Letter from Three European Countries to the Security Council; Emphasis on US Cooperation with Allies Regarding Iran

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, referred on Thursday, June 7, to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors resolution regarding Iran's nuclear program, stating that the United States continues to work with its allies to find a solution regarding Tehran. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the UK, France, and Germany have detailed in a letter to the UN Security Council the violations of the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA by the Islamic Republic. In response to a question regarding the statement from Russia, China, and Iran requesting Western countries to revive the JCPOA, Matthew Miller said, 'We continue to have serious concerns about Iran's nuclear program, which we expressed in the vote on the resolution of the IAEA Board of Governors yesterday.' The US State Department spokesperson emphasized, 'We see that the government [of Iran] continues to increase its stockpile of high-enriched uranium, for which there is no credible civilian purpose.' Matthew Miller stated, 'We look forward to working with our allies and partners to develop a comprehensive strategy aimed at achieving a solution that includes Iran's full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.' The IAEA Board of Governors, in a resolution on Wednesday, called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to 'immediately' respond to the IAEA inspectors' questions regarding the origin of uranium particles discovered at its undeclared sites. The resolution approved by the Board deemed the presence of experienced IAEA inspectors in inspections of Iran's nuclear activities as 'vital' and requested Iran to lift its ban on these inspectors' presence. Reuters reported on Thursday, June 7, that the UK, France, and Germany, three European countries that are parties to the JCPOA, have detailed Iran's deviations from this agreement in a letter to the UN Security Council. According to a diplomat, this action aims to pressure Iran for a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear dispute and to avoid the re-imposition of UN sanctions. The three European countries did not explicitly threaten to implement the 'snapback' mechanism in their letter, but they referenced the expiration date of Resolution 2231 in October 2025. This mechanism allows for the immediate reinstatement of UN sanctions against Iran before October 2025. Reuters states that the letter from the UK, France, and Germany was sent to the Security Council on June 3. In their letter, the three European countries stated that the recent IAEA report deemed the development and advancement of Iran's nuclear program, including the increase in stockpiles and enrichment levels of uranium, as a violation of the JCPOA. The agency's latest quarterly report indicates that Iran has increased its enrichment level to 60%, to the extent that if it continues enriching to 90%, it would be capable of producing three nuclear bombs. Meanwhile, under the JCPOA agreement, Iran is only allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67%. However, after the United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, Iran gradually suspended its commitments under the nuclear agreement and has now increased its uranium enrichment level to 60%. Western diplomats and other informed sources regarding the letter from the three European countries stated that the aim of this effort is to increase pressure on Iran within the Security Council and buy time for a diplomatic solution before the expiration of the 'immediate return' sanctions mechanism next year. An informed source regarding this letter also told Reuters that this action was taken in light of Iran's 'unacceptable' nuclear advancements and increasing 'pressure on the Security Council.' Meanwhile, Iran's permanent representative to the UN reacted on Thursday in a letter to the UN Security Council regarding the IAEA Board of Governors' resolution against the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Amir Saeed Iravani emphasized in this letter, 'The European Troika continues to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran of non-compliance with JCPOA commitments while deliberately ignoring the root cause of the current situation.' The Iranian representative added, 'The claim that Iran's nuclear program has reached a critical and irreversible point, along with claims that Iran's peaceful nuclear activities pose a threat to international peace and security, is entirely incorrect and unfounded.'