Thank you very much, Mr. President, Excellencies, colleagues,

I will not dwell very long on Iran’s non-compliance, others have done that this morning, and have done it well. I will be brief, and make two major points.

First: On September 26 the mandate of the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 1929 expired – we all know this. And due to the vetoes cast in the Security Council, we are now faced with – again – a glaring gap in the monitoring of the implementation of sanctions decided by the UN Security Council against Iran’s nuclear program.

And in times of growing uncertainty about the state of Iran’s nuclear program, the UN Security Council fails to renew the mandate of the Panel of Experts. This sends a very concerning signal to the world. In fact, you may call it devastating, that the Security Council sends a picture of itself not being committed to enforce the sanctions it has agreed upon itself.

Moreover – and this is not only concerning with regard to Iran – some members hold the Security Council hostage and block the work of the subsidiary bodies as a whole. Colleagues - we should never accept this disregard for the UN system, its bodies and its procedures.

The “snapback” process as provided for in the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 was activated correctly and it took full effect on September 27, 2025. And accordingly, all six relevant Resolutions have been reinstated, as has the Sanctions Committee in accordance with Resolution 1737. These resolutions of the Security Council must be fully implemented by all Member States, and the Panel of Experts must be re-established.

Secondly, sanctions and diplomacy must go hand in hand. Sanctions are not a purpose in themselves but they are an instrument from the Charter that has been used on many occasions as part of a broader diplomatic effort.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom have been engaged in diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear program for more than twenty years based on a dual-track approach of sanctions and diplomacy. And we remain committed and we will continue our diplomatic efforts to address all concerns associated with Iran’s nuclear program. Because it is and remains in all of our interest that Iran does never obtain a nuclear weapon.

For Germany, I would like to reaffirm our strong commitment to finding a lasting and sustainable diplomatic solution. Because only a credible, robust and verifiable agreement will address the Iranian nuclear question in a viable manner. And only when the international community finds Iran in compliance with its obligations under international law, can UN sanctions can be lifted, and only then there will be no more need for a Committee of Experts to monitor sanctions implementation.

Thank you very much.