Iran needs US deal to avert UN referral, former Iranian official says

A former senior official in Tehran has urged the establishment of diplomatic ties with Washington and sharply criticized President Masoud Pezeshkian for downplaying the impact of US sanctions.

Hamid Aboutalebi, former political director of the presidential office, issued a forceful warning in a post on X Sunday, highlighting the layered diplomatic pressures Iran faces in preventing the referral of its case to the UN Security Council and avoiding a European snapback of 2015 nuclear deal sanctions.

“It appears that Iran has only one path forward to prevent its nuclear case from being referred to the UN Security Council,” he asserted, “(coming to) an understanding with the United States and establishing diplomatic relations with that country.”

Such a thaw would mean that Washington does not back any resolution against Iran in the Board of Governors meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he added.

If the IAEA determines Iran to be in serious breach, it could refer the case to the Security Council, which may impose sanctions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, as it did in 2006 under Resolution 1737.

Aboutalebi also warned that withdrawal from the NPT—advocated by some hardliners, including the Supreme Leader–appointed Kayhan editor Hossein Shariatmadari—would deepen the crisis and trigger severe economic and social turmoil.

Hardline outlet Jahan News—affiliated with Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani—accused Aboutalebi of using a “disrespectful tone” and condemned his call for ties with the US

“This anger stems from the president’s commendable stance toward the Americans,” the outlet wrote.

IAEA concerns, stalled talks

In a confidential May 31 report, the IAEA outlined Iran’s use of undeclared nuclear material at three sites and noted a rise in its 60%-enriched uranium stockpile—now at 408.6 kilograms since February.

This is enough for roughly ten nuclear weapons if further enriched to weapons-grade.

No date has been set for the next round of US-Iran talks, and both sides remain at odds over enrichment.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would not accept any deal that denies its right to peaceful uranium enrichment.

President Trump, posting on Truth Social, reiterated that the US will not allow any enrichment by Iran. The UN Security Council is set to review Resolution 2231—the 2015 nuclear deal’s legal backbone—on June 24.

Criticism of Pezeshkian

Aboutalebi also took aim at Pezeshkian’s recent remarks that Iran has not been brought to its knees by sanctions or failed talks. He likened them to counterproductive slogans from the past.

“Your statements resemble preaching,” he wrote, referencing the slogan “Nuclear energy is our inalienable right,” which, he said, led to “failure and plunged the country into the abyss of Security Council resolutions.”

Although Pezeshkian heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, his influence over the nuclear file is limited.

According to senior lawmaker and IRGC general Esmaeil Kowsari, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has appointed a special team that sets overall nuclear strategy.

“Before each round of talks, Iranian negotiators meet separately with that team and with Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee,” said Kowsari.