Thank you, Madam President. And thank you, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo and Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, for your briefings.
As we reflect today on the conclusions of the Secretary-General’s final report on the implementation of Resolution 2231, Iran continues to openly violate its UN obligations.
Tehran has sustained its provision of arms to the Houthis in Yemen and Hizballah in Lebanon, both in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Moreover: Iran did not comply with relevant 2231 provisions when they were in place, as evidenced by hundreds of drones it transferred to Russia in 2022 for use in attacks against Ukraine.
Iran’s failure to uphold its nonproliferation obligations has prolonged conflicts and perpetuated instability across the Middle East and beyond for many years.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s most recent report on verification and monitoring in Iran in light of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 demonstrates plainly that Iran continued to accelerate its nuclear activities without any credible civilian justification.
On June 12, the IAEA Board of Governors found Iran in noncompliance for its many failures to uphold obligatory nuclear safeguards. It is regrettable that certain members of this Council have opted to turn a blind eye to, if not encourage, Iranian noncompliance.
The United States will not turn a blind eye to Iran’s noncompliance and ongoing threat to regional stability.
Madam President, President Trump has clearly reiterated that it is time for Iran to make peace. Despite the President’s continuous, good-faith efforts to negotiate and resolve these issues diplomatically, Iran’s leaders stonewalled and ultimately refused to agree to a deal that would have prevented them from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.
On June 21, a U.S. precision operation effectively fulfilled our narrow objective: to degrade Iran’s capacity to produce a nuclear weapon. These strikes – in accordance with the inherent right to collective self-defense, consistent with the UN Charter – aimed to mitigate the threat posed by Iran to Israel, the region, and more broadly international peace and security.
Following this historic operation, President Trump immediately coordinated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Madam President, in this critical moment we must all urge Iran to seize this opportunity for peace and prosperity – and abide by its international obligations.
I thank you.
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