UN Split on Iran Nuclear Issue, Pakistan Calls for Diplomacy

Iftikhar Ali

New York: Pakistan has called for diplomatic engagement and emphasized the imperative of avoiding confrontation to resolve the Iran nuclear issue, as the UN Security Council on Tuesday remained deeply divided on the path forward.

“It is deeply regrettable that in recent months, divisions in the Council and beyond have widened — taking us further away from the resolution of the issue,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the 15-member Council during a discussion on nuclear non-proliferation.

“The situation has already become more complicated due to unilateral actions involving the use of force, violations of the UN Charter, and differing interpretations regarding the invocation of the snapback mechanism,” he added.

At the heart of the split among Council members is a dispute over the legitimacy of holding meetings related to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — an agreement designed to limit Iran’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

Iran signed the agreement alongside the Council’s five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — as well as Germany and the European Union (EU). However, the US, under President Donald Trump, withdrew from the agreement in 2018, leading to the re-imposition of sanctions.

“Coercive measures would not help in bringing the parties closer and would only exacerbate the trust deficit,” the Pakistani envoy cautioned, adding that sanctions directly hurt ordinary people and adversely affect economic development.

“We strongly believe that diplomacy and dialogue should be the guiding principles for the resolution of all outstanding issues concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, in accordance with the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of the parties concerned,” Ambassador Jadoon said.

Pakistan, he noted, has consistently advocated the primacy of diplomatic engagement and the imperative of avoiding confrontation and conflict.

The fact remains that the JCPOA provided an essential framework for resolving the issue — one based on international law, mutual respect, and acceptance, the Pakistani envoy said. “The essence and basic framework of the JCPOA could still prove useful if there is a mutual desire to move forward in a spirit of compromise and accommodation.”

Underscoring the need to revive the spirit of the JCPOA, he said the divisions on this issue could be overcome if all parties adhered to the principle of inclusivity and worked together in a spirit of conciliation toward a solution-oriented approach.

“Most importantly, trust and confidence in diplomatic engagement — which were damaged in recent months — must be meticulously restored,” Ambassador Jadoon said, emphasizing that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remains critically important as it is responsible for verifying compliance with nuclear safeguards obligations of member states.

The Agency, he said, should objectively fulfill this mandate.

“Constructive efforts should be undertaken, including through the Security Council, to bring the parties together for a compromise acceptable to all,” the Pakistani envoy added.

At the outset, UN Political Chief Rosemary DiCarlo declared, “Despite intensified diplomatic efforts during the second half of 2025, there was no agreement on the way forward regarding the Iran nuclear programme.”

Ms. DiCarlo — the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs — reminded the Council that the best option for the international community is a negotiated settlement that would ensure a peaceful Iranian nuclear programme while providing sanctions relief.

Tuesday’s meeting was the first since France, Germany, and the United Kingdom triggered the so-called “snapback mechanism” — the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran — citing “significant non-performance” of its commitments under the plan.

The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other Security Council members argued that the resolution underpinning the nuclear deal remains in force and that the Council should therefore continue meeting to discuss the nuclear non-proliferation issue.

“The lack of implementation by Iran of its international obligations related to its nuclear programme constitutes a grave threat to international peace and security,” said Jay Dharmadhikari, France’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN. He added that, if enriched to military levels, Iran’s stockpile “would be of a sufficient quantity to produce 10 nuclear explosive devices.”

Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the Slovenian presidency of the Council, expressing regret that it did not “find the courage to impartially uphold its obligation not to act at the behest of those who insisted on holding a Security Council meeting on a non-existent agenda item.”

“The JCPOA Committee does not exist anymore,” he added. “Therefore, the EU is no longer the coordinator and should not be allowed to brief the UN Security Council.”

Speaking for Iran, Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani insisted that Resolution 2231 (2015) expired on October 18, 2025, and thus “ceased to have any legal effect or operative mandate.” He concluded that there is “no mandate for the Secretary-General to submit any report and no mandate for the Council to hold discussions on it.”

Today, he said, the Council is witnessing “a calculated distortion” of the resolution and the “deliberate dissemination of disinformation” about Iran’s nuclear programme.