In a formal letter dated September 28, Iranian ambassador and permanent representative of the United Nations, Amir Seid Irabani spoke to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the United Nations Security Council, expressing his strongest opposition to the actions of Iranian secretaries.
Referring to a September 27 letter from the Iranian Foreign Minister, Irabani emphasized that resolution 2231 will not grant the secretary-general or secretariat to determine, declare or notify member states regarding the so-called reapplied application for termination solutions.
He further stated that the solution outlines the specific mechanisms of its surgical paragraphs 11 and 12.
According to Irabani, the secretariat’s unilateral move has surpassed that mission.
He said the Islamic Republic of Iran has defied the secretariat’s actions, deeming it invalid and unfounded, and is directly violating the UN Charter.
The full text of Irabani’s letter is as follows:
Your Honor,
Furthermore, in a letter dated September 27th from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iran, I would like to convey, on the most powerful terms, our categorical objections to the lawsuit filed by the Secretariat, which was “notify the Member States” of the so-called reapplied for dismissed solutions relating to the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this regard, I would like to draw your attention as follows:
Resolution 2231 does not provide the Secretary-General or Secretariat with a delegation to determine, declare or notify Member States of the so-called reapplication of a termination settlement. This resolution sets out specific mechanisms under surgical paragraphs 11 and 12, placing the issue only within the scope of the Security Council.
By acting unilaterally, the Secretariat went beyond its authority and trespassed into the council’s territory. The precedent for October 2020 is clear. When similar claims of “snapback” were raised by the United States, the deep division within the Security Council over the effectiveness of such claims prevented the Secretariat from taking unilateral or administrative measures to make it effective. The restraints presented at the time reaffirmed that the Secretariat had no duties under Resolution 2231 to act independently on this highly contested issue.
Despite clear and fundamental differences of opinion among members of the Security Council, by intentionally issuing this notice, the Secretariat has moraleed the three European countries and the United States in the face of a lack of consensus at the UNSC meeting of September 19, 2025. This case constitutes a serious violation of Article 100 of the Charter. This requires the Secretary General and Secretariat staff to refrain from seeking or receiving direction from members or external authority and to maintain the highest standards of independence and fairness.
The Secretariat’s prejudice in this issue undermines his credibility and fair status as an international civil servant. Such actions seriously damage the trust of the Secretariat’s member states and set a dangerous precedent for the politicization of the Secretariat’s role.
The Islamic Republic of Iran today lacks legal basis for the lawsuit taken by the Secretariat and is firmly denies cases that have been filed as null and invalid in a direct violation of the Charter. This material violation will be immediately amended and encourages the Secretariat to fully respect its obligations under Article 100 of the Charter and to ensure that it refrains from further action or interference in the matter.
If you distribute your current letter and its attachments as Security Council documents, I would appreciate it.
We ask for your best considerations, please accept His Excellency.
MNA/IRN