Iran considers all restrictions on its nuclear program ‘terminated’

Iran indicated Saturday that it is no longer subject to the restrictions imposed on its nuclear program by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an international agreement signed ten years ago with major powers, which has just expired.

"All provisions [of the agreement], including the restrictions envisaged for the Iranian nuclear program and related mechanisms, are considered terminated," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement picked up by AFP.

In 2015, Iran signed an agreement in Vienna with Germany, China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia in which it committed to limit its nuclear program to civilian purposes, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against its economy. The expiration date of the agreement was Oct. 18, 10 years after its ratification by the U.N.

The United States unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018, during the first term of President Donald Trump, and reinstated its sanctions.

End of all restrictions

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stated on X that with the expiration of the agreement, "all restrictions previously imposed by the (UN) Security Council against Iran are ended and Iran is removed from the Security Council agenda."

"As an NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] signatory, Iran will remain bound solely to its rights and obligations under the Treaty. This includes no limits whatsoever on the scale of its nuclear program, and cooperation with the IAEA only within the framework of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and in line with the recent legislation adopted by the Iranian Parliament," Abbas Araghchi wrote.

"Iran’s sovereign rights are neither negotiable nor subject to political pressure. The rule of law — not coercion — must prevail," he added

The West fears escalation of tensions

Countries such as France, Germany and the U.K. have recently expressed concern over the announcement, fearing an increase in regional tensions.

For now, Iran has decided not to resume talks with these countries, which it blames for activating the sanctions mechanism in an "irresponsible and harmful" manner. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei indicated that Iran will prioritize analyzing the repercussions of these measures before contemplating resuming dialogue.

In August, the United Kingdom, France and Germany activated a “snapback” measure to reinstate the sanctions within 30 days, because they considered that Tehran had not made concrete moves to explain the nature of its nuclear program. They reinstated the U.N. sanctions at the end of September.