Iran officially withdraws from nuclear commitments as 10-year accord expires

Iran has officially announced its exit from 2015 landmark nuclear deal after the expiration of 10-year accord with the world powers.

Iran on Saturday announced that it was no longer restricted by the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

According to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “From now on all of the provisions [of the 2015 deal], including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear programme and the related mechanisms are considered terminated.”

The country also firmly expressed its commitments to “diplomacy.”

UNSC Resolution 2231, which supported the nuclear deal, expired on October 18, thereby terminating all United Nations Security Council (UNSC) restrictions on Iran.

Iran entered an agreement with China, Germany, France, UK and the US in 2015, under which Iran was exempted from international sanctions in exchange for limitations of Tehran’s nuclear program.

In 2018, the US unilaterally left the deal in 2018 during the first term of President Donald Trump and imposed further sanctions.

Afterwards, efforts to revive the nuclear deal have fallen flat in August. As a result, France, Germany, and UK triggered the so-called “snapback” process, thereby re-imposing the UN sanctions.

Arms Control Association expert Kelsey Davenport told the AFP news agency, “Termination day is relatively meaningless due to snapback.”