Ambassador Mike Waltz deliver remarks at the Non-proliferation – Security Council, 10120th meeting
March 12, 2026
Ambassador Mike Waltz
U.S. Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York
AS DELIVERED
Colleagues, today was meant to be a straightforward, mandated meeting of the 1737 Committee, but unfortunately our Russian and Chinese colleagues continue to block this Committee’s important work as part of their collaboration with the Iranian regime.
On March 6, the Russian and Chinese delegations officially blocked and objected to the 90-Day report of the 1737 Committee mandated in Resolution 1737. By doing this, Russia and China have made clear that the 1737 Committee exists and is functional.
It is a simple fact that on September 19 of last year, the Council decisively voted against a resolution introduced pursuant to Resolution 2231 to continue sanctions relief for Iran, thereby reinstating six, previously-suspended UN Security Council resolutions relating to Iran, to include the resolution that established the Committee.
So what this means, in plain language, is that all Member States of the United Nations should be implementing an arms embargo against Iran, banning the transfer and trade of missile technology, and freezing relevant financial assets – in line with the robust UN sanctions that had been in place before 2015 and have now been snapped back into place. The UN provisions to be re-imposed are not arbitrary – but instead, narrowly-scoped to address the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear, missile, and conventional arms programs and Iran’s ongoing support for terrorism.
Iran had ample opportunity to prevent this outcome. France, the United Kingdom, and Germany offered to extend the so-called snapback mechanism if Iran were to account for its highly enriched uranium stockpile; if Iran would comply with IAEA obligations that were already mandatory under the NPT; and if Iran would resume direct diplomacy with the United States. All of those options were put on the table in good faith for Iran, and all of them were rejected.
In that vein, Iran has remained defiant. Just last week the IAEA Director General’s report reiterated that Iran is the only state, the only state in the world, without nuclear weapons to have produced and accumulated uranium enriched up to 60 percent. It also confirmed – this is the IAEA Director General’s report – that for over eight months now, Iran has refused to provide the IAEA with updated information on or access to this highly enriched uranium stockpile or other previously declared low enriched uranium stocks at facilities affected by military strikes in June 2025. The Director General himself describes this as “a matter of nonproliferation concern and of compliance with the NPT Safeguards Agreement.”
Pursuant to the September 19 vote and this Council’s binding resolutions, we meet today with a Committee that is operational. The Committee has received exemption requests, the requests have been approved by this operational committee.
The Secretariat has called for applications to serve on the panel of experts. That selection process is now underway.
We urge Council members to press our Russian and Chinese colleagues to allow the Council to appoint a Committee chair.
This obstructionism thus far – on the matter of a 1737 Committee chair – is predicated on a bad faith, and baseless reinterpretation of events. The truth of the matter is that Russia and China do not want a functional committee, not out of some type of legal objection, but because they want to protect their partner, Iran, and continue to maintain defense cooperation that is now once again prohibited.
Both countries have sustained military trade ties. In 2022, Russia began by buying Iranian drones in violation of Resolution 2231 which imposed time bound restrictions on Iran’s nuclear and conventional arms activity. Russia has also acquired close range ballistic missiles from Iran and provided Iran with attack helicopters earlier this year, in violation of Resolution 1929 which imposed even more sanctions against the regime’s nuclear program.
All of this while Iran continues to evade sanctions, fire ballistic missiles and drones at civilians in the region, and attack civilian shipping in the Gulf and wreak havoc in the Strait of Hormuz.
So colleagues, let’s end, you know – enough of the performative handwringing supposedly over process. The reality is Russia and China do not want this committee because it will continue to protect their partner Iran.
In light of that, the United States will continue to work to ensure Iran can no longer hold the world hostage with its missile, drone, and certainly not a nuclear program.
Let me close by reminding the Council: the United States pursued a diplomatic solution in good faith, prior to the initiation of snapback and after. I outlined for you the activities of the United Kingdom, of France, and of Germany along those same lines. Each time, we articulated clear timeframes for meaningful dialogue – dialogue that could address the outstanding issues of concern to the international community, including the behaviors prohibited under the reinstated Security Council resolutions. Time and again, Iran chose not to take those opportunities.
I thank you.
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