Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Sends Letter to UN Secretary-General on UNSC Resolution 2231
Rokna Political Desk: Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has formally notified the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council that UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), expired on October 18, 2025. In a letter dated October 18, 2025, Araghchi emphasized that any claims of "restoring" or "reviving" expired resolutions are legally baseless and cannot impose binding obligations.

According to Rokna, Seyed Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, addressed the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council regarding the termination of Resolution 2231.
In the letter, he wrote: “Following our previous correspondences, including the most recent on 27 September 2025, I hereby inform Your Excellency that United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), in accordance with its explicit provisions, has definitively expired and been terminated as of 18 October 2025.
“In this context, I would like to reaffirm the Islamic Republic of Iran’s position as follows: ten years ago, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was implemented with the endorsement of Resolution 2231 (2015), reflecting the international community’s shared belief that diplomacy and multilateral engagement are the most effective means of resolving disputes.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, guided by steadfast adherence to peaceful dispute resolution, accepted the JCPOA in good faith and fully and precisely implemented its commitments. Despite Iran’s complete and verified compliance, the United States of America, in blatant violation of its obligations, first refused to fulfill its commitments and subsequently, on 8 May 2018, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, reinstating and even expanding illegal, unilateral, extraterritorial sanctions.
“These coercive measures constituted a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter, severely disrupting the implementation of the JCPOA. The European parties to the JCPOA—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—despite their initial commitment to uphold the agreement and compensate for the U.S. withdrawal, not only failed to fulfill their obligations but imposed additional illegal sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities, thereby committing further material breaches of the JCPOA.
“All these serious instances of non-compliance and egregious violations have been fully documented over the past years and repeatedly conveyed to Your Excellency and members of the Security Council.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran exercised utmost restraint in response to these repeated and fundamental breaches and made extensive diplomatic efforts to restore balance and preserve the agreement.
“Following one year of Iran’s full compliance with the JCPOA despite the U.S. withdrawal, the Islamic Republic of Iran, within the framework of its legitimate rights under the JCPOA, implemented phased, proportionate, and reversible corrective measures starting on 8 May 2019. Subsequently, Iran engaged constructively to ensure the United States’ full return to the agreement, the EU and the three European parties’ adherence to all their commitments, and the complete removal of sanctions.
“However, unfortunately, these efforts were obstructed by the United States and the EU troika, who insisted on maximalist demands and continued illegal, unilateral sanctions, undermining the JCPOA’s primary goal of normalizing Iran’s international economic relations.
“The clear record of Iran’s constructive engagement, including numerous consultative meetings with European parties and even negotiations with the U.S., demonstrates Iran’s consistent commitment to the diplomatic path. Nevertheless, these good-faith efforts were met with sabotage and aggressive acts against Iran’s safeguarded peaceful nuclear facilities.
“In recent months, instead of fulfilling their obligations, the three European parties pursued a new campaign of political manipulation and legal distortion, seeking to turn the so-called ‘snapback’ mechanism into a tool against Iran.
“In this context, on 28 August 2025, the three European parties to the JCPOA, without any legitimate, legal, procedural, or political justification, unilaterally and arbitrarily attempted to bypass the dispute resolution process established under the JCPOA and directly approached the Security Council to activate the so-called ‘snapback’ mechanism.
“As detailed in the joint letter of the Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the People’s Republic of China, and the Russian Federation dated 28 August 2025, the European parties’ attempt to issue what they called a ‘notification to start the snapback process’ is procedurally defective and substantively invalid. No action taken in violation of Resolution 2231 can create a legal obligation for member states. Security Council voting records and explicit positions of its members confirm that this ‘notification’ has no legal validity.
“Accordingly, any claim of ‘revival’ or ‘reinstatement’ of terminated resolutions is fundamentally invalid, lacks legal basis, and cannot produce binding effects.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes that the approach taken by the three European countries constitutes clear abuse of a legal process and is inconsistent with the text and spirit of Resolution 2231 (2015) and the JCPOA. Resolution 2231 provides a clear and limited framework for the termination of all previous resolutions related to Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
“The operational paragraph 8 of Resolution 2231, along with all previously terminated sanction resolutions referenced therein, must automatically expire according to the schedule set by the Council. No subsequent Security Council decision has extended, suspended, or otherwise altered this schedule. Security Council negotiations and votes in September 2025 clearly confirmed the lack of any consensus to amend or reinterpret the provisions of the resolution.
“In this context, at the 19th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Foreign Ministers on 15-16 October in Kampala, Uganda, 121 member states emphasized the timely termination of Resolution 2231 in their final document, reaffirming the continued importance of the spirit of cooperation and multilateralism that underpinned the unanimous adoption of UNSC Resolution 2231 (2015), and stressing that its provisions and timelines must be fully respected. The Non-Aligned Movement further emphasized that all provisions of the resolution must terminate in accordance with operational paragraph 8 of Resolution 2231.
“The Security Council votes on 19 and 26 September 2025 clearly demonstrated the absence of consensus among Council members regarding the validity of the so-called notification to start the snapback process. As in 2020, the Security Council confirmed that the U.S., after leaving the JCPOA, lacks the authority to invoke this mechanism. Therefore, the European issuance of such a notification also lacks legal basis and effect and cannot justify any action or decision concerning the status of Resolution 2231 or previously terminated sanction resolutions.
“Furthermore, Resolution 2231 grants no authority or power to the Secretary-General or the UN Secretariat to determine, announce, reapply, or reinstate resolutions that have expired under operational paragraph 8. Any such action is beyond the Secretary-General’s legal authority and contradicts the Secretariat’s purely administrative and impartial role under the Charter. The Secretariat is not a decision-making or interpretive body; it cannot alter or extend the legal effects of Security Council decisions, nor may it create obligations for member states through unilateral statements. Any ‘notification to start the snapback process’ or any ‘confirmation’ by the Secretariat is legally void and undermines the institutional credibility of the UN.
“Similarly, any attempt to revive or reactivate subsidiary bodies such as the ‘Sanctions Committee’ or ‘Panel of Experts’ after their scheduled termination under operational paragraph 8 is without legal basis. No member state, Secretariat, or official may act legally in this regard without an explicit, new decision of the Security Council. Accordingly, Resolution 2231 (2015) was effective until 18 October 2025, and from that date, all its provisions, along with previously terminated sanction resolutions, have expired and lack any ongoing legal effect. None of the previously terminated measures may be revived or implemented, and any attempt to do so is illegal, fundamentally void, and invalid.
“It would be appreciated if this correspondence is circulated as an official document of the Security Council and the General Assembly.
“Respectfully renewed.”
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