Despite these vetoes of the Panel of Experts’ mandate, UN sanctions on Iranian proliferation remain fully in force: UK statement at the UN General Assembly

The United Kingdom regrets that Security Council resolution renewing the mandate for the Iran Panel of Experts was vetoed by two permanent members of that council.

Panels of Experts play an important role in UN sanctions regimes:

They provide expert, independent advice and recommendations to support the effectiveness of sanctions;

They monitor and report on the implementation and evasion of sanctions;

And they assist UN sanctions committees in their work.

These vetoes mean that the Iran Panel of Experts will no longer operate.

That will make it harder for the Security Council, including the 1737 committee, to discharge its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in respect of Iran’s nuclear programme.

This is deeply concerning at a time when Iran has expanded her nuclear programme in ways that lack any credible civilian justification, accumulating more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%.

Iran is the only state without nuclear weapons to enrich uranium to this level.

Resolution 1737 requires that Iran suspends her proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities, including all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.

And that research and development requirements are verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

But the agency has been unable to verify the size, composition or whereabouts of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. 

Iran has failed to cooperate with the agency, and has denied inspectors access to key facilities.

This must stop, which is why sanctions monitoring matters.

Despite these vetoes of the Panel of Experts’ mandate, UN sanctions on Iranian proliferation remain fully in force. 

And they are binding on every Member State.