Antonio Guterres issued the call in the 18th UN report that was read by Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo at the Security Council's regular meeting on the implementation of Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA on Tuesday local time which also stated that the United States has not renewed exemptions related to Iran's oil trade.

As we enter the final year of the implementation of Resolution 2231, I call on the parties to the JCPOA and the United States to prioritize multilateralism and diplomacy.

The text of the 18th two-page report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015) is as followed:

Since my previous report, the regional context surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action has further deteriorated, underscoring the critical need for a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. The United States of America has not returned to the Plan of Action, nor has it lifted or waived the unilateral sanctions re-imposed after its withdrawal from the Plan on 8 May 2018. It has also not extended the waivers with regard to the trade in oil with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran has not reversed any of the steps away from its nuclear related commitments that it has taken since May 2019, following the withdrawal of the United States from the Plan. As we enter the final year of implementation of resolution 2231 (2015), I urge participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the United States to remain committed to a diplomatic solution for restoring the objectives of the Plan, and I call upon them to prioritize multilateralism and diplomacy, the very principles that allowed them to forge this agreement in 2015. As I have repeatedly emphasized over the years, cooperation and diplomacy are the only pathways to enduring peace and security.

In its most recent report, the International Atomic Energy Agency reiterated that its verification and monitoring activities related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action had “been seriously affected by the cessation of Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments” under the Plan and that it had lost continuity of knowledge on many aspects of the nuclear programme of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Furthermore, the Agency noted that it had not been able to verify the total stockpile of enriched uranium in the Islamic Republic of Iran since February 2021 but estimated that, as of 26 October 2024, the total stockpile of enriched uranium was 6,604.4 kg (exceeding the limit of 202.8 kg set in the Plan), including 866.4 kg enriched to 20 per cent U-235 and 184.3 kg enriched to 60 per cent U-235. The Agency additionally reported on its high-level meetings with the Islamic Republic of Iran held on 14 November 2024, during which the possibility of no further stockpile expansion of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent U-235 by the Islamic Republic of Iran was raised. These discussions, however, would require continued consultations to establish the technical verification measures needed for the Agency to confirm implementation of such an arrangement.

In a letter dated 27 November 2024 addressed to me (S/2024/862), the Permanent Representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland expressed their concerns about both the level of uranium enrichment and the accumulated quantity by the Islamic Republic of Iran, noting that “its overall stockpile of enriched uranium is now over 32 times the limit Iran committed to in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action”. They emphasized that the installed centrifuge capacity of the Islamic Republic of Iran also “vastly exceeds the limits set under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action” and that Iran remains in “ongoing and near-total non-compliance” with its commitments under the Plan. Despite these concerns, they reiterated the commitment of their countries to a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, particularly given the impending expiration of resolution 2231 (2015) in October 2025.

The Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a letter dated 2 December 2024 addressed to me (S/2024/874), reiterated that the steps taken by his country to reduce its nuclear commitments were “remedial and fully consistent with its legitimate rights” and constituted a “direct and legitimate response” to the withdrawal of the United States from the Plan. He also stated that “the E3 has repeatedly and egregiously failed to meet its obligations under paragraph 20 of annex V to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action”. He added that, more recently, they failed to honour their sanctions-lifting commitments related to Transition Day again by extending or imposing new sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nonetheless, the Permanent Representative reaffirmed the “unwavering commitment” of his country to diplomacy.

The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, in a letter dated 3 December 2024 addressed to the President of the Security Council and to me (S/2024/878), expressed regret about the aforementioned letter from the Permanent Representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, referring to it as “another attempt to mislead the Security Council”. In his view, it showed “blatant disregard of the root causes of the current situation … provoked by the withdrawal of the United States from the Plan” and sought to deflect responsibility onto the Islamic Republic of Iran for the challenges in the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran remains the most thoroughly and closely verified State member of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Reaffirming his country’s unwavering commitment to the Plan and full implementation of resolution 2231 (2015), he called upon Member States to focus on constructive progress to prevent further escalation in the Middle East.

The present report provides an assessment of the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015) since the issuance of my seventeenth report (S/2024/471) on 19 June 2024. Consistent with previous reports, the focus of the present report is on the remaining restrictive measures related to nuclear-related transfers and activities, contained in paragraph 2 of annex B to the resolution.

Since 19 June 2024, no new proposals to participate in or permit the activities set forth in paragraph 2 of annex B to resolution 2231 (2015) have been submitted to and approved by the Security Council through the procurement channel. The Council has received four new notifications in the reporting period pursuant to paragraph 2 of annex B to resolution 2231 (2015) for certain nuclear-related activities consistent with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that do not require approval, but do require a notification to the Council or both the Council and the Joint Commission.

The Secretariat has continued to support the work of the Security Council, in close cooperation with the Facilitator for the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015). It has also continued to liaise with the Procurement Working Group of the Joint Commission on matters related to the procurement channel. In addition, the Secretariat has provided induction briefings for the incoming members of the Council to assist them in their work on the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015).