UN, September 24. /TASS/. The issue of reinstating UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program could be decided in the coming hours, French President Emmanuel Macron said during the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

"The coming hours will be decisive. Either Iran will make a goodwill gesture, return to the path of peace and responsibility, allow the IAEA to do its job and relocate its [enriched uranium] stockpiles, or the sanctions will have to come into force. Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity to discuss this with President [of Iran Masoud] Pezeshkian," Macron said.

The French leader placed full responsibility for the lack of compromise on Iran’s nuclear program on Tehran and called for the restoration of controls over it. According to him, a corresponding "plan already exists." "It is urgently necessary to restore a reliable and verifiable system to combat any nuclear proliferation, to reinstate a robust framework for deterring threats and ballistic missile proliferation," Macron stated, listing a long series of threats that, in his view, have "weakened the overall framework."

Earlier, Great Britain, Germany, France and the European Union called on Iran to resume direct negotiations with the United States and grant the IAEA access to all nuclear facilities. They also affirmed their commitment to a diplomatic resolution of the issue but are prepared to complete the snapback process to reinstate UN Security Council sanctions against Iran if necessary.

Nuclear program discussions

On September 23, at a meeting in New York with his counterparts from the E3 countries (the UK, Germany, and France), Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi put forward proposals to settle the crisis surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program. Araghchi drew the attention of the E3 foreign ministers to Tehran’s responsible steps to restore cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and emphasized the need for European states to take symmetrical steps. According to the statement, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was also present at the talks.

On August 28, the UK, Germany, and France initiated the launch of a mechanism to reinstate UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. On September 19, the world organization rejected a resolution not to renew sanctions against Iran. Russia, Algeria, China, and Pakistan voted in favor of this document. Nine members of the Security Council (including the UK, the US, and France) voted against it, and two abstained.