Iran says it is no longer bound by sanctions over its nuclear program as the landmark 2015 deal with world powers officially ends.
From now on, “all provisions (of the deal), including restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program and related mechanisms, are considered abolished,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, limited Iran’s nuclear activity, uranium stockpile, and research efforts in exchange for sanctions relief.
The agreement officially expired on Saturday, 10 years after it was adopted by the UN Security Council.
“Iran firmly expresses its commitment to diplomacy,” the Foreign Ministry said.
JCPOA has been under threat for years
Western powers for years have accused Iran of obstructing UN inspections and enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.
President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement during his first term in office in 2018.
Since then, there have been intermittent talks between Iran and Western powers to revive the agreement, but talks have stalled.
Iran suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after the United States and Israel bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
In August, Britain, France and Germany jointly informed the UN Security Council that Iran was in significant violations of the nuclear deal, triggering the reinstatement of suspended international sanctions.
The three European powers announced last week that they would restart discussions with the aim of finding a “comprehensive, sustainable and verifiable agreement”.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran “sees no reason to negotiate” with the Europeans as they have initiated the snapback mechanism.
Edited by: Sam Dusan Inayatullah