On Saturday, October 18, 2025, Iran announced that it is no longer obligated by the constraints of its nuclear program. This declaration follows the expiration of a significant 10-year agreement with world powers, though Tehran emphasized its continued dedication to diplomatic efforts.
The 2015 nuclear pact, established in Vienna between Iran, China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, promised the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic in exchange for specific limits on its nuclear activities. However, the agreement began to unravel when Washington unilaterally withdrew during President Donald Trump’s first term, prompting Iran to gradually step back from its own commitments.
The accord became effectively meaningless after the re-imposition of United Nations sanctions in September, a move pushed by three of the European signatories. Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that with the deal’s expiration, ‘all of its provisions, including the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program and related mechanisms, are considered terminated.’ Despite this, the ministry reiterated Iran’s ‘firm commitment to diplomacy.’
Western nations have consistently accused Iran of covertly pursuing nuclear weapons, an accusation Tehran has always denied. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful, civilian purposes, such as energy production.
The agreement’s ‘termination day’ was precisely October 18, 2025, marking a decade since its endorsement in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231.
Initially, the deal limited Iran’s uranium enrichment to 3.67% in exchange for sanction relief and established rigorous oversight of its nuclear activities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). However, after the U.S. withdrawal and re-imposition of sanctions in 2018, Tehran began accelerating its nuclear program.
According to the IAEA, Iran stands alone as the only country without a nuclear weapons program that has enriched uranium to 60%. This level is notably close to the 90% threshold required for a nuclear weapon and significantly surpasses the purity needed for civilian nuclear applications.
Concerning Developments and Diplomacy
In July, Iran halted its cooperation with the IAEA. Tehran cited the agency’s failure to condemn recent Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as the reason for this decision.
Nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington were further disrupted by an unprecedented bombing campaign by Israel and subsequent retaliation from Iran during a 12-day conflict. Subsequently, in late September, at the behest of France, Britain, and Germany, widespread U.N. sanctions against Iran were reinstated for the first time in a decade.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed the United Nations on Saturday, October 18, 2025, that the expiration of the 2015 deal nullifies the sanctions. Britain, France, and Germany have expressed their desire for Iran to re-engage in negotiations with the United States, accusing Iran of non-cooperation with the IAEA.
In its Saturday statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry asserted that ‘Iran’s efforts to revive the exchanges [with the IAEA] that led to the agreement in Cairo were also sabotaged by the irresponsible actions of the three European countries,’ referencing a recent proposal for renewed cooperation.