РУССКИЙ
11:14 15.06.2025 •
Photo: The Permanent Mission of Russia to the United Nations
Statement by Russian Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing following Israel's strikes on Iran:
“First of all, we would like to express our condolences to the people and the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) regarding the numerous victims, including among civilians, as a result of Israel’s strikes.
Before our very eyes, Israel’s actions are triggering an extremely dangerous escalation in the Middle East region, which is something that requires the Council's urgent attention. We are grateful to Guyana’s presidency for convening this meeting so expeditiously. It is symptomatic that initially the Council was supposed to consider today, at this very time, the humanitarian consequences of inhumane actions by Israel against the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. Instead, we are compelled to discuss yet another dangerous and irresponsible West Jerusalem’s misadventure liable to end up in a large-scale nuclear catastrophe in the region.
In the early hours of June 13, Israel delivered a number of massive strikes against the territory of IRI. The attacks targeted peaceful sleeping cities, civilian infrastructure, and peaceful nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards. We’ve heard from the briefers today that there have been victims among civilians. This is a completely unprovoked attack (whatever Israel may claim to prove otherwise), and it constitutes a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law. The Israeli leadership seems to be convinced that it has a “free hand” in the region and apparently believes that Israel can flout all legal foundations and replace all international structures, including the UN Security Council and the IAEA.
The Russian Federation strongly condemns this action by West Jerusalem, whose military adventures are pushing the region to the brink of a major war. Responsibility for all the consequences of these actions lies entirely with the Israeli leadership and those who condone them. Of particular concern here are the possible radiological consequences of hitting nuclear installations. For a number of years, Russia has warned against trying to solve issues related to Iran's nuclear program militarily, as it is unacceptable and fraught with dire consequences not only for the Middle East region but for the entire world. However, these calls of ours were not heeded, and the situation is unfolding according to the most negative and unpredictable scenario.
Israel's actions are aimed at undermining the negotiating efforts, which are ongoing now in various formats and aimed at finding solutions to reduce tensions surrounding Iran's peaceful nuclear program. While the whole world is anticipating with hope the outcomes of the next round of indirect contacts between Iran and the US (which were previously scheduled for June 15), Israel decided to preempt them in a way it deems the best and began bombing Iran's nuclear energy infrastructure, demonstrating contempt for laws, norms, agreements, rules – everything that forms the basis of civilized interaction between states.
However, responsibility for what happened lies not only with the Israel but also with its closest allies. This is a direct consequence of the connivance on the part of Western countries, which for months knowingly and methodically pumped up anti-Iranian hysteria both in the UN Security Council and in the IAEA Board of Governors. These states did not even try to come up with a constructive solution to the crisis surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Security Council Resolution 2231 which endorsed it. They had a completely different objective, namely to exert pressure on Iran by any means possible, to paint it as the source of all evil in the region and baselessly present Tehran's legitimate response measures – such as the use of the protective mechanisms under the JCPOA – as a violation of the non-proliferation obligations. At the same time, the Iranians were patient for years and did not refuse to interact with the IAEA nor engage in dialogue to find negotiated solutions.
We would like to remind you – and this fact is now of fundamental importance – that all the problems having to do with the JCPOA began after the US unilateral withdrawal from the “nuclear deal” in 2018, and due to the principled unwillingness of the UK, France, and Germany to comply with the obligations they have under the JCPOA, including the obligations to create conditions for Tehran to reap material yield from lifting unilateral sanctions by the European Union that were in force until 2015. Later, these countries reimposed unilateral sanctions, which violates Article 25 of the UN Charter. The EU also joined in exerting pressure, thus disregarding its obligations as an impartial coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission.
The latest glaring example here is the biased resolution adopted yesterday by the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna. The document is completely divorced from reality and refers to some fictitious “threat to international peace and security” allegedly posed by Iran's nuclear program. This happened despite the fact that Iran strictly complies with its obligations under the NPT and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement; moreover, it remains the most strictly inspected IAEA state with the Agency’s reports clearly indicating the absence of proliferation risks.
In other words, the Western parties to the JCPOA have been doing everything possible to fuel the escalation, and, essentially, they incited it. They artificially created tension on international platforms, which only spurred Israel to take radical steps and fostered the feeling of impunity with West Jerusalem.
In the context of Israel's current strikes there is something that merits our particular attention. I refer to reported possible coordination of actions between Israel and British special services – immediately after the Israeli strikes on Iran the British sheltered the Israeli aircraft involved in the operation at their base in Cyprus. We have also noted the remarks by the Israeli side who claimed that they warned Germany, which is a JCPOA participant, and Italy of its attacks. It also has come to the fore that our American colleagues were also notified of the strikes. The Israeli strikes were also supported by the French, who were clearly aware of them beforehand. In this regard, we would not be surprised if the members of this “group of like-minded countries” start condemning Iran for its retaliatory actions, which were undertaken fully in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter.
In the current situation, we are closely following the actions of the IAEA Secretariat – the lives and health of its personnel have been put at risk as a result of Israel's military adventure. We expect the IAEA Director General to provide objective assessments and analysis of the developing situation, including in terms of radiological consequences.
Unprovoked attacks against the territory of sovereign Iran and targeted strikes on peaceful nuclear facilities cannot be justified in any way. The international community cannot and must not stand idly by when provocations occur. Condoning such actions is a path to a major war in the region and a serious threat to global security.
We are convinced that the UN Security Council must give an unambiguous legal and political assessment of what was done by Israel, and call for an immediate halt to any use of force and for a rejection of unilateral military steps. We need to support any and all diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and a return to negotiations.
Let me underscore once again that settling the issues related to Iran's nuclear program is only possible through peaceful, political, and diplomatic means. No military solution can be either legitimate or viable here. By the way, it is precisely what the United States itself has repeatedly stated, substantiating the readiness to continue negotiations.
Russia remains committed to strengthening international law, abiding by the UN Charter, and finding solutions that will prevent the region from sliding further into another destructive war. We are ready to cooperate with all those who will advocate diplomacy and seek peaceful ways to resolve differences.”
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