Reuters: Three European Powers Detail Violations of Nuclear Agreement by the Islamic Republic in Letter to the Security Council

On Thursday, Reuters reported on a letter dated Monday, June 4, in which three European powers, Britain, France, and Germany, outlined Iran's deviations from the 2015 nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA to the United Nations Security Council. The letter, which references Security Council Resolution 2231 (the resolution that endorsed the JCPOA), does not directly threaten the reimposition of sanctions. However, it notes that this resolution will expire on October 18, 2025. The letter from the European troika mentions a recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that deemed 'Iran's nuclear advancements, including increased reserves and production rates of enriched uranium,' as 'violations of the JCPOA.' According to this report, the aim of the three countries' letter is to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic in the Security Council and provide time to find a diplomatic solution before the reimposition mechanism for sanctions expires next year. The Islamic Republic, however, rejected Europe's position in a separate letter, attributing its actions primarily to the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA in 2018 and the reimposition of sanctions. Reuters noted that the efforts of Britain, France, and Germany to increase pressure on Tehran at the IAEA have also been evident. Despite U.S. hesitations, they passed a critical resolution against the Islamic Republic at the Agency. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, believes this letter could pave the way for the reimposition of sanctions, although he emphasizes that a diplomatic solution is still possible. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, is set to present his new report on the implementation of Resolution 2231 to the Security Council on June 24. The U.S. representative at the IAEA also expressed regret in a statement dated June 5 that the Iranian government's decision to halt its nuclear commitments related to the JCPOA and remove JCPOA monitoring equipment has weakened the Agency's efforts. Laura Holgate emphasized that the Islamic Republic has no credible civilian justification for accumulating highly enriched uranium and that its actions contradict the behavior of other non-nuclear weapon states under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Holgate also rejected Tehran's claims that Washington is preventing the Islamic Republic from returning to its JCPOA commitments, stating that executable agreements were on the table in 2022, which Iran responded to with unacceptable demands. The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution against the Islamic Republic on Wednesday. This board, which has thirty-five member countries, called on Iran to take steps to cooperate with the Agency, which is the UN's monitoring arm for nuclear matters, more swiftly and to revoke its recent decision to bar experienced inspectors from entering. Twenty countries voted in favor of this resolution, twelve abstained, and only Russia and China opposed it. Eighteen months ago, the Board had also issued a resolution requiring the Islamic Republic to cooperate with the Agency's investigations regarding uranium particles discovered 'of human origin' at sites where nuclear activities had not previously been reported to the Agency. Tensions with the Islamic Republic have escalated following the terrorist group Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7 and subsequent attacks by the Islamic Republic's proxy forces on Western targets. Tehran has also accelerated its nuclear program and limited the Agency's monitoring capabilities.