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A significant global pact intended to stop the spread of nuclear weapons has officially ended, with Tehran declaring the end of the decade-old accord.

Historic Deal Officially Terminated

Iran announced on Saturday that it was no longer bound by the 2015 agreement, officially referred to as the JCPOA, under which global sanctions were lifted in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.

From now on “every one of the provisions [of the 2015-era agreement], including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program and the related processes are deemed concluded”, Iran’s foreign ministry announced in a official communication.

However, it added that the country “firmly states its commitment to diplomacy”.

Context of the Deal

Agreed upon in the Austrian capital by Tehran, China, Britain, France, Berlin, Moscow and the US, the agreement sought to end the years-long political standoff and mark the start of a fresh chapter in relations between Tehran and the Western nations.

While the agreement formally expires on Saturday, it has been in chaos for years.

Major Events Leading to the Termination

• In 2018, in his first term, President Trump upset his European allies by independently taking the United States from the agreement and reinstating restrictions.
• As a result of the US withdrawal, Tehran started escalating its nuclear activities.
• EU-brokered negotiations to revive the agreement have failed, and this summer’s airstrikes on Tehran by Tel Aviv and the United States left prospects for a renewal at a record low point.

Recent Developments

Following the two-week war in June, Iran’s legislature passed a law to decline to work with the IAEA, the United Nations' nuclear monitoring body.

This resulted in signatories the UK, Germany and France triggering the known as “snapback” process, leading to the re-imposition of the UN restrictions.

These automatic sanctions in effect made a formality of “termination day”, which was set for October 18, exactly a decade after the adoption of UN security council resolution 2231.

Global Reactions

Recently, when the automatic sanctions went into effect, the British, French and Berlin top diplomats stated in a combined declaration they would persist to pursue “a new political resolution to ensure Tehran never gets a atomic weapon”.

The EU's chief diplomat, the EU foreign policy chief, stated the sanctions “must not be the end of negotiations” and that “a sustainable solution to the Iranian atomic issue can only be attained through negotiations”.

Prospective Outlook

On Monday, former President Trump expressed that he desired a peace deal with Tehran, while Iran has consistently affirmed it is open to diplomacy with the US, on condition that the US government offers guarantees against armed conflict during any potential discussions.

The three EU nations also last week declared they would attempt to resume talks to reach a “comprehensive, durable and verifiable agreement”.

Still, ties between the Western countries and Iran continue to be tense. The US had previously enforced large restrictions, including attempting to force every nations to shun Iranian crude oil. Multiple rounds of Omani-brokered talks this year between Iran and Washington did not succeed to achieve an agreement.

The Iranian foreign minister, the deputy foreign minister, stated recently that Tehran did “perceive no any justification to negotiate” with European powers, considering that they activated the automatic reinstatement mechanism.

Persistent Accusations

European and American authorities and Tel Aviv have long accused Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a allegation Tehran denies, stating its program is energy and civil-focused.

Iran is anticipated to observe the official end date with a announcement subsequently on the weekend at the United Nations in NYC.