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**End of the Iran Nuclear Deal: Iran Declares Full Control Over Its Nuclear Program Amid Renewed Tensions**
On Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers—has officially expired. This marks the end of a decade-long era of international oversight and sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program. The expiration comes after Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing jointly announced the termination of all United Nations-backed restrictions, allowing Iran to assume complete autonomy over its civilian nuclear activities. Iran now considers all limitations and monitoring mechanisms related to its nuclear file formally concluded.
**Background: The JCPOA and Its Provisions**
The JCPOA was signed in July 2015 in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 group, which includes China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany, with the European Union also playing a key role. The deal was subsequently endorsed by the United Nations Security Council through Resolution 2231, adopted unanimously on July 20, 2015. The agreement aimed to curtail Iran’s nuclear capabilities for at least a decade in exchange for significant relief from international sanctions that had crippled the country’s economy.
The accord imposed strict restrictions on Iran’s civilian nuclear program, capping uranium enrichment levels, reducing the number of centrifuges, and limiting stockpiles of enriched uranium. It also mandated the most intrusive inspections regime ever imposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), allowing regular and snap inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities to verify compliance. In return, Iran was gradually freed from a web of UN, US, and EU sanctions, enabling its reintegration into the global economy.
Resolution 2231 also rescinded six previous Security Council resolutions that targeted Iran’s nuclear program and removed Iran from Chapter 41 of the UN Charter—effectively lifting the threat of further economic embargoes, transportation blockades, or diplomatic isolation by the UN Security Council. Additional embargoes on conventional arms and ballistic missiles were set to expire after five and eight years, respectively. The ten-year period of the JCPOA was to conclude on October 18, 2025, the so-called “termination day,” after which all UN-backed restrictions would be lifted automatically, provided Iran remained in compliance.
**US Withdrawal and the Unraveling of the Deal**
The deal’s stability was shaken in May 2018, when the United States, under President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA. The US reimposed its own sanctions on Iran, targeting vital sectors such as oil exports, banking, and shipping, and pressuring international companies to cut ties with Tehran. Despite the US exit, Iran initially continued to comply with the deal’s terms for another year, hoping that European countries would find ways to provide Tehran with the promised economic relief.
However, as the European parties failed to deliver substantial economic benefits in the face of American secondary sanctions, Iran began gradually reducing its commitments under the JCPOA. Citing Articles 26 and 36 of the agreement—which allow a signatory to suspend obligations if others fail to uphold theirs—Iran incrementally increased uranium enrichment, expanded its stockpile, and restarted activities at key nuclear sites. By 2025, Iran had enriched uranium up to 60 percent purity, far above the deal’s 3.67 percent cap, but still below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material. Iranian officials repeatedly emphasized that these actions were reversible if sanctions were lifted and the deal’s terms restored.
**The Snapback Mechanism and Renewed Sanctions**
A crucial feature of the JCPOA was the “snapback” mechanism, envisioned as a deterrent against significant Iranian violations. It allowed any participant in the agreement to trigger the re-imposition of previous UN sanctions if Iran was found to be in serious breach. On August 28, 2025, the European trio—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—invoked this snapback provision, citing concerns over Iran’s nuclear activities and lack of cooperation with the IAEA. This move reinstated UN sanctions on conventional arms transfers, missile-related activities, and financial dealings with Iran.
Tehran swiftly condemned the snapback as politically motivated and lacking legal or moral