Prudence urged on Iran nuclear issue

China's envoy to the United Nations called on the Security Council on Tuesday to exercise prudence and for council members to play a constructive role in addressing the Iranian nuclear issue, amid growing disagreement over the status of UN sanctions on Iran.

"I want to reiterate that the Security Council has ceased its consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue," Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told the council.

The proper resolution of the issue bears on the authority and effectiveness of the international nuclear nonproliferation treaty, long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, and global peace and security, he said.

Ahead of the meeting, eight countries — France, Bahrain, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States — issued a joint statement urging all UN member states to fully implement the recently reimposed Security Council sanctions against Iran.

Iran is a state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and its "legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy should be addressed alongside nonproliferation concerns", Sun said.

He also highlighted Iran's "repeated commitment not to develop nuclear weapons".

Sun made the remarks at an open briefing of the Security Council on the work of the 1737 Committee, which was established to oversee sanctions on Iran prior to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The committee had reported to the Security Council every three months before the adoption of the JCPOA in 2015, which suspended both the committee and its reporting requirements.

'Snapback' mechanism

In August, France, Germany and the UK, known as the E3 parties to the JCPOA, triggered the agreement's "snapback" mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran. In March, the US, serving as Security Council president, sought to resume the committee's reporting by including its 90-day briefing in the council's program of work.

China and Russia challenged the legal and procedural basis for the move, saying that the sanctions on Iran had been permanently lifted following the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2231 in 2015.

The two countries had also opposed the US proposal to include the committee briefing in the council's March agenda, as well as a draft report on the committee's activities proposed by Washington.

Sun said the US and Iran have reached a ceasefire and are exploring solutions through negotiations, adding that the situation remains "sensitive, complex and fragile".

"Under the current circumstances, the Security Council must stand on the side of peace and on the right side of history, and act with utmost caution when handling relevant issues," he said.

"China supports the US and Iran in resolving their differences through rational and pragmatic negotiations," he said. Such efforts could ensure Iran's orderly development of peaceful nuclear activities under the strict safeguards and monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency while effectively reducing proliferation risks.

"Threats of force or the imposition of war will only push the Iranian nuclear issue and the situation in the Middle East into a dangerous abyss," Sun said.

The US withdrawal from the JCPOA and its two separate uses of force against Iran during the negotiation process "had severely undermined diplomatic efforts and contributed to the current difficulties", he said.

Sun urged relevant parties to "abandon power politics, engage in sincere dialogue on an equal footing, commit to refraining from the use of force, and ensure the effective implementation of any future agreement".