Araqchi’s Message on the Joint Letter by China, Iran, and Russia to the UN Secretary-General and President of the Security Council

Seyed Abbas Araqchi, posting excerpts from the trilateral letter on his X account, wrote that China, Iran, and Russia emphasize that the efforts by the three European countries to activate the so-called “snapback” mechanism are fundamentally flawed both legally and procedurally.

Below is the text of Foreign Minister Araqchi’s message and the letter dated August 28, 2025:

To:
Mr. António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations

Mr. Vassily Nebenzia
President of the UN Security Council

We refer to the joint letter of the Foreign Ministers of the People’s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Russian Federation dated 28 August 2025, circulated in the Security Council (S/2025/546) and the General Assembly (A/79/1004) of the United Nations.

In that letter, the shared position of our three countries is articulated with regard to the recent actions by the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, allegedly undertaken under the framework of Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015).

We again emphasize that the attempt by these three European states to activate the so-called “automatic reimposition of sanctions” mechanism is fundamentally defective, legally and procedurally. These European states, having themselves ceased to fulfill their obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and Resolution 2231, and having declined to abide by the full dispute-resolution process, lack the legitimacy to rely on the provisions of that resolution.

Within this framework, we reaffirm that under operative paragraph 8 of Resolution 2231, all provisions of the resolution conclude on 18 October 2025. We further remind that the full and timely termination of Resolution 2231 signals the end of the Security Council’s mandate to address Iran’s nuclear issue, and contributes to strengthening the Council’s authority and the credibility of multilateral diplomacy.

China, Iran, and Russia stress that in accordance with operative paragraph 8 of Resolution 2231, all of its provisions cease to have effect after 18 October 2025 (26 Mehr 1404).