After the Russian Federation effectively blocked discussing the war in Ukraine, the Security Council has moved to discuss ongoing protests and security issues in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Representative Anahi Gonzalez of the Islamic Republic of Iran came to the Security Council in order to answer questions from all Member States present, though this resulted in many questions and few answers as Representative Gonzalez refused to answer any questions related to nuclear weapons and most questions related to internal security. Kurdish militants have become a target of several recent attacks by Türkiye and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has increased scrutiny on the region by several Member States of the Security Council. 

As the Representative Gonzalez departed, the Security Council faced a struggle in finding a topic to discuss, which has been a continual issue for the Council. Representative Colin Jenkins of Norway stated that, “though tedious, we understand the gridlock at present, but condemn Russia’s use of the double veto to silence the voices of smaller nations.” After little consensus in the Security Council, Member States agreed to an extended suspension of debate to allow the completion of a resolution relating to the voluntary disarmament of Middle Eastern nations before changing the topic. Member States in favor of the proposal said that the primary focus of it was to allow the entire Middle East to pursue disarmament in a productive way. Representative Zane Phillips of Kenya stated, “this is a productive way for States to disarm nuclear weapons or enriched materials in a productive way instead of wasting them.” Seeking consensus on the resolution, supporters could find the issue of Israel’s policy on nuclear ambiguity contentious. When asked if the United States would support the resolution and Israel’s disarmament of any hypothetical nuclear weapons, Representative Josh Chao of the United States stated, “if all nations in the Middle East pursued disarmament and complied with the resolution, we would support Israel disarming any nuclear weapons it may have or acquire.” This change in the United States’ policy on the issue of Israel and disarmament marks the next step in the discussion of Middle Eastern disarmament, though it remains unclear if it will be able to convince Iran to dismantle its nuclear program.