Iran, China and Russia Notify UN of Termination of Security Council Resolution 2231

New York, The Gulf Observer: Iran, China, and Russia have jointly informed the United Nations secretary-general that UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, has effectively expired.

In a formal letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council, the three nations affirmed that “in accordance with operative paragraph 8 of Resolution 2231, all its provisions are terminated after 18 October 2025.” The date, they stated, “marks the end of the Security Council’s consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue.”

Resolution 2231 endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the landmark 2015 accord between Iran and world powers aimed at ensuring the peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear energy program. The resolution required the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions on Iran following compliance with the agreement.

However, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran, a move widely criticized as contrary to international law. In 2020, Washington attempted to trigger the agreement’s “snapback” mechanism to reinstate all sanctions, but the bid was rejected by the Security Council.

European signatories to the JCPOA — the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — later reduced their own commitments under the agreement, citing pressure from the United States. Earlier this year, the three European states attempted to invoke the snapback mechanism, resulting in the restoration of certain sanctions in late 2025.

In their letter, Iran, China, and Russia stressed that the European trio lacked the legal authority to reinstate sanctions, saying, “The E3, having themselves ceased to perform their commitments under both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 and also failing to exhaust the procedures of the Dispute Resolution Mechanism, lacks the standing to invoke its provisions.”

The three countries also emphasized that the Security Council’s adherence to the resolution’s sunset clauses “contributes to strengthening the authority of the Council and the credibility of multilateral diplomacy.”

Concluding their communication, the diplomats urged all parties to support an environment conducive to diplomatic engagement, calling for renewed efforts to uphold dialogue and cooperation on issues related to Iran’s nuclear program.