Statement by the Delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the 65th Session of the Legal Subcommittee of COPUOS Agenda Item 8: Future role and methods of work of the Committee (17 April 2026) بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Mr. Chairman, My delegation supports the improvement of the Committee’s working methods and relevant efforts of the Chair of the Working Group of the Whole. Iran will continue its constructive contribution to this process. As you are well aware, in its Article 13, the UN Charter entrusted the General Assembly with the progressive development and codification of international law. As a basic principle, all preparatory works related to this mandate of the Assembly with respect to all issues related to the peaceful uses of outer space must be carried out by this Committee. This fact is reflected in the Assembly’s resolution establishing COPUOS. Likewise, as a guiding principle, the intergovernmental nature of the Committee’s activities must be preserved, and any effort or initiative that can adversely affect the central role of States in the Committee’s activities or undermine the role and activities of COPUOS must seriously be avoided. This is crucial including in particular for preventing the fragmentation of space governance. Parallel processes or platforms established based on the interests of a subset of States risk undermining the coherent and coordinated efforts of COPUOS. They would undermine true multilateral efforts, and ultimately may compromise the long-term sustainability of outer space. Additionally, any adjustment to the Committee’s work should include the needs and priorities of the developing countries in its future work. In this context, the core positions of the developing countries should be reflected in any new reporting format of the Committee’s meetings. I thank you, Mr. Chairman.