FM: JCPOA not expired notwithstanding Resolution 2231 termination
Iran’s foreign minister said that despite the termination of the United Nations’ Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, the agreement has not expired and the Islamic Republic has yet to decide for withdrawal.
Abbas Araghchi made the remarks in a meeting with the members of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
Asked by a lawmaker why Iran has not officially declared the end of the nuclear deal, Araghchi said that since the deal recognizes Iran’s right to enrich uranium and there are issues in the agreement that are beneficial to Iran, “We decided to remain as a member of the agreement.”
Araghchi added that the deal is still considered valid by the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), which is tasked to decide on the issue.
Meanwhile, other parties to the deal, namely China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany, have not withdrawn from the deal despite the United States withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Araghchi added.
In 2015, Iran and world powers – including France, Britain and Germany – reached the agreement, that saw the easing of international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
But the US unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed draconian economic sanctions.
Tehran adhered to the deal until Washington's withdrawal, and then began rolling back on its commitments.
The European parties to the deal also failed to fulfill their commitments to the agreement. Several rounds of talks to revive the agreement failed, and in August, the UK, Germany and France triggered the so-called “snapback” process on the pretext of Iran’s non-compliance with its obligations, leading to the re-imposition of the UN sanctions.
The deal's “termination day” was set for October 18, 2025, exactly 10 years after it was enshrined in the UN's Security Council resolution 2231.