Iran, Russia, and China sent a joint letter on Friday to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi declaring that United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has officially expired as of October 18. The letter states that, with its expiration, all provisions, restrictions, and verification mandates related to the nuclear deal are now null and void.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi announced the move, writing: “Following the joint letter from the three countries of Russia, China, and Iran to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council announcing the termination of Resolution 2231 on October 18, today the ambassadors and permanent representatives of the three countries to the International Atomic Energy Agency sent a joint letter to the Director General of the Agency. In this letter, while calling the action of the three European countries in activating the snapback illegal, it is announced that all provisions of Resolution 2231 have ended on October 18.”
The joint communication follows similar letters sent by the three countries to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council when the JCPOA’s 10-year term officially ended.
The move comes despite the so-called “snapback” sanctions recently reactivated by the E3 countries — the United Kingdom, Germany, and France — which claim that Iran’s violations of the nuclear deal warrant the reinstatement of UN sanctions. China, Russia, and several states in the Global South have rejected the E3 position, calling the sanctions illegal and vowing not to enforce them.
With Tehran now freed from the JCPOA’s restrictions and verification measures, the IAEA will no longer have a mandate to monitor Iran’s nuclear program under the agreement’s framework. The decision represents the effective collapse of all remaining international oversight tied to the 2015 accord.
The letter marks a further diplomatic realignment following the brief but intense 12-day war between the United States, Israel, and Iran in June, which took place during stalled negotiations between Washington and Tehran. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that Iran has no intention of returning to talks with the U.S., declaring that “Washington has proven it cannot be trusted.”