Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at the UNSC Briefing on Non-Proliferation
Statement
14 December 2021
Thank you, Mr. President.
Ireland welcomes the reports of the Secretary General and the Joint Commission, and has taken note of their findings. I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Di Carlo and Ambassador Skoog, for their informative briefings.
Ireland is strongly committed to preserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. As the three reports before us today make clear, the JCPOA is an important achievement in multilateral diplomacy and remains the best way to guarantee the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme.
We welcome the resumption of talks in Vienna, after five months, under the framework of the Joint Commission. It’s important that these talks move forward quickly.
With the necessary collective political will by all sides, a swift conclusion of these talks and a return to full implementation of the agreement by all sides is within our reach.
It is imperative that the US fully meet its commitments under the JCPOA, including those relating to the lifting of sanctions, and take all necessary steps to facilitate the full and proper implementation of the JCPOA and resolution 2231. It’s important that the Iranian people see the real and tangible benefits that are an essential part of the Plan.
It is equally imperative that Iran return fully to the implementation of its commitments under the JCPOA. We are deeply concerned by actions including uranium enrichment up to 60%, further fabrication, installation and use of advanced centrifuges, and uranium metal production. These activities carry the real risk of seriously undermining the JCPOA and the broader nuclear non-proliferation regime.
The IAEA’s monitoring and verification role is crucial in giving confidence to the international community on the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. For this reason, we continue to be concerned at Iran’s decision to suspend the implementation of transparency measures under the JCPOA. The Agency’s ability to restore continuity of knowledge at all locations in Iran is critical to its monitoring and verification role. We call on Iran to cooperate fully with the IAEA to ensure all necessary access to this end.
Ireland strongly supports and values the integrity and professionalism of the IAEA in carrying out this vital work.
We hope that agreement can quickly be reached on a return to full implementation of the JCPOA. Ireland supports the Secretary General’s call on all States, including those in the region, to support implementation of the plan.
Finally, it is important that we here in New York demonstrate that Resolution 2231 is working as it should. Ireland will continue to support all efforts to this end.
Thank you, Mr. President.