In a formal letter dated September 28, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, addressed UN Secretary General António Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council, expressing Iran’s strong objection to the Secretariat’s action.
He said Security Council Resolution 2231 does not provide any mandate whatsoever to the Secretary General or the Secretariat to “determine, declare, or notify” member states about the so-called reapplication of terminated resolutions.
“The resolution sets out a specific mechanism under operative paragraphs 11 and 12, placing the matter exclusively within the purview of the Security Council,” he added.
He emphasized that the Secretariat’s unilateral move exceeds its authority and trespasses into the domain of the Security Council.
He recalled October 2020, when the US similarly tried to trigger the “snapback” mechanism, but deep divisions within the Security Council over the validity of such action prevented the Secretariat from taking any unilateral or administrative steps to give effect to it.
“The restraint shown at that time reaffirmed the absence of any mandate under resolution 2231 for the Secretariat to act independently in this highly contested matter,” Iravani explained.
The Iranian envoy said the Secretariat has taken sides with the three European countries – Germany, Britain and France -- and the United States by deliberately issuing this notification despite evident and fundamental disagreement among member states, and in the face of the lack of consensus at the Council’s meeting on September 19, 2025.
“This action constitutes a serious breach of Article 100 of the Charter, which obliges the Secretary General and the staff of the Secretariat to refrain from seeking or receiving instructions from any member or external authority, and to maintain the highest standard of independence and impartiality,” Iravani pointed out.
On September 19, the 15-member Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have prevented the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran after the E3 triggered the "snapback" mechanism and accused Tehran of failing to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
A subsequent resolution, which sought to grant a six-month extension to both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, also failed to pass at the UNSC on Friday.
The Council restored the bans on Sunday at 0000 GMT. They will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with the Islamic Republic and target the country’s defensive missile program.
Iravani warned that the Secretariat's partiality undermines its credibility as an international civil service.
He also cautioned that such conduct severely damages the members’ confidence in the Office of Secretariat and sets a dangerous precedent of politicization of the Secretariat's role.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects the action taken by the Secretariat today as null and void, lacking any legal basis, and in direct contravention of the Charter,” the ambassador reiterated.
He stressed the importance of swift rectification of such grave breach, urging the Secretariat to give assurances that it will fully respect its obligations under Article 100 of the UN Charter, refraining from any further action or interference in matters.
Iravani’s letter came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to his counterparts around the world, saying recent assertions by the United States and the European troika that terminated Security Council resolutions had been “restored” were “entirely unfounded, unlawful, and invalid.”
Last month, the E3 invoked the so-called snapback mechanism, a 30-day process to restore all anti-Iran sanctions.
Iran rejected the move as illegitimate, citing the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA and the European trio’s decision to align with unlawful sanctions rather than fulfilling their JCPOA obligations.