Iran hopes UN Security Council not to give in to influence from several countries

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticized the request from the U.K., France, the U.S., and three other countries to hold a closed-door meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the pace of uranium enrichment in the Islamic Republic.

“The request for a closed meeting of the Security Council by certain countries is a new and strange practice. This meeting casts doubt on the goodwill of those countries that demanded it,” the press service of Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated.

“We hope the Security Council will fulfill its main task of maintaining peace and security and will not succumb to the influence of certain countries,” Araghchi noted.

Citing sources, Reuters reported on March 11 that the U.N. Security Council would discuss on March 12 the growing stockpiles of enriched uranium in the Islamic Republic. According to the news agency sources, the meeting will be held at the request of three permanent members of the Security Council—the U.K., France, and the US—and three other countries, namely Greece, Panama, and South Korea. These countries want the U.N. Security Council to compel Iran to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with information about the origins of uranium in Iran’s undeclared nuclear facilities, meaning those locations that Tehran does not officially recognize as nuclear facilities and does not consider necessary for strict IAEA monitoring measures. Tehran sees the approach of the U.S. and the European trio (the U.K., Germany, and France) regarding the situation on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program as hostile.