Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on its nuclear programme as 10-year deal ends
The 2015 deal signed with world powers began to fall apart years ago after the US unilaterally withdrew and reinstated sanctions
Iran on Saturday said it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear programme as a landmark 10-year deal between it and world powers expired, though Tehran reiterated its “commitment to diplomacy”.
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 programme.
But the pact had already been in tatters after Washington unilaterally withdrew during President Donald Trump’s first term, with Iran later pulling back from its commitments.
The reimposition last month of UN sanctions at the urging of three of the deal’s European signatories rendered the accord effectively moot.
From now on, “all of the provisions [of the deal], including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear programme and the related mechanisms are considered terminated”, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement on the day of the pact’s expiration.
“Iran firmly expresses its commitment to diplomacy,” it added.