Iran no longer bound by 2015 nuclear deal restrictions, Araghchi tells UN
Iran will no longer implement any of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, which expired on Saturday, the country’s foreign minister told the United Nations, once again refusing to acknowledge the reimposition of UN sanctions triggered by European powers last month.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a letter to the UN secretary-general and the president of the Security Council that the resolution’s termination on October 18 was “in full accordance with its explicit provisions.”
He added that all related restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program had now lapsed and that the Council’s involvement in Tehran’s peaceful nuclear activities had formally ended.
Araghchi said Iran had “implemented the JCPOA in good faith and with full precision” while the United States “grossly violated international law” by withdrawing in 2018 and reimposing unilateral sanctions.
The three European signatories, he wrote, “failed to meet their obligations and instead imposed additional unlawful measures.”
Referring to the European decision in August to trigger the deal’s snapback mechanism—which reimposed UN sanctions on Iran without the possibility of a veto—Araghchi called the move “unilateral and arbitrary” and said it had “no legal, procedural, or political basis.”
He warned that any claim to reinstate expired resolutions was “null and void.”
The same position was echoed on Saturday by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, who said Iran believes “no decision has been taken in the Security Council to bring back the lifted resolutions,” citing opposition from Russia, China, and several other Council members.
Moscow’s foreign ministry said Western efforts to restore UN sanctions were “legally null and void,” adding that after the expiration of Resolution 2231, Iran’s nuclear program should be treated like that of any other non-nuclear-weapon state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier described Iran’s acceptance of the snapback clause in 2015 as “a legal trap,” but said Moscow remained firmly committed to a political and diplomatic settlement of the dispute.
Iran has denied involvement in what Britain’s domestic intelligence service described as Iran-linked plots on UK soil, saying the accusations are unfounded and damage diplomatic relations.
MI5 Director-General Ken McCallum said on Thursday that British security agencies had disrupted more than 20 operations linked to Tehran in the past year and were stepping up efforts to counter what he called attempts by Iran to silence its opponents abroad. He said 2025 had required “a significant expansion of our counter-Iran effort,” citing what he described as a rise in hostile state activity.
The Iranian Embassy in London said on Friday it “strongly rejects” the statements, adding that Iran “denies any involvement in violent acts, kidnappings, or harassment of individuals in the UK or elsewhere.” It said the accusations were made without credible evidence and were “part of a continued effort to distort Iran’s policies and undermine bilateral diplomatic relations.”
The embassy said Iran “remains committed to international law, sovereign equality, and peaceful coexistence” and urged the British government to “refrain from escalating baseless accusations” and instead engage in “constructive dialogue based on mutual respect.”
British officials have said in recent months that Iran’s activities pose one of the most serious state-based threats to the UK, alongside those from Russia and China. The government has cited cyberattacks, surveillance, and the use of criminal networks to target dissidents as areas of concern.
McCallum’s comments followed a July parliamentary report that described Iran as a persistent and growing security challenge. The report said the UK and its allies faced what it called “a sustained campaign of intimidation and aggression” from Tehran.
A new and far deadlier conflict between Israel and Iran looms, former Israeli intelligence official Danny Citrinowicz told Eye for Iran, warning that Tehran has learned from past clashes and is rapidly improving its missile capabilities.
Citrinowicz, a former head of the Iran branch within Israel's military intelligence, said the United States still seeks a negotiated deal with Tehran while Israel remains focused on weakening or toppling the Islamic Republic — a fundamental imbalance he warned makes escalation “almost inevitable.”
“The starting point of the next war will be the ending point of the previous one,” he said.
Now a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Middle East program, Citrinowicz also serves as a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv.
“It will be very violent from the get-go. And I really think that there won’t be a mechanism that will allow us to close it, because unlike previously when the US forced the sides to close it, now the Iranians will not be willing to close it until they feel they have balanced the equation of deterrence with Israel."
"That is why I think the next will be much more violent and longer,” he added. "It will lead to more civilian casualties."
Citrinowicz’s warning comes as President Donald Trump continues to frame the 12-day Iran–Israel war as a decisive victory. Trump has repeatedly maintained US B-2 bomber strikes "obliterated" Iran’s key nuclear sites, forcing Tehran to accept a ceasefire and halting its nuclear ambitions.
Critics, however, say the claim is largely rhetorical and that the strikes likely delayed, not ended, Iran’s nuclear advancements, leaving the conflict’s root cause unresolved.
Satellite imagery taken in recent months shows that Iran is continuing construction at the Natanz “Pickaxe” mountain or Mount Kolang Gaz-La, consistent with activity seen before the June war.
The mountain complex south of Natanz includes another older tunnel network associated with Iran’s main enrichment site, which also shows signs of ongoing work, particularly reinforcement of tunnel entrances.
'Israel didn't win anything'
After the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, many in Israel came away with the impression that Israel had won the war. Iran was hit hard, and Israeli operations left Tehran no longer viewed as a threshold nuclear state, as US and Israeli officials say. But Citrinowicz argues that this is a dangerous misconception.
“In Israel we have the wrong perception. We are saying we won — we didn’t win anything,” he said. “We had major achievements, but from the Iranian standpoint, they really believe they had major achievements too. Both sides think they won, and that’s what makes another clash inevitable.”
Citrinowicz says Israel must not underestimate Iran’s capacity to recover. He noted that Tehran has rapidly replaced assassinated commanders, resumed missile testing “almost daily,” and is seeking Russian and Chinese air defense systems to harden its skies.
“If there’s one lesson from recent history,” he said, “it’s that the regime is stronger than many believed.”
Another confrontation, he said, is likely within weeks or months as Washington’s demands — on uranium enrichment, missile limits and even some talk of joining normalization deals with Israel — meet flat Iranian refusals.
He argued that US advisers continue to misread Iran’s ideology and decision-making, while Tehran is rapidly rebuilding and testing capabilities at Natanz and Fordow, and acting bolder at sea — all of which may prod Israel into striking again.
Israel, he added, is unlikely to enjoy the same US military umbrella it had during the last war, when Washington deployed advanced interceptors and coordinated air operations. With Trump now juggling multiple crises, Citrinowicz said, “Israel could face a far tougher fight — and far less help.”
Just over a year ago, Iran launched Operation True Promise II against Israel — part of a steady escalation in which each confrontation has become more intense.
'Growing gap' between US and Israel on Iran
In his October 13 address to the Knesset, Trump declared that Iran had been “two months away” from a bomb before the US strikes in June and that he “terminated” its nuclear program afterward. “They’re not starting anything,” he said. “They just want to survive.”
Those lines, Citrinowicz cautioned, project misplaced confidence.
“Despite the fact that both sides basically want to reach an agreement, their present stances are not allowing one to be reached,” he said.
“What President Trump said in Israel actually highlights that misunderstanding — about Iran’s behavior and ideology — that will probably lead to another confrontation. Definitely, we are reaching another round of escalation.”
Russia said on Friday it was ready to help resolve the impasse over Iran’s nuclear program after Russian President Vladimir Putin said this month he was receiving messages from both Israel and Iran.
“Moscow remains firmly committed to a political and diplomatic settlement around the Iranian nuclear program and calls on all parties involved to focus their efforts on finding the necessary solutions to avoid a new uncontrolled escalation of tensions,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
“We are ready to assist in this endeavor in any way possible," it added.
Iranian security chief Ali Larijani met Putin on Thursday and announced later he had delivered a message from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Its contents were not disclosed.
Putin said earlier this month that Israel had reached out to enlist Moscow's aid in transmitting to Tehran its desire to avoid further clashes.
“We continue our trusted contacts with Israel and are receiving signals from the Israeli leadership asking us to convey to our Iranian friends that Israel is focused on further settlement and is not interested in any form of confrontation,” Putin said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would soon meet Putin in the Hungarian capital to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, though a date has yet to be set. It was unclear if Iran would be a topic of discussion.
'Brute force'
The Russian foreign ministry statement was released on the eve of the expiration of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed a 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the JCPOA.
Last month, UN sanctions were reimposed on Iran after France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the so-called snapback mechanism under the resolution, after they accused Tehran of spurning diplomacy and nuclear inspections.
Tehran rejects the powers' standing to invoke the sanctions and denies seeking any nuclear arms.
Russia said earlier this month the restoration of UN sanctions on Iran was "legally null and void and cannot impose any legal obligations on other states."
Moscow added on Friday that following the resolution’s expiry, Iran’s nuclear program should now be treated like that of any other non-nuclear weapon state under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The ministry said Western states had rejected a joint Russian-Chinese proposal to extend the technical aspects of the deal by six months, showing what it called “an inability to negotiate and a reliance on illegal methods and brute force.”
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was surprised by Iran's agreement to the so-called UN snapback sanctions mechanism of the JCPOA, describing it as a legal trap for Tehran.
“To be honest, we were surprised. But if our Iranian partners accepted this formulation - which, frankly, was a legal trap - we had no grounds to object,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Monday.
The snapback provision allowed any JCPOA signatory, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran in the event of alleged violations without the possibility of a veto.
Russia has long sought to prevent Iran from having normal relations with the world, former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, days after the Russian foreign minister faulted him for accepting a sanctions clause in a 2015 nuclear deal.
Speaking at a conference in Tehran, Zarif said Russia has two “red lines” in its policy toward Iran — that the country should never enjoy normal relations with the world and should also not enter direct confrontation. “That is why Russia supported the Geneva interim agreement. It kept the wound open but prevented conflict,” he said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Lavrov said earlier this week that the snapback provision — which allows the rapid return of UN sanctions if Iran breaches the agreement — was “largely Zarif’s creation” and a “legal trap” for Tehran.
Zarif said the snapback clause was added during the final stage of nuclear talks as a substitute for a far worse proposal from Russia and France. “Mr Lavrov and the French had suggested a very bad plan on the status of previous UN Security Council resolutions, and we worked hard to replace it,” he said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
He said the final mechanism, later included in the 2015 nuclear deal and endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, was designed to prevent any single country from using its veto to block or extend sanctions.
Hardliners in Iran have long criticized Zarif for accepting the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism, viewing it as a concession that enabled the reimposition of UN sanctions.
Last month, France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the snapback mechanism, restoring UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear activities after they accused Tehran of blocking inspections and rejecting diplomacy. The move came despite opposition from Russia and China.
Long mistrust
In a leaked 2022 interview, Zarif said Russia had tried to prevent the 2015 deal from being finalized, adding that “Russia made every possible effort in the final week to stop the agreement from being concluded.”
Zarif also accused Moscow this week of disclosing sensitive information about Iran’s military and diplomatic activities, including General Qassem Soleimani’s visit to Moscow and details of Iranian drone supplies to Russia for the war in Ukraine. “They were the ones who made those public,” he said.
Lavrov has said Russia has always supported the nuclear deal and the UN Security Council resolution that endorsed it. He said the final decision on the JCPOA “was made directly by Zarif and Kerry” and that other participants, including Russia, were observers.
The United States withdrew from the deal in 2018 during first President Donald Trump’s administration. In response, Iran gradually reduced its compliance and in 2019 began enriching uranium at higher levels.
New Zealand said on Friday it would reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran, citing Tehran’s failure to comply with its nuclear obligations under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with the measures to take effect on October 18.
The measures respond to Iran’s continued non-compliance with the internationally recognized nuclear accord and will take effect on October 18, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
The sanctions restore restrictions on trade and travel, mirroring steps already taken by Britain, France and Germany, which last month reinstated UN penalties over similar breaches.
“This reimposition of UN-mandated sanctions reflects the international community’s deep concerns about Iran’s non-compliance with its nuclear obligations and unjustifiable levels of uranium enrichment activity,” Peters said.
In a confidential report leaked to reporters in September, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran's stock of near-weapons grade uranium had increased almost eight percent before Israel attacked its nuclear facilities on June 13.
The report shows Iran had 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, marking a 7.9% increase since the UN nuclear watchdog’s previous report in May.
The statement by Peters outlined a range of restrictions including an asset freeze and travel bans on sanctioned persons, import and export bans on specified nuclear and military goods, and an obligation for New Zealanders to exercise vigilance in all dealings with Iran.
New Zealand “has consistently supported diplomatic efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons from any source” and encouraged Tehran to “re-engage in negotiations and resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Peters added.
The move aligns Wellington with Western allies that have intensified measures against Iran following recent findings by the IAEA indicating serious safeguards violations and rising uranium enrichment.
New Zealand will introduce a compulsory registration scheme for citizens doing business with Iran from February 1, 2026, Peters said.
