BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Iran and the United States publicly reaffirmed their stated commitment to diplomacy during a tense meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, but sharp exchanges between their diplomats underscored how far apart the two sides remain on reviving a nuclear agreement and easing years of hostility.
The session came against the backdrop of stalled negotiations and heightened regional tensions following Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, during which the United States joined Israel in carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. A sixth round of indirect nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran had been expected shortly after that conflict, but the discussions were abruptly canceled. In September, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei went further, publicly rejecting the prospect of direct nuclear negotiations with the United States.
Despite that stance, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, told the Security Council that Tehran has not abandoned diplomacy. “Iran remains fully committed to principled diplomacy and genuine negotiations,” he said, while placing responsibility for progress on Western powers. Iravani argued that it was now up to France, Britain and the United States “to reverse course and take concrete, credible steps to restore trust and confidence.”
Iravani said Iran continues to support the core principles of the 2015 nuclear agreement, which was designed to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Under that accord, Iran accepted strict limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for relief from international sanctions. He accused the United States of undermining those principles and acting in bad faith since withdrawing from the deal.
President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement in 2018, arguing that it was too weak to prevent Iran from eventually acquiring nuclear weapons and failed to address Tehran’s missile program and regional influence. Since then, relations between the two countries have steadily deteriorated, punctuated by sanctions, military confrontations and diplomatic stalemates.
In a rare and pointed exchange between U.S. and Iranian diplomats, Morgan Ortagus, a counselor at the U.S. mission to the United Nations and a close ally of Trump, said Washington remains open to negotiations — but only under strict conditions. “The United States remains available for formal talks with Iran, but only if Tehran is prepared for direct and meaningful dialogue,” she said.
Ortagus said Trump had extended “the hand of diplomacy” to Iran during both of his administrations, but accused Tehran of repeatedly rejecting those overtures. Addressing Iravani directly, she said, “Instead of taking that hand of diplomacy, you continue to put your hand in the fire. Step away from the fire, sir, and take President Trump’s hand of diplomacy. It’s extended to you.”
At the same time, Ortagus made clear that the administration’s red line remains unchanged: Iran must not enrich nuclear material on its own soil. That demand strikes at the heart of the dispute, as Iran considers domestic enrichment a sovereign right.
Iravani responded forcefully, saying the U.S. insistence on zero enrichment contradicts Iran’s rights under the 2015 agreement and demonstrates that Washington is not interested in fair or balanced negotiations. He warned that if France and Britain continue to align themselves with the U.S. position, prospects for diplomacy will collapse entirely.
“Diplomacy will be effectively destroyed,” Iravani said. “Iran will not bow down to any pressure and intimidation.”
Tensions escalated further in September, when the three European signatories to the nuclear deal — Britain, France and Germany — triggered a so-called snapback mechanism to reimpose U.N. sanctions that had been lifted under the agreement. They cited Iran’s failure to comply with key provisions of the deal, including limits on uranium enrichment and transparency measures.
As the standoff has deepened, Iran has significantly accelerated its nuclear activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog based in Vienna, has reported that Iran now possesses more than 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity. That level is far above what is needed for civilian energy use and just a short technical step away from weapons-grade enrichment of about 90%.
France’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Jay Dharmadhikari, defended the decision to reinstate sanctions, saying Iran has been in “increasingly flagrant violation” of restrictions designed to ensure its nuclear program remains peaceful since 2019. However, he insisted that the return of sanctions does not signal an abandonment of diplomacy and said European countries remain committed to finding a negotiated solution.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, sharply criticized that view, accusing Western countries of hypocrisy and diplomatic failure. Addressing the French envoy, Nebenzia said, “You failed miserably in your so-called diplomatic efforts to strike a deal on the nuclear issue with Iran, and you know it.”
The exchange highlighted the deep divisions within the Security Council and the diminishing prospects for reviving a comprehensive nuclear agreement anytime soon. While both Washington and Tehran continue to publicly endorse diplomacy, their positions on enrichment, sanctions and trust remain so far apart that meaningful negotiations appear elusive, even as concerns grow over Iran’s expanding nuclear capabilities and the risk of further regional conflict.
Original article
Comments