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Iran thanks Pakistan for abstention at UNSC meeting
Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the UN, speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East at the United Nations headquarters on March 11, 2026 in New York City. — AFP/File
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UNITED NATIONS: Iran thanked Pakistan on Friday for abstaining from a vote that allowed a UN Security Council meeting on its nuclear programme to go ahead, with Tehran rejecting the session as “legally unfounded”.
Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative Amir Saeid Iravani, in a statement after the meeting, specifically acknowledged Pakistan and Somalia for “not supporting the convening of this meeting”, while praising Russia and China for opposing the session.
The meeting was requested by Bahrain and five European members of the Security Council — Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia and the United Kingdom — to discuss implementation of Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, and the secretary general’s latest report on the matter.
The session took place amid a dispute over the status of Resolution 2231, with Western members maintaining that it continues to provide a basis for discussing Iran’s nuclear commitments, while Tehran argues that the resolution expired on Oct 18 last year, and no longer carries legal authority.
“There is therefore no legal basis for the Secretary General to submit reports, for the secretariat to brief the Council, or for the Security Council to discuss this issue under the agenda item ‘Non-Proliferation’,” Mr Iravani said.
He rejected the European powers’ use of the “snapback” mechanism for restoring sanctions on Iran, arguing that France, Germany and the United Kingdom had failed to meet their obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“A party that has materially breached its obligations cannot invoke rights arising from the same legal instrument,” he said.
Mr Iravani accused the United States and Israel of violating international law through military actions against Iran and said they should be held accountable.
“The United States and the Israeli regime bear full responsibility for the consequences of their unlawful acts and must be held fully accountable,” he said.
Rejecting allegations about Tehran’s nuclear activities, he said Iran’s programme remained peaceful and under international monitoring.
“Its nuclear programme has never been diverted to military purposes and has remained exclusively peaceful under the most extensive IAEA verification regime,” he said.
The Iranian envoy also accused Western countries of using the Security Council for political purposes, saying their claims were an attempt to “distort Resolution 2231, misrepresent the facts, and misuse the Security Council”.
Referring to tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, Mr Iravani said responsibility for restoring maritime navigation and carrying out demining operations rested exclusively with Tehran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“Responsibility for maritime navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, including its reopening and all necessary demining operations, rests exclusively with Iran,” he said.
He warned that any outside interference could undermine the implementation of the agreement and increase regional tensions.
Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026
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Anwar Iqbal is the Washington correspondent for Dawn. During a long journalism career, he has interviewed world leaders and cultural icons, including US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Josh Malihabadi, Bacha Khan, Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, and humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi.
Iran thanks Pakistan for abstention at UNSC meeting
Says Iran's programme remains peaceful and under international monitoring; accuses Western countries of using council for political purposes.
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