I want to thank USG DiCarlo, the Facilitator, and the EU delegation for their valuable and informative briefings.
Norway welcomes the fourteenth report from the Secretary-General. Norway fully supports the JCPOA and echoes the Secretary-General in his report; that it still remains the best available option to achieve the shared objectives of non-proliferation.
In my statement today, I want to make four points:
First, on the worrying situation of Iran's accelerated nuclear escalation, as reported by IAEA. Iran's decision to stop the implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA is highly regrettable. This has had a detrimental impact on the Agency's ability to provide assurance of the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme.
The continued work on enrichment capacity, the stockpiling of enriched uranium- including production of uranium metal- and irreversible enrichment, research, and development is concerning. Some of these pursuits have no credible civilian purpose- such as the enrichment and accumulation of highly enriched Uranium.
My second point is on the worrying trend of Iran's continuation to advance its missile capabilities, including activity related to ballistic missiles, and launches using ballistic missile technology. This activity is inconsistent with paragraph 4 of annex B of resolution 2231 and must stop immediately.
My third point concerns the transfer of UAVs from Iran to Russia, which violates provisions of Security Council Resolution 2231- by both Russia and Iran. Russia has been escalating its attacks on civilians and civilian objects in Ukraine using UAVs. Intentional or indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law, and may constitute war crimes. Norway regrets that the Secretariat has not yet visited Ukraine to examine the evidence of the UAV transfer.
My fourth and final point: Norway still hopes to see the JCPOA restored. At the adoption of resolution 2231 more than 7 years ago, the Angolan representative commented that: “The people of the region deserve more”. This still holds true today.
We urge Iran to demonstrate its commitment by delivering on its nuclear-related commitments under the agreement; including its full cooperation with the IAEA to allow verification of compliance.
The JCPOA marked a major achievement in nuclear non-proliferation. We need to revive and rebuild confidence in the agreement for it to achieve its goals. The full implementation of the JCPOA would serve our common interests, and deliver benefits to the Iranian people.