Iranian FM criticizes UN Security Council meeting on country's uranium enrichment

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has strongly condemned the decision of several Western nations to convene a closed-door session of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the country’s rising uranium enrichment levels.

“Holding a closed-door meeting of the Security Council at the request of some countries is a new and strange practice. This meeting questions the goodwill of the countries that requested it,” Araghchi stated, as quoted by his press office, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

He further urged the UNSC to remain neutral and resist external political pressures. “We hope that the Security Council will fulfil its main task — maintaining peace and security — and will not succumb to the influence of some countries,” he added.

The closed session, scheduled for March 12, was called at the request of three permanent Security Council members — the United States, Britain, and France — along with Greece, Panama, and South Korea.

These nations are pushing for the UN Security Council to compel Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Specifically, they seek an explanation regarding the presence of uranium traces at undeclared sites — locations that Tehran does not officially recognize as nuclear facilities and therefore does not subject to IAEA monitoring.

Tehran has long accused the US and the European troika (Britain, France, and Germany) of adopting a “hostile approach” toward its nuclear program. In June 2024, these countries spearheaded an IAEA resolution demanding that Iran provide explanations for the discovery of uranium of “anthropogenic origin” at two unregistered sites and allow inspectors access to these locations.

According to the latest IAEA report, Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has increased significantly since November 2024, when the agency criticized Tehran for “insufficient cooperation.” The report highlights that Iran has doubled its reserves of uranium enriched to 60% purity—a level dangerously close to weapons-grade material.

Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West dates back to 2004 when Western countries accused Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons, leading to crippling international sanctions. A major breakthrough came in 2015 when Iran and six world powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the US — +signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The deal curtailed Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

However, in 2018, former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and reimposed all sanctions lifted under the agreement. In response, Iran’s parliament passed the “Strategic Actions for Lifting Sanctions and Protecting the Interests of the Iranian People” law in 2020, scaling back key JCPOA commitments, including halting additional IAEA inspections beyond those required under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

During his presidency, Joe Biden repeatedly expressed willingness to revive the deal. However, negotiations held in Vienna from 2021 to 2022 failed to produce a breakthrough.

By Tamilla Hasanova