At the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee, European Union members and key Western allies sharply criticized the Iranian regime’s continued violations of its nuclear obligations and called for a full restoration of UN sanctions.
Delivering a statement on behalf of the EU and its member states, Ambassador Hedda Samson, the EU’s deputy representative to the UN, reaffirmed that “Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon” and urged Tehran to resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The EU statement stressed that Tehran must comply with its legally binding safeguards under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and grant inspectors unrestricted access to all nuclear facilities.
The EU also noted its commitment to a diplomatic solution but warned that Iran’s lack of transparency and its growing military cooperation with rogue states deepen global instability.
European Delegations Echo Concerns
In separate national statements, representatives from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom reiterated that Iran’s systematic breaches of the 2015 nuclear agreement (JCPOA) forced the activation of the UN “snapback” mechanism on August 28.
France’s envoy called Tehran’s noncompliance “a grave and continuing breach” and demanded that IAEA inspectors regain full access to all Iranian sites. Germany’s representative described the unresolved nuclear crisis as “a major challenge to the global non-proliferation regime,” emphasizing that six years of dialogue had failed to reverse Iran’s violations.
#Iran News in Brief
At #UNGA78 first committee session, EU condemned the Iranian regime's dangerous moves in nuclear enrichment and revocation of permits for several @iaeaorg inspectors, urging action to curb proliferation risks.https://t.co/zRfb6Z38pI pic.twitter.com/xYXSPxduIS— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 3, 2023
Broader European Backing
Representatives from Italy, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Hungary, Latvia, Finland, Lithuania, Belgium, and Denmark voiced similar alarm over the regime’s lack of cooperation with the IAEA.
Italy urged the clerical regime to return to negotiations and allow scrutiny of all enriched fissile materials. Luxembourg expressed full support for the sanctions snapback, citing Tehran’s “persistent noncompliance.”
The Czech delegate noted that the IAEA “cannot confirm the exclusively peaceful nature” of Iran’s nuclear program, while Denmark and Latvia said that the reinstated UN sanctions were “a justified and necessary response.”
Outlook
The combined Western statements signal a new consensus: that Iran’s nuclear advances, together with its alignment with rogue states, now pose a direct test to the credibility of the global non-proliferation system.