The United Kingdom regrets that a Security Council resolution renewing the mandate for the Iran Panel of Experts was vetoed by two permanent members of that council, Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, told the UN General Assembly.
Speaking at a meeting on the use of the veto, MacIntosh said panels of experts provide expert, independent advice to support the effectiveness of sanctions, monitor and report on implementation and evasion, and assist UN sanctions committees. These vetoes mean the Iran Panel of Experts will no longer operate, she said.
"That will make it harder for the Security Council, including the 1737 committee, to discharge its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in respect of Iran's nuclear programme," MacIntosh said.
She said this is deeply concerning at a time when Iran has expanded its nuclear programme in ways that lack any credible civilian justification, accumulating more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. Iran is the only state without nuclear weapons to enrich uranium to this level, she said.
Resolution 1737 requires Iran to suspend proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities, including all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, with research and development requirements verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. But the agency has been unable to verify the size, composition or whereabouts of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, and Iran has denied inspectors access to key facilities, MacIntosh said.
"Despite these vetoes of the Panel of Experts' mandate, UN sanctions on Iranian proliferation remain fully in force," she said. "And they are binding on every Member State."
The United Kingdom will continue working with partners to uphold UN sanctions, strengthen the global non-proliferation regime, and ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, she said.