Addressing the UN Security Council, the United Kingdom urged Iran to restore full access for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reaffirmed support for a diplomatic route, and called on all UN members to implement Security Council decisions on Iran. The intervention, published by the UK Government, placed verification access as the immediate priority.
According to the UK statement, Iran has restricted IAEA access for more than six months, including at locations of highest proliferation concern. The IAEA has made clear there is no technical or equipment barrier to inspectors returning to damaged sites, yet restrictions persist. The result, London said, is that the Agency cannot verify the whereabouts of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.
The UK further highlighted that the stockpile includes more than 400 kg of highly enriched uranium, for which it said there is “no credible civilian justification”. While enrichment levels were not specified in the statement, such material is treated under safeguards as higher risk, making verified accountancy and monitoring critical to assurance about peaceful use.
The UK called on Iran to meet its legal obligations under the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty by fully cooperating with the IAEA. In practice, this means timely inspector access, operation of agreed monitoring equipment, and facilitation of sampling and verification activities so that the Agency can account for nuclear material. Without that access, the IAEA cannot provide confidence that declared material remains in peaceful use.
On the diplomatic track, the UK reaffirmed commitment to a negotiated outcome addressing international concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme and urged Tehran to enter direct talks with the United States. The statement added that future sanctions relief remains possible if Iran undertakes concrete, verifiable and durable steps that the IAEA can certify.
Turning to UN compliance, the UK said that, in response to significant Iranian non‑performance of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action commitments, the United Kingdom, France and Germany triggered the ‘snapback’ mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231. According to the UK, the process completed on 28 September, which means Resolution 2231 remains in force and provisions of six earlier Iran resolutions have resumed.
In plain terms, ‘snapback’ in Resolution 2231 allows a participant to notify the Council of significant non‑performance; if the Council does not adopt a resolution to continue sanctions relief within 30 days, pre‑2015 UN measures automatically re‑apply. On the UK’s reading, all UN member states are therefore required to re‑implement the prohibitions and designations restored by the earlier resolutions.
The UK expressed concern that some permanent Council members have suggested they will not apply the restored measures. London warned that such positions risk uneven implementation and weaken Council authority at the moment when uniform compliance is required to support international peace and security.
For practitioners, the UK position signals tighter compliance expectations across export licensing, shipping, insurance and financial services if snapback is treated as operative. Governments would need to align domestic measures with the restored UN requirements, while companies refresh screening and due diligence on nuclear‑ and missile‑related items and designated entities as diplomatic efforts continue.