Baghaei: European Troika’s move to reinstate UN resolutions against Iran is illegal

In a post on X, Ismail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, referred to a letter sent by Iran’s Foreign Minister to his counterparts, highlighting the illegality and lack of justification in the move by the European trio and the U.S. to revive expired Security Council resolutions.

He wrote: “The failure of the UN Security Council to extend Resolution 2231 reflects the so-called ‘rules-based order,’ in which one power issues a ruling (Presidential Directive No. 2, dated February 4, 2025) and three others merely carry it out.”

Nevertheless, the fact that—despite all the pressure from the U.S. and the three European states—six out of the 15 Security Council members refused to support the reinstatement of lapsed resolutions demonstrates a clear division within the Council on this matter. In reality, nearly half of the Council, including two permanent members, do not believe that re-imposing sanctions on Iran is legal, legitimate, or justified.

Baghaei emphasized that the misuse of the JCPOA’s dispute resolution mechanism by the three European states cannot alter the legal reality that Resolution 2231 must, in accordance with its own text, expire on October 18, 2025. Any attempt to revive terminated sanctions must be deemed null and void.

He noted that Foreign Minister Araghchi, in letters to his counterparts in other countries, underscored this point.