MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. Moscow is ready to facilitate a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear program issue and calls on all parties to seek solutions to avoid escalation, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.
"The Russian side remains firmly committed to a political and diplomatic settlement around the Iranian nuclear program and calls on all parties involved to focus their efforts on finding the necessary solutions to avoid a new uncontrolled escalation of tensions, which could have serious consequences for regional and international security," the ministry said in a statement regarding the expiration of the UN Security Council resolution on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for resolving issues around the Iranian nuclear program. "We are ready to assist in this endeavor in any way possible," the diplomats added.
According to the ministry, the expiration of Resolution 2231 means that "the JCPOA, rightly considered a major achievement of international diplomacy, is finally becoming a thing of the past." "In the years following its adoption, the JCPOA quickly proved its viability and effectiveness, enabling the IAEA to eliminate all concerns about Iran," the diplomats recalled. "The successful implementation of the JCPOA was intended to allow Tehran to fully exercise its right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy in accordance with the NPT and its obligations under that treaty," the statement said.
Upon the JCPOA's expiration, "the attitude toward Iran's nuclear program should be the same as toward the nuclear program of any other non-nuclear weapons state party" to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Foreign Ministry emphasized. The ministry stated that the "nuclear deal" was not meant to be violated by the US and European participating countries, which are now "doing their utmost to defend themselves and try to legitimize their arbitrariness, shamelessly manipulating the authority and powers of the UN Security Council."
The JCPOA's goal was to lead to the comprehensive lifting of all UN Security Council sanctions, as well as multilateral and national sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program, the diplomats added. "As far as the UN is concerned, this path has now been taken. Restrictions imposed in circumvention of the UN Security Council are illegal," the ministry emphasized.
"October 18, 2025 is the established termination date of Resolution 2231, and no decisions to revoke it have been made. The Russian-Chinese initiative to extend the technical aspects of the JCPOA for six months was arrogantly rejected by the Western camp, which once again demonstrated its inability to negotiate by relying on illegal methods and brute force," the statement noted. "Control over nuclear activities in Iran is now carried out exclusively on the basis of the NPT Treaty and the Agreement between Iran and the IAEA on comprehensive safeguards," the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.