Foreign Ministry: The IAEA Board of Governors has no authority to revive terminated UN Security Council resolutions

The Ministry issued a statement regarding the resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors concerning Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.

The statement reads as follows:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the resolution adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors—passed under pressure from the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom on member states of the agency—illegal and unjustified. The conduct of the three European countries and the U.S. in drafting and imposing this decision on the Board is yet another clear indication of their irresponsible approach and their insistence on using the Agency as a political tool to pressure the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This resolution, which was passed solely due to the numerical dominance of Western countries and their allies in the Board of Governors, and without the support of nearly half of the members—including with the opposition of two permanent members of the UN Security Council—violates fundamental principles of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), particularly the inalienable right of member states to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and reiterates obsolete and unlawful demands from expired Security Council resolutions concerning suspension of enrichment.

Legally, the IAEA Board of Governors has no authority to revive terminated UN Security Council resolutions. The attempt by the three European countries and the United States to suggest such authority exists is a clear sign of bad faith and irresponsible behavior toward the procedures and regulations of the Agency. Their insistence on repeating the unlawful actions previously taken through misuse of the JCPOA dispute mechanism at the Security Council will create legal confusion, deepen institutional divisions, and further undermine the credibility of the non-proliferation regime and its multilateral institutions.

The content of the adopted resolution reflects U.S. bullying and the deceptive behavior of the three European countries. While, as acknowledged by the IAEA Director General in report GOV/2025/65, the halt in verification activities at some Iranian nuclear sites is the direct result of U.S. and Israeli military attacks, the authors of the resolution have deliberately avoided any mention of this fact.

In reality, the United States is the main party responsible for the current situation, having created crises over Iran’s nuclear program over the past decade, including its illegal and unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 and carrying out acts of military aggression against Iran and its safeguarded nuclear facilities. Germany, France, and the United Kingdom—due to their repeated breaches of JCPOA obligations, especially after May 2018, their alignment with the U.S. and Israel in the June 2025 attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, and their leadership in pursuing the so-called “snapback” mechanism—must also be held accountable for the harmful consequences of their actions. In such circumstances, their attempt to pressure Iran at the Board of Governors represents nothing but a malicious distortion of reality.

By ignoring Iran’s responsible and good-faith conduct, the three European countries and the United States have disrupted the positive path previously established between Iran and the Agency and forced Iran to announce the termination of the September 9 Memorandum. It should be noted that Iran had signed a new cooperation framework with the Agency on September 9, under which access for inspections at certain facilities had resumed.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, while reiterating its principled position in rejecting nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, draws the attention of the Board of Governors and the Director General to the greatest threat to global peace and security: the genocidal Zionist regime. This regime is the only holder of weapons of mass destruction in the region and the only obstacle to the establishment of a Middle East free of such weapons. The insistence of the United States and the three European countries on ignoring this grave threat while targeting Iran’s peaceful nuclear program makes them partners in the crimes of the Israeli regime in occupied Palestine, Lebanon, and other parts of the region.

It is a clear legal and logical principle that membership in any treaty—including the NPT—and acceptance of obligations under it must be accompanied by enjoyment of the rights and benefits it provides.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while expressing appreciation to countries that voted against or abstained on the resolution, and expressing regret at the irresponsible and coercive behavior of its sponsors, emphasizes that it will spare no effort to safeguard the rights and national interests of the Iranian people regarding peaceful nuclear energy.