Iran Announces End of 2015 Nuclear Deal & Sends Strong Message to UN

TEHRAN: The Iranian government has officially announced it is “liberated” from the restrictions imposed on its nuclear program, following the expiration of the 2015 international agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This move opens the door to a new phase of diplomacy and legal debate between Iran and Western powers.

The 2015 agreement, signed by Iran and the six world powers (the United States, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany), stipulated that Tehran would significantly limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow international inspectors. In return, international economic sanctions against Iran were gradually lifted.

Now that the agreement has concluded, Iran has taken a significant diplomatic step. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has formally demanded that the United Nations “correct wrong information” it claims was published on the organization’s website.

The information Tehran is complaining about relates to attempts to “reinstate expired resolutions against Iran,” referring to the “snapback” sanctions mechanism. Iran argues that such measures are illegal and that the UN Security Council must prevent “further confusion” in its legal procedures.

In a statement, the Iranian government insisted that its nuclear program must henceforth be “treated like the program of any non-nuclear-weapon state” that is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

It added that the original goal of placing Iran’s file on the Security Council agenda—which was “to guarantee the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program” and prevent its diversion “toward making nuclear weapons”—has now been “fully achieved.”

Looking to the future, Iran emphasized its “commitment to diplomacy” and its defense of its “legitimate and legal rights… including the peaceful use of nuclear energy.”

Meanwhile, international policy analysts are closely monitoring the situation. Ali Vaez, the Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group, stated that the expiration of the agreement is “a good thing.”

Mr. Vaez reasoned that this new situation allows “both sides to move on to proposing new ideas” to find a new way to manage the Iranian nuclear issue, given that the previous agreement had long been dysfunctional.