Media Home
UN Web TV
UN PhotoUnifeed
UN / IRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
STORY: UN / IRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
TRT: 05:37
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 18 DECEMBER 2023, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
18 DECEMBER 2023, NEW YORK CITY
2. Med shot, delegates, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“In its most recent report, dated 15 November 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency noted that unfortunately, its verification and monitoring continues to be, and I quote, “seriously affected by Iran’s cessation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA”. The Agency is still unable to verify the stockpile of enriched uranium in the country. Nevertheless, the Agency estimates that Iran maintains a total enriched uranium stockpile more than twenty times the allowable amount under the JCPOA. This includes increased quantities of uranium enriched to 20 percent and 60 percent. Such a stockpile of enriched uranium remains a very serious concern.”
4. Close up, representative of Iran
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“We also examined information related to paragraph 4 of annex B. This paragraph pertains to the supply, sale or transfer to or from Iran of all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology as set out in Council document S/2015/546 which require prior approval of the Council.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“At the invitation of the Government of Yemen, the Secretariat examined the debris of a cruise missile used in an attack by the Houthis on the Al-Dhaaba oil terminal in November of last year. We observed numerous similarities relating to design, configuration, dimensions, manufacturers and part numbering between the debris seen in Yemen and previously examined components of cruise missiles used in prior Houthi attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with cruise missile components seized by the United States and United Kingdom. The Secretariat assessed that the cruise missile used in the November 2022 attack was also of Iranian origin and may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231.”
6. Med shot, delegates
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“We also received letters from Ukraine and the United States reiterating their concerns about the alleged transfers of uncrewed aerial vehicles from Iran to the Russian Federation, in a manner inconsistent with paragraph 4 of annex B.”
8. Med shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“Israel submitted letters regarding multiple launches of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as uncrewed aerial vehicles, by the Houthis in October and November of this year. According to Israel, these missiles and weapons were transferred to the Houthis by Iran on or before 18 October 2023 in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231. Iran rejected these allegations as “entirely groundless” and the Russian Federation noted that they “are not substantiated with any proof[s]”.”
10. Med shot, Olof Skoog
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Olof Skoog, Head of the Delegation of the European Union, Coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission:
“We continue to recognize that Iran has faced and continues facing very serious negative economic consequences following the United States withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reimposition or previously lifted US unilateral sanctions. The United States have also imposed additional sanctions linked to the nuclear program. On its side, the EU has lifted all its nuclear related economic and financial sanctions since the JCPOA implementation day, and this remains the case.”
12. Med shot, delegates
13. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, Political Minister Counselor, Permanent Mission to the United Nations, United States:
“In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia to strengthen its military capabilities. This is not acceptable. There must be some degree of accountability for openly violating resolutions of this Council.”
14. Med shot, Security Council
15. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russia:
“We are equally concerned by the ongoing attempts by a small group of countries to spread a narrative about alleged violations of paragraphs three and four of Annex B to resolution 2231. And they didn't let up even when the deadline for these restrictions expired. Now they're trying to get Iran retrospectively.”
16. Med shot, Security Council
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Amir Saeid Iravani, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Islamic Republic of Iran:
“Neither the US nor the EU are sincere and determined to end the continued significant non-performance of the obligation on the JCPOA resolution 2231. As usually today they unsuccessfully attempt to shift the narrative, switch the victim and culprit, wage disinformation campaign and play a destructive blame game by intentionally ignoring the root cause of the JCPOA’s current situation. It is worth noting that the party that withdrew from the JCPOA is the US not the Iran.”
18. Wide shot, meeting ended
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council that in Iran “a stockpile of enriched uranium remains a very serious concern”.
The chief of UN political affairs today (18 Dec) briefed the Security Council on the situation in Iran. She said, “in its most recent report, dated 15 November 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency noted that unfortunately, its verification and monitoring continues to be, and I quote, “seriously affected by Iran’s cessation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA”.”
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreed in 2015 lays out the rules for monitoring Iran’s domestic nuclear programme and paved the way for US sanctions to be lifted. It was agreed by Iran, the five permanent members of the Council (China, France, Russia the United Kingdom and the United States) plus Germany together with the European Union.
The US left the deal in 2018 under former President Donald Trump. The Security Council laid out the lifting of sanctions in its 2015 resolution 2231.
She added, “the Agency is still unable to verify the stockpile of enriched uranium in the country.”
Nevertheless, the Agency estimates that Iran maintains a total enriched uranium stockpile more than twenty times the allowable amount under the JCPOA. This includes increased quantities of uranium enriched to 20 percent and 60 percent. Such a stockpile of enriched uranium remains a very serious concern.”
DiCarlo continued, “Nevertheless, the Agency estimates that Iran maintains a total enriched uranium stockpile more than twenty times the allowable amount under the JCPOA.”
“This includes increased quantities of uranium enriched to 20 percent and 60 percent,” she said.
DiCarlo also said, “we also examined information related to paragraph 4 of annex B.”
“This paragraph pertains to the supply, sale or transfer to or from Iran of all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology as set out in Council document S/2015/546 which require prior approval of the Council,” she noted.
According to her, “at the invitation of the Government of Yemen, the Secretariat examined the debris of a cruise missile used in an attack by the Houthis on the Al-Dhaaba oil terminal in November of last year. We observed numerous similarities relating to design, configuration, dimensions, manufacturers and part numbering between the debris seen in Yemen and previously examined components of cruise missiles used in prior Houthi attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with cruise missile components seized by the United States and United Kingdom.”
She said, “the Secretariat assessed that the cruise missile used in the November 2022 attack was also of Iranian origin and may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231.”
She also said, “we also received letters from Ukraine and the United States reiterating their concerns about the alleged transfers of uncrewed aerial vehicles from Iran to the Russian Federation, in a manner inconsistent with paragraph 4 of annex B.”
DiCarlo continued, “Israel submitted letters regarding multiple launches of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as uncrewed aerial vehicles, by the Houthis in October and November of this year.”
She added, “According to Israel, these missiles and weapons were transferred to the Houthis by Iran on or before 18 October 2023 in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231. Iran rejected these allegations as ‘entirely groundless’ and the Russian Federation noted that they ‘are not substantiated with any proof[s]’.”
Also briefing the Security Council, Olof Skoog, Head of the Delegation of the European Union and Coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission, stated, “we continue to recognize that Iran has faced and continues facing very serious negative economic consequences following the United States withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reimposition or previously lifted US unilateral sanctions. The United States have also imposed additional sanctions linked to the nuclear program.”
He continued, “On its side, the EU has lifted all its nuclear related economic and financial sanctions since the JCPOA implementation day, and this remains the case.”
Representing the United States, John Kelly, Political Minister Counselor, said, “Iran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia to strengthen its military capabilities. This is not acceptable.”
He added, “there must be some degree of accountability for openly violating resolutions of this Council.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya told the Council that, “we are equally concerned by the ongoing attempts by a small group of countries to spread a narrative about alleged violations of paragraphs three and four of Annex B to resolution 2231.”
Nebenzya continued, “and they didn't let up even when the deadline for these restrictions expired. Now they're trying to get Iran retrospectively.”
For his part, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iranian Permanent Representative, said, “Neither the US nor the EU are sincere and determined to end the continued significant non-performance of the obligation on the JCPOA resolution 2231.” As usually today they unsuccessfully attempt to shift the narrative, switch the victim and culprit, wage disinformation campaign and play a destructive blame game by intentionally ignoring the root cause of the JCPOA’s current situation.
He concluded, “it is worth noting that the party that withdrew from the JCPOA is the US not the Iran.”
Download
There is no media available to download.
