Iran also expresses its commitment to diplomacy as it officially ends the historic 10-year nuclear deal with Western powers.
Iran has said it is no longer subject to restrictions on its nuclear program after a historic 10-year deal between it and world powers expired, although Tehran reiterated its “commitment to diplomacy.”
From now on, “all provisions [of the 2015 deal]including restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program and related mechanisms are considered terminated,” Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday, the day of the pact's expiration.
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“Iran firmly expresses its commitment to diplomacy,” he added.
The “termination day” of the agreement was set for exactly 10 years after the adoption of resolution 2231, enshrined by the United Nations Security Council.
Officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement between Iran and China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States saw the lifting of international sanctions against Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
But Washington unilaterally abandoned the agreement in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term and reinstated sanctions. Then Tehran began to step up its nuclear program.
Talks to revive the deal have so far failed, and in August the UK, Germany and France triggered the so-called “recovery” process, which led to the reimposition of UN sanctions.
“The day of termination is relatively insignificant because of the blowback,” Kelsey Davenport, an expert at the Arms Control Association, told the AFP news agency.
Ali Vaez, director of the International Crisis Group's Iran project, told AFP that while the nuclear deal had been “lifeless” for years, the rollback had “officially buried” it, and “its sorry fate continues to cast a shadow over the future.”
Western powers and Israel have long accused Iran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran denies.
Neither U.S. intelligence nor the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said they had found any evidence this year that Iran was seeking atomic weapons.
Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers are currently stalled.
“Iran remains skeptical about the usefulness of collaborating with the United States given its history with President Trump, while Washington continues to seek a maximalist agreement,” Vaez told AFP.
On Monday, Trump said he wanted a peace deal with Iran, but stressed that the ball was in Tehran's court.
Tehran has repeatedly said it remains open to diplomacy with the United States, as long as Washington offers guarantees against military action during any potential talks.
The United States joined Israel in attacking Iran during a 12-day war in June, which affected nuclear sites but also killed more than 1,000 Iranians, including hundreds of civilians, and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Angry that the IAEA did not condemn the attacks and accusing the agency of “double standards,” President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law in early July suspending all cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog and forcing inspectors to leave the country.
For its part, the IAEA has described its failure to verify Iran's nuclear arsenal since the start of the war as “a matter of grave concern.”
The three European powers announced last week that they will try to restart talks to find a “comprehensive, lasting and verifiable agreement.”
Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said during an interview last week that Tehran “sees no reason to negotiate” with the Europeans, given that they activated the pushback mechanism.
