Iran said on Saturday that it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear program and related mechanisms as a landmark 10-year deal between it and world powers expired.
The 2015 deal — signed in Vienna by Iran, China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — saw the lifting of international sanctions against the Islamic republic in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
But the pact had already been in tatters after Washington unilaterally withdrew during President Donald Trump’s first term. Moreover, the reimposition of UN sanctions last month by the three European signatories to the deal has effectively rendered the accord moot.
“All of the provisions (of the deal), including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program and the related mechanisms are considered terminated”, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
With the expiration of Resolution 2231, “Iran’s nuclear program should henceforth be treated like that of any non-nuclear-weapon state party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” the ministry said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a letter addressed to the United Nations on Saturday that the expiration of the 2015 deal renders the sanctions “null and void.”
“Iran will remain bound solely to its rights and obligations under the (NPT) 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,” Araghchi said.
