Charter” group in New York. According to Gharibabadi, this statement also clarified that sanctions re-imposed unilaterally and unlawfully by the West and the U.S. lack legal legitimacy, and UN member states are not obligated to implement them.
Legal Closure and New Realities
The joint letter from Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing serves as an official declaration to the UN’s highest bodies that the resolution has reached its expiry date. Consequently, the legal basis for the associated sanctions regime is null and void.
“Iran will continue its efforts to expand international alignment on this matter,” Gharibabadi affirmed. “Our objective is to firmly establish the correct legal interpretation regarding the resolution’s termination and the invalidity of the claimed Western sanctions on a global scale.”
Implications for IAEA Cooperation
The deputy foreign minister also addressed the practical implications of this legal shift for Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He explained that with the expiration of Resolution 2231, the IAEA Director General’s quarterly reporting to the Board of Governors on the implementation of the JCPOA and Iran’s commitments will cease. “The Director General will no longer have an obligation to present such reports,” Gharibabadi concluded, signaling a new chapter in the technical oversight of Iran’s nuclear program.