20 June 2025
Madam President,
We are grateful to the Guyanese presidency for its prompt response to the request by Russia, China, Pakistan, and Algeria to convene this meeting. We thank the UN Secretary-General for his opening remarks, as well as the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding and IAEA Director General for their briefings.
Madam President,
It has been precisely one week since the start of the escalation of the Iranian-Israeli conflict, which the Security Council discussed on June 13. During this time, the world has been flooded with images depicting the night skies over Tel Aviv, Tehran, and other cities lit up by explosions of dozens and hundreds of rockets. Apocalyptic predictions have become reality. People in both countries are forced to take shelter and hide, and the number of civilian casualties on both sides is growing with each passing day. Due to the closure of airspace in the region, many citizens of third countries have been entrapped, and they are striving to find their way home. Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities remain under attack, which is liable to plunge the world into a new, unprecedented nuclear catastrophe. The UN Security Council, which is the principal body to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security, cannot shirk its responsibility and is duty bound to provide an objective assessment of the situation and devise an appropriate decision.
We cannot deny the obvious: it was indeed Israel that attacked Iran on the eve of another round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran. Thereby, not only did West Jerusalem show blatant disregard for the efforts being undertaken to find a diplomatic solution to issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, but it also demonstrated contempt for its key ally – the US – which up until recently had declared its intention to reach a compromise on this issue.
It is worth recalling that Iran’s nuclear program is not a scroll secured by seven seals, hidden from the eyes of the international community. Nuclear facilities and sites in this country are under the safeguards of the IAEA and are continuously being exposed to thorough inspections by the Agency – none of this body’s member states are subject to a more stringent oversight and scrutiny. Iran has been strictly complying with its obligations under the NPT and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Moreover, the Agency’s Secretariat reports do not contain any single mention of proliferation risks.
It turns out that Israel ignored the assessments by the specialized international agency, arbitrarily appointed itself a judge and single-handedly took a decision to carry out strikes against a sovereign country without regard for the UN Charter and international law. Not that long ago, a tragic precedent was set in the Middle East – back then, a state was invaded under the pretext of its alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, which were never found. It is a pity that the United States, which demonstrated this discredited example to the entire world back in 2003 and made millions of people suffer, is unwilling to learn from its mistakes. Today, together with the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, the US is yet again attempting to make everyone believe the fabrications about Tehran’s presumed plans to acquire nuclear weapons.
Nor can we forget the fact that the attack on Iran was carried out at a time when the whole world was watching with horror the ongoing man-made catastrophe in Gaza, condemning the continued humanitarian blockade of the enclave and awaiting a high-level conference in support of the two-states formula under the UN aegis in accordance with GA resolutions. Instead of returning to the sole possible negotiated peaceful solution for Palestine, the Israeli military and political leadership raised the stakes and expanded the geography of the conflict in the region. Perhaps, Jerusalem is also willing to use this new misadventure to distract the world community’s attention away from the crimes perpetrated by the IDF in Gaza and the West Bank. We’ve seen extremely perilous attempts to draw third countries into this confrontation, which – as was rightly noted by the UN Secretary-General – would have major repercussions not only for the parties involved, but also for the entire region and international peace and security as a whole. We align ourselves with the Secretary-General’s position on the need to avoid the internationalization of the conflict.
Madam President,
The current escalation around Iran did not start yesterday. Having attacked this country, Israel first received a “precise pass” from a number of Western states. The rhetoric uttered by British, French, and German diplomats in the lofty chamber of the UN Security Council and in the IAEA Board of Governors is no less dangerous than the deadliest weaponry. Blackmailing the Agency’s leadership to make them draft their ambiguous “comprehensive assessment” of Iran’s nuclear program, and pushing through a biased anti-Iranian resolution in the IAEA Board of Governors – that’s exactly what made those three countries virtually complicit in Israel’s aggression. Let us recall that it was precisely this IAEA report that became one of the justifications exploited by the Israeli leadership when they attacked Iran. What is telling in this regard is the cynical remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz – “Israel is doing the dirty work for us”. The fact that the launch buttons are being pressed by West Jerusalem does not absolve Washington, London, Paris, and Berlin of responsibility for what is happening.
Russia deems Israel’s ongoing intensive attacks targeting civilian objects in Iran to be completely unacceptable and unlawful under international law. These reckless actions generate unacceptable threats to international peace and security. Nuclear facilities cannot be targeted by strikes. We demand that West Jerusalem immediately cease its raids and attacks on Iran, first and foremost on nuclear facilities which are under the IAEA protection.
We expect the Agency’s leadership to promptly draft a detailed written report (and subsequently regular reports) for consideration by the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN Security Council; this report is to contain frank assessments of the damage sustained by Iran’s nuclear energy complex, as well as details on the failed application of the Agency’s safeguards in that country, including in the context of the presence of inspectors there, who have been put in mortal danger.
We take note of the clear statements by the Iranian side regarding its unwavering commitment to upholding its obligations under the NPT and its willingness to resume contact with Washington in order to craft possible solutions that would dispel any unfounded suspicions and bias regarding Tehran’s nuclear program, provided that Israeli attacks cease. We support this position.
We share the Secretary-General’s call for immediate de-escalation resulting in a ceasefire. We firmly believe that a settlement can only be secured through diplomacy and negotiations. The goals of nuclear non-proliferation – with the NPT as the bedrock thereof – cannot and must not be attained through aggression and at the cost of innocent lives. We are convinced that it is quite possible to forge a solution that would both respect Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear activities and ensure the unconditional security of the Jewish state. We have conveyed these options to our American and Israeli colleagues, as well as to our Iranian partners. We are ready to provide them with the necessary assistance in seeking a formula that would be agreeable to everyone.
For now, we still have a chance to avoid a new devastating war, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire region and the world as a whole. We stand ready to seek appropriate solutions in the UN Security Council and to engage constructively with all those who genuinely advocate diplomacy and dialogue.
Thank you.