Greetings from New York! 🇺🇳
THE هفت/SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK:
۱/1 Snapback appears to be happening
On September 26 (today), the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is expected to vote on a draft resolution to delay the snapback mechanism for six months.
According to The Guardian,
“Russia will call for the reimposition of the sanctions to be deferred for six months to give more time for diplomacy, but European diplomats are confident that Russia will not get the nine votes it needs on the security council for the snapback to be deferred. The last time Russia put the same issue to a vote it received only four votes.”
Assuming Russia is unsuccessful, all UN sanctions will be reimposed on September 28.
This follows the latest round of talks in New York that failed to provide a meaningful offer from Iran that Europe was prepared to accept (The Guardian/Reuters). Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had reportedly made a final offer to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to access only one of its bombed nuclear sites, but not all of them. Araghchi also said Iran would provide a proposal on how to handle the 400kg of highly enriched uranium in its possession within 45 days instead of 90 days. In return, Iran requested that the threat of snapback sanctions be permanently lifted (The Guardian). Araghchi’s final offers were based on the E3’s demands that Tehran had intially rejected (see UNDERSTANDING SNAPBACK).
Meanwhile, seventy hardline members of parliament signed onto a letter calling for a “change in the defense doctrine” of the Islamic Republic and demanded the country develop a nuclear weapon (Al Jazeera).
UNDERSTANDING SNAPBACK Last month, the E3 sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to trigger the “snapback” mechanism, re-imposing sanctions on Iran.
The notification is part of the process laid out in Resolution 2231 and does not immediately reimpose sanctions. Instead, it triggers a 30-day countdown before the automatic reestablishment of multilateral sanctions—including asset freezes, a conventional arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile activities, and travel bans. This “snapback” mechanism, which revives six previously suspended UNSC resolutions, is set to expire on October 18 and requires thirty days to take effect. Crucially, snapback cannot be vetoed by permanent members of the Security Council—a provision originally proposed by Russia. The E3 pushed for the August 28 notification date out of concern that Moscow, set to assume the UNSC presidency on October 1, might complicate procedures or alter the agenda.
The trio has repeatedly noted that they were still open to negotiations that could stop the process for up to six months if Tehran engaged in talks with the United States, addressed concerns about its unaccounted 400 kg of enriched uranium (moved before the war), and restored access for IAEA inspectors—the same list the E3 had offered before, but was rejected by Iran before.
ARE THE US AND IRAN TALKING? On September 23, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected direct negotiations with the United States, calling it “a sheer dead end.” (AP) Over the past week, reports suggested that Araghchi was talking to Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. On September 24, Witkoff confirmed this during a conference in New York, “We’re talking to them. And why wouldn’t we? We talk to everybody. As well we should. That’s the job. Our job is to solve things.” (RFERL) I also received confirmation from a source. However, the Iranians are denying the two countries are talking (Reuters).
PEZESHKIAN’S UNGA SPEECH On September 24, President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York (New York Times).
The key part of Pezeshkian’s speech:
“The aerial assaults of [Israel] and the United States of America against Iran’s cities, homes and infrastructure, precisely at a time when we were treading the path of diplomatic negotiations, constituted a grave betrayal of diplomacy and a subversion of efforts towards the establishment of stability and peace… We do not seek the weapons. This is our belief based on the edict issued by the Supreme Leader and by religious authorities. We never sought weapons of mass destruction, nor will we ever seek them.” (NBC News/Fox News)
During his speech, Pezeshkian held up a booklet with the words “Killed By Israel” printed on the front and flipped through pages with pictures of Iranian civilians killed during the 12-day war. He devoted much of his speech to criticizing Israel, particularly over the Gaza war. Watch the Iranian president’s full speech.
Meanwhile, the United States imposed strict limits on the Iranian delegation, restricting their movement to transit in and around the United Nations headquarters and banning access to wholesale stores, such as Costco, and luxury goods (Reuters).
۲/2 Political prisoner dies due to delayed treatment
۳/3 State media airs documents and footage on Israel’s alleged nuclear activities
۴/4 At least 1,000 executed since January
۵/5 Activist Hossein Ronaghi continues hunger strike
Ronaghi started a hunger strike on September 2 and moved to a dry hunger strike on the night of September 24 (X). As noted in a post on his official social media account:
“A dry hunger strike is considered highly risky due to the severe danger of dehydration and serious damage to vital organs. As of this moment, no further details about his current condition are available.”
۶/6 Iran likely carried out an undeclared missile test
Tehran has also begun rebuilding missile production sites targeted by Israel during the 12-day war (AP). However, the large planetary mixers needed to produce solid fuel are likely still missing.
۷/7 France drops ICJ case over detained citizens
On September 24, French President Emmanuel Macron met his Iranian counterpart and raised his demand for the immediate release of Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris, and Lennart Guttenberg (X).
OTHER اخبار/NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES:
Human Rights
۰ Supreme court upholds death sentence for poet (IranWire)
۰ Political prisoner goes on hunger strike in intelligence detention (IranWire)
۰ Court sentences Christian convert to over 8 years in prison (IranWire)
۰ Rapper shot at during arrest after surviving prison bombing (IranWire)
۰ Lives at risk: An urgent call from inside Evin Prison (CHRI)
۰ Hidden trauma: rare reports expose sexual abuse of boys (Iran International)
۰ Wave of unlawful arrests targets minority children (CHRI)
۰ Protester lives in exile with 80 pellets in his body (IranWire)
Domestic Issues
۰ Presidential aide says Khamenei helped approve Pezeshkian candidacy (IranWire)
۰ Ex-president’s push for reform: What does Rouhani want? (IranWire)
۰ Iranian Nobel Laureate: Islamic Republic has ‘no future but collapse’ (RFERL)
۰ Iran claims exiled artists can return home (IranWire)
۰ Iran claims 300 students returned to university after ban during protests (IranWire)
۰ Border forces wound three Kolbars in shooting (IranWire)
Foreign Policy + Security
۰ Mossad sent 100 operatives into Iran to destroy missile launchers - Israeli TV (Iran International)
۰ Former Mossad director on the Iranian regime’s survival (CNN)
۰ American-Israeli citizen arrested in Israel on suspicion of spying for Iran (CNN)
۰ Iran’s top generals warn of overwhelming response to any attack (Iran International)
۰ Australia moves to blacklist Iran’s IRGC, increasing pressure on UK and EU (RFERL)
۰ Hacking group Nimbus Manticore expands European targeting (Infosecurity Magazine)
Iran Deal + Sanctions
۰ Iran withdraws resolution to ban attacks on nuclear sites following U.S. pressure (NBC News)
۰ Iran’s president says it can overcome any return of sanctions (Reuters)
۰ Tehran’s new nuclear negotiator: ‘The most lecherous Iranian diplomat’ (IranWire)
۰ Iran’s nuclear chief in Moscow to sign power plants deal as UN ponders sanctions (Reuters)
۰ Iran oil sales to China would continue even if UN sanctions activated, oil minister says (Reuters)
۰ India weighs options as US ends waiver for Iran’s Chabahar Port (Al-Monitor)