Iran Puts Forward New Nuclear Proposal as Security Council Weighs Sanctions

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that Tehran has presented a "reasonable and actionable plan" to European powers to avert a major international crisis, urging the United Nations Security Council to intervene and "choose diplomacy over confrontation" just hours before a critical vote on Friday to re-impose sweeping international sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The high-stakes diplomatic maneuvering comes as the world body is set to decide the fate of the beleaguered 2015 nuclear accord, with Tehran facing the imminent "snapback" of punitive measures lifted nearly a decade ago.

“On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I yesterday presented a reasonable and actionable plan to E3/EU counterparts to avert an unnecessary and avoidable crisis in the coming days,” Araghchi stated in a post on the social media platform X on Thursday.

He expressed frustration that instead of substantive engagement, Iran was "faced with a litany of excuses and outright deflection," including what he called the "farcical claim" that his ministry does not represent the entire Iranian political establishment. Asserting he had the "full support" of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Araghchi argued that "the reality may be that the E3/EU diplomatic apparatus is, in fact, the one that is apparently out of commission."

On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I yesterday presented a reasonable and actionable plan to E3/EU counterparts to avert an unnecessary and avoidable crisis in the coming days.

Instead of being met with engagement on the substance of this plan, Iran is now faced with a…

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) September 18, 2025

The foreign minister's public appeal came as the UN Security Council prepared for a 10:00 AM vote in New York on a draft resolution that will determine whether the comprehensive sanctions against Iran will be automatically re-imposed.

As reported by AFP, diplomatic sources widely expect that the resolution—which needs nine votes to pass and maintain the lifting of sanctions—will fail, triggering the snapback mechanism by the end of the month. The push to reinstate sanctions is being led by Britain, France, and Germany, known as the E3, who are signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal and claim Tehran has reneged on its commitments.

The accord, formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was designed to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon—a goal Iran has consistently denied pursuing.

The JCPOA has been in a state of crisis since 2018, when the United States under the first administration of President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew and re-imposed its own sanctions. In response, Iran began to roll back its compliance in 2019. The situation deteriorated dramatically in 2025.

Following Trump's return to the presidency, tensions escalated, culminating in an unprecedented 12-day war in June where Israel, later joined briefly by the United States, launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities. Iran retaliated with its own missile and drone attacks. The conflict, which killed over 1,000 people in Iran including senior commanders and scientists, prompted the Iranian parliament to suspend cooperation with the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

According to a Security Council Report analysis, the E3 formally triggered the snapback mechanism in a letter dated August 28, notifying the council of what they termed Iran's "significant non-performance." The letter cited clear factual evidence, including Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, which exceeds 40 times the JCPOA’s limit, and its operation of thousands of advanced centrifuges, all while denying the IAEA the ability to provide assurances of the peaceful nature of its program.

The snapback process, outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231 which endorsed the JCPOA, established a 30-day window for the council to act. South Korea, as the current council president, was required to introduce a draft resolution to continue sanctions relief. If this resolution is not adopted by the deadline of September 28—either due to a lack of votes or a veto by a permanent member—the old UN sanctions resolutions automatically snap back into effect.

Tehran has vehemently rejected the E3's legal grounds for invoking the snapback. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency detailed the Iranian government's position, reporting that Araghchi has insisted the E3's action "lacks any legal or logical justification." Tehran argues that the European powers forfeited their status as JCPOA participants by failing to uphold their own economic commitments after the U.S. withdrawal, effectively aligning with Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign.

Iran's diplomatic messaging has consistently emphasized its goodwill, pointing to a recent "Cairo Agreement" with the IAEA aimed at resuming cooperation following the damage to its nuclear facilities during the war.

The intense diplomatic activity in recent days failed to bridge the divide. IRNA reported that a phone call between the E3 foreign ministers, the EU's High Representative, and Araghchi did not bring their positions closer, with both sides blaming each other.

The European narrative, as framed by IRNA, focused on a one-sided demand for Tehran's full compliance with all its commitments or face the consequences. This demand, from Tehran's perspective, ignores the realities of the U.S. withdrawal and the "military aggression by the Zionist regime and the United States" against nuclear sites that were under IAEA supervision.

A key point of contention is a last-minute Iranian proposal. Araghchi, in his post on X, described it as a "creative, fair, and balanced proposal which addresses genuine concerns and is mutually beneficial." While he claimed it could "avert a crisis," French President Emmanuel Macron, in an interview with Israel's Channel 12, dismissed the Iranian efforts as "not serious" and suggested Araghchi's proposal lacked support from other parts of the Iranian government—a claim Araghchi directly and forcefully refuted.

Meanwhile, an informed source cited by IRNA described the same Iranian proposal as "insufficient in substance," alleging it called for extensive measures like canceling the snapback entirely in exchange for little more than a statement of intent from Iran.

The procedural mechanics of Friday's vote are critical. The draft resolution, introduced by South Korea, contains a single operative paragraph deciding that the previous UN resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran "remain terminated," as detailed by the Security Council Report. For the resolution to pass, it needs nine affirmative votes from the 15-member council and no vetoes from the five permanent members (China, France, Russia, UK, US). However, predictions indicate a failure is almost certain. At least eight members, including the US, UK, and France, are expected to either vote against the measure or abstain. Even if the resolution were to garner the necessary nine votes, the United States is expected to veto it.

The failure of this resolution will automatically reinstate a host of punitive measures, including prohibitions on Iranian uranium enrichment and extensive restrictions on arms, finance, and shipping. The move could have profound consequences.

Experts cited by IRNA have warned of an escalation of tensions with Israel and the U.S., disruption to global energy markets, and a weakening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Tehran has explicitly threatened that the return of sanctions will mean a change in its cooperation with the IAEA, and some officials have warned that withdrawal from the NPT remains an option on the table. Foreign Minister Araghchi has also cautioned that activating snapback, while not the end of diplomacy, "will mean the end of Europe's role in Iran's nuclear file."

Despite the grim outlook, a narrow window for diplomacy may remain. Negotiations could continue during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in New York next week, before the Sept. 28 deadline. According to the Security Council Report, China and Russia have put forward a separate draft resolution to extend the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 for six months, though they have not yet requested a vote.

IRNA analysts suggest that postponing the snapback for six months, combined with the Cairo Agreement, could provide a win-win solution, allowing Iran to take tangible steps with the IAEA while Europe guarantees that sanctions will not return, thereby keeping diplomacy alive.

As the world watches the Security Council, Araghchi's final plea encapsulates the high stakes. “There is a way forward,” he insisted, “but Iran cannot be the sole responsible actor.” The decision made in New York today will determine whether that way forward remains open or if the path is set for renewed confrontation.