President,

China supports continuing the lifting of the Security Council's sanctions measures against Iran and has voted in favor of the draft resolution. At the same time, I must stress that China firmly opposes the push by some countries to forcefully trigger the “snapback” mechanism under the Security Council, which would gravely undermine efforts to achieve a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

President,

The root cause of the current deadlock on the Iranian nuclear issue lies in United States unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which disrupted the normal implementation of the JCPOA, and its reinstating and escalating unilateral sanctions, and “maximum pressure” measures against Iran, which deprived Iran of the economic dividends granted by the JCPOA and was forced to reduce performance of its obligations under the Agreement. The United States, disregarding its own credibility, even launched a reckless military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, thereby undermining the very negotiation process itself initiated.

Against this backdrop, the insistence by the United Kingdom, France, and Germany on invoking provisions of UNSCR 2231 to trigger “snapback” mechanism to unilaterally penalize Iran is neither fair nor reasonable. Such a move creates tensions and division within the Council, does nothing to help rebuild trust or bridge differences, and hampers diplomatic efforts aimed at an early resumption of negotiations. It could even lead to unpredictable and catastrophic consequences, undoing years of painstaking diplomatic efforts. China is deeply concerned in this regard.

President,

China has always maintained that a political and diplomatic settlement is the only effective and viable option for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue and the right path to achieving lasting peace. This is also the prevailing view of the international community. At this juncture, we call on all parties to remain calm and exercise restraint, address the issue through diplomacy and dialogue, and avoid slipping back into the vicious cycle of sanctions, pressure, and escalation. In this connection, I wish to emphasize four points:

First, recognizing Iran's efforts and stopping imposing sanctions and pressure. In recent months, Iran has repeatedly reaffirmed the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and stressed that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. Despite the grave difficulties caused by military strikes from Israel and the United States, Iran has resumed cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran has also sent for many times positive signals of its willingness to resume talks with the United States. The E3 should take an objective view of these positive steps by Iran and immediately withdraw their notification to trigger the “snapback” mechanism.

Second, adhering to dialogue and negotiations and abandoning threats of force. The use of force is not the right way to settle international disputes, nor can it resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. The United States should reflect on the destructive consequences of its withdrawal from the JCPOA and its strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities, respond positively to Iran's call for resuming negotiations, commit to renouncing the use of force, and promptly and unconditionally restart dialogue with Iran to resolve differences and address respective concerns through talks.

Third, focusing on a political settlement and creating favorable conditions. The Security Council should play a constructive role in helping the parties concerned build trust and bridge differences and in advancing the political process towards a new agreement. China and Russia has circulated a draft resolution for the technical extension of UNSCR 2231, with the aim of buying time for diplomatic efforts, creating conditions for a political settlement, and preventing the situation from breaking down and sliding into an irreversible crisis. This draft remains on the table, and we hope all parties could give it positive consideration.

Fourth, upholding objectivity and fairness and properly resolving differences. The objectives and measures established by the JCPOA and UNSCR 2231 remain valid in the next stage of the political settlement process. We must take a holistic approach to the goals of non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Iran should continue to honor its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, while all parties should fully respect Iran's right, as a State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. On the basis of mutual respect and equal dialogue, we should seek the broadest possible consensus that accommodates the legitimate concerns of all sides, achieve a solution that meets the expectations of the international community, and place Iran's nuclear activities entirely under IAEA safeguards and monitoring.

President,

As a participant to the JCPOA and a permanent member of the Security Council, China has always been committed to a political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue and to the security and stability of the Middle East. China will continue to uphold an objective and impartial position, promote dialogue and negotiations, and play a constructive role in advancing the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

Thank you, President.