U.S. National Security Advisor Jacob Witkoff will deliver a high-level briefing to the UN Security Council this week on Iran tensions, according to Axios’ report citing senior administration officials.
Witkoff will present Washington’s position on Iran’s actions and propose coordinated diplomatic and economic strategies that address what the U.S. believes to be Tehran’s increasing destabilizing efforts across the Middle East. The briefing, set for Thursday morning, comes amid mounting international alarm over Tehran’s nuclear program, regional proxy activity, and recent maritime confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz. The briefing may provide Washington an opportunity to showcase their policies against what many perceive to be Tehran’s actions – their nuclear program, regional proxy activity, maritime confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz; present its positions on these actions as well as coordinated diplomatic and economic strategies against what they perceive to be Tehran’s growing destabilization efforts across the Middle East region.
Witkoff will use his remarks to stress both the urgency of the situation and the need for concerted international pressure on Iran to comply with its nuclear obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which it has steadily broken since President Trump withdrew from in 2018.
“The Security Council must act decisively to halt further escalation,” according to a senior U.S. official who spoke with Axios. Iranian provocations–from enrichment far beyond JCPOA limits to attacks on shipping vessels–threaten not only regional peace but global stability as well.
Witkoff has served in his position since early 2024 and is seen as an influential architect of President Biden’s renewed pressure-and-engagement strategy towards Iran. His appearance before the Security Council will mark an unusual opportunity for direct White House intervention into international discussions regarding compliance with global norms by Iran.
Diplomatic sources at the UN have confirmed that all 15 Security Council members have been informed about an upcoming closed-door briefing, to include representatives of Iran’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Recently, this agency reported that Iran had amassed enough enriched uranium stockpile to reach “near weapon-grade levels”, raising alarm among Western capitals.
Iran has emphatically rejected any allegations that its nuclear program could be used for weaponized purposes and claims its program serves only peaceful goals. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian dismissed U.S. accusations as political theater while accusing Washington of double standards and regional meddling.
China and Russia, permanent members of the UN Security Council who both signed onto the original 2015 nuclear accord, will likely oppose any efforts to impose multilateral sanctions or authorize military enforcement. According to one Western diplomat cited by Reuters: “It’s clear the Council is divided, so this briefing will show if there’s any common ground left.”
Recently, tensions in the Gulf region have escalated significantly due to allegations of Iranian drone attacks on international oil tankers and reports of Iranian-backed militia activity in Iraq and Syria. In response, President Biden ordered increased naval deployments and enhanced regional consultations with allies.
As Witkoff presents the U.S. case before the UN, all eyes will be watching to see how its Security Council responds to one of its most complex and contentious challenges in recent memory.