Top Russian diplomat: IAEA's mandate on Iran strictly limited to safeguards

Pars Today – Russia's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna announced on Friday that with the expiration of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231's implementation deadline on Saturday (October 18th), the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) will effectively be terminated. Henceforth, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will only address matters related to Iran's nuclear program within the framework of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.

Mikhail Ulyanov, in a post on a social media platform, wrote: "Tomorrow (Saturday) the deadline for UNSC Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, expires. The JCPOA will come to an end, and henceforth the Agency will consider Iran only within the framework of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement."

The Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna added that with the expiration of the resolution's deadline, "we are witnessing a new situation regarding Iran's nuclear program."

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 was adopted as the document endorsing the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group and provided for the termination of international sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program. In recent months, a number of Western countries, including the European Troika (the UK, France, and Germany), have attempted to maintain certain restrictions against Iran through unilateral interpretations of the resolution's provisions.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly described these actions as "illegal and lacking legal merit," emphasizing that with the expiration of Resolution 2231, all missile and arms restrictions contained within it become null and void under international law.