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Mr. President, Allow me to thank Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi of Spain for his report to the Council as Chair of the 1737 Committee, and to commend him and his team for a successful stewardship of this Sanction Committee. On 20 July, the Security Council unanimously adopted the landmark resolution endorsing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreed by the E3/EU+3 and Iran. We strongly believe that the deal, which is based on Iran’s implementation of changes to its nuclear programme in return for the phased lifting of sanctions, has offered a real, durable, and verifiable path to resolve the decade-long dispute.

At this crucial moment, Lithuania reiterates that all Security Council sanctions remain in effect and must be robustly implemented by all UN Member States and, in particular, by the members of this Council. In this connection, we welcome the Committee’s readiness to give guidance to Member States and international organisations on the implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions.

We also reiterate our concern that Iran, while making steps in complying with the JCPOA, continues to disregard certain provisions of the Security Council resolutions, in particular those related to ballistic missile program and transfers of conventional weapons and related materiel. Iran should without delay extend co-operation with the 1737 Committee, inter alia, by providing information requested by the Panel of Experts in conduct of its investigations.

Mr. President,

Lithuania welcomes the reappointment of the experts to the Panel and strongly supports their ambitious Programme of work submitted to the Committee on 28 August 2015. We encourage the Panel to continue their investigations, particularly on new reported episodes of non-compliance.   

Iran’s continuous and full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a vital element in restoring much needed trust between Iran and the international community. We note the report by which the IAEA confirmed that Iran has taken steps of nuclear-related actions in accordance with resolution 2231 (2015). We call on Iran to provide the international community with verifiable guarantees of an exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.

Mr. President,

In conclusion, Lithuania believes that, if implemented fully and in good faith, the JCPOA will become a fundamental element in building trust between Iran and the international community. It will open the door to a steady improvement of relations and greatly contribute, in a positive manner, to regional and international peace and stability.

Thank you.