PRESS RELEASE : Iran’s continued nuclear escalation threatens international peace and security – UK statement at the Security Council [July 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 July 2023.
Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Non-Proliferation.
I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo and the UN Secretariat for its role supporting implementation of resolution 2231.
I also thank Ambassador Olof Skoog for his briefing and Ambassador Frazier for her briefing and her work as Facilitator.
After months of negotiations, viable texts were tabled last year that provided Iran with the chance to return all parties to the JCPoA.
Iran refused this opportunity and has instead continued its nuclear escalation, threatening international peace and security and demonstrating disregard for resolution 2231.
Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile currently exceeds JCPoA limits by more than 21 times.
Its enrichment capabilities have expanded to over 2,500 powerful advanced centrifuges, suitable for nuclear weapons purposes.
Building this capacity has given Iran irreversible gains in technical knowledge, which the JCPoA sought to limit.
And Iran is launching missiles that could be capable of delivering nuclear weapons and is testing technologies directly applicable to intermediate and intercontinental range ballistic missiles.
There is overwhelming evidence that Iran continues to provide material support to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, supplying UAVs with a range of over 300km.
It does so knowing that Russia uses them to target civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Iran has also continued to supply increasingly complex weapons systems to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of 2231.
This jeopardises regional security and undermines regional stability and prosperity.
Colleagues, the restrictions in resolution 2231 were intended to build confidence in Iran as a responsible international actor.
Transition Day sunsets are due in October and it is clear that the trajectory envisioned back in 2015 has not materialised.
Iran will need to take substantial steps to reverse its escalatory approach if it is to start to rebuild that confidence.
