UN Security Council Meeting; Britain Warns All Sanctions Against Iran Will Be Reinstated

Britain warned ahead of the UN Security Council meeting on Iran's nuclear program that it would reinstate all international sanctions against the Islamic Republic, if necessary, to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. At the end of the meeting, the US delegation issued a statement calling on the Security Council to be clear and united in addressing and condemning the 'bold behavior' of the Islamic Republic as 'the only country in the world that produces high-enriched uranium without having nuclear weapons.' James Kariuki, Deputy Ambassador of Britain to the United Nations, told reporters just before the meeting on Wednesday, March 13, that 'we have made it clear that we will pursue all diplomatic avenues, including the use of the snapback mechanism if necessary, to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.' The snapback mechanism refers to a process that leads to the immediate and automatic reinstatement of all UN sanctions against Iran, valid until the expiration of the JCPOA on October 18, 2025. Britain, France, and Germany, the three European countries of the JCPOA, have recently expressed readiness to initiate the process of reinstating all international sanctions against Iran, citing Iran's non-compliance with the nuclear agreement and the expansion of its nuclear program. Iran has always denied allegations of attempting to produce nuclear weapons, but according to reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has increased uranium enrichment to 60%, which is technically not far from the 90% enrichment needed to build nuclear weapons. The US and the three European countries involved in the JCPOA have warned that this level of enrichment is unprecedented for a non-nuclear-armed country and has no credible justification. The UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday was held behind closed doors at the request of the United States, France, Britain, South Korea, Greece, and Panama, six of the fifteen members of the Security Council. The Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, reported the remarks of the Iranian ambassador to the UN during the closed-door meeting, accusing the United States of using the council as a tool to intensify economic warfare against Tehran. Amir Saeed Iravani stated: 'We consider this meeting an unjustified intervention in the constructive and ongoing interaction between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. This action has only one goal; to continue the failed and illegal maximum pressure policy against Iran.' The US delegation at the UN also stated after the Security Council meeting that Iran 'is the only country in the world that produces high-enriched uranium without having nuclear weapons, which has no credible peaceful justification.' This delegation also accused Iran of violating its obligations to the Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency and called on the Security Council to be 'clear and united in addressing and condemning this bold behavior.' Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has repeatedly stated that the Islamic Republic's nuclear program 'is a threat to global peace and security,' and US officials say the government will continue to fully implement Trump's maximum pressure strategy against Iran until it is forced to negotiate. However, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has recently claimed once again that 'negotiating with this US government will not lift sanctions, meaning it will not remove sanctions. It will tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure.'