Regarding the title of this current agenda item, China believes that UN Security Council Resolution 2231 expired and was terminated in October last year. The Board should no longer continue to deliberate on the implementation of relevant Security Council resolution provisions in Iran, nor should request the Director General to submit relevant reports. The position of China and Russia on this issue has been circulated through document GOV/INF/2026/13.

Since June last year, the United States and Israel have twice launched military strikes against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), causing serious obstacles to the safeguards cooperation between Iran and the IAEA and delivering a severe blow to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime. Armed attacks or threats against any facility under IAEA safeguards violate the UN Charter, international law, and the principles of the IAEA Statute. This is an important consensus confirmed jointly by resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, and the IAEA General Conference. IAEA Member States should jointly put an end to such disruptive acts.

With regard to yet another resolution submitted by the United States and the E3 (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom), this draft resolution clearly duplicates in both title and content with the resolution on Iran's nuclear program adopted by vote in June. It violates the article 33 of the Board's rules of procedure, which stipulates that proposals which have been adopted or rejected shall not be reconsidered within four months. Since the June 2024 Board session, the Board has already adopted five resolutions on Iran's nuclear program by vote. China has stated on multiple times that political confrontation in the Board will not resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, that forcing through a resolution will only aggravate tensions, and that referring the matter to the Security Council offers no way out.

It must be pointed out that it was precisely after the United States and the E3 pushed for the adoption of the Iranian nuclear resolution at the Board of Governors session in June last year that Israel and the United States flagrantly launched attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities subject to IAEA safeguards. This year, they carried out a second strike against Iran. This is the root cause why Iran's safeguards cooperation with the IAEA was forced to suspend and has yet to return to the right track.

The historical evolution of the Iranian nuclear issue, including the conclusion and subsequent collapse of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has fully demonstrated that the way out for the Iranian nuclear issue lies in political and diplomatic resolution, and in promoting dialogue and cooperation. Unilateral sanctions, pressure, and political confrontation will only undermine the international non-proliferation efforts and even the NPT regime. The purpose and spirit of the JCPOA are not outdated; on the contrary, they have taken on even greater relevance and urgency.

The United States and Iran signed an MoU in June this year, which was a valuable outcome of mediation and good offices by multiple parties. China commends Pakistan and Qatar for their efforts in this regard. Recently, the United States has once again initiated sanctions and military actions, causing tensions in the Gulf to escalate again. China is deeply concerned about this development. The US-Iran MoU should not be allowed to fall by the wayside. Now that the door to negotiations has been opened, it should not be shut again. As long as there is hope for peace, it should not be abandoned. The pressing priority is to de-escalate the situation, stay committed to implementing the understandings reached in the MoU, and return to the track of dialogue and negotiation.

China has consistently advocated the peaceful settlement of nuclear non-proliferation issues through dialogue and negotiations. Guided by the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, as well as the four-point proposition on safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, China will work with the Secretariat and Member States, and make unremitting efforts to advance a political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and promote peace and stability in the Middle East.