The Foreign Ministry has issued a statement, underlining expiration of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and its relevant provisions and restrictions as well as the removal of Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy program from the council’s agenda.

The statement emphasized that with the conclusion of the 10-year period set by the resolution on Saturday, Iran’s nuclear program must now be treated like that of any other non-nuclear-weapon state under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Press TV reported.

From this point onward, the country is bound solely by its rights and obligations under the NPT, with no additional limitations either imposed or recognized, it noted.

The statement highlighted that the original rationale for placing Iran’s nuclear issue on the Security Council’s agenda, namely verifying the peaceful nature of its related program, has been fully achieved.

This assertion, the ministry added, was supported by the fact that no report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has indicated any diversion of the country’s nuclear activities toward military purposes, despite political pressure from the United States and its European allies.

The statement also stressed that Iran had consistently adhered to its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear agreement that was endorsed by Resolution 2231, despite facing harsh sanctions, whereas the Western states repeatedly violated their obligations.

“Iran pursued transparency and compliance, but the US’s irresponsible withdrawal in 2018 and the European trio (the UK, France, and Germany)’s failure to uphold their commitments dealt a major blow to multilateral diplomacy,” the ministry said.

Aside from illegally and unilaterally leaving the deal, the US returned its sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and went on to subject the country to even more coercive economic measures.

The European trio too stopped their trade with Iran, besides refusing to uphold their promise of returning Washington to the accord.

Additionally, the statement condemned the troika’s taking one step further to activate the JCPOA’s so-called “snapback” mechanism that mandated re-imposition of the Western allies’ and the Security Council’s nuclear-related sanctions against the country.

It reminded that the trio had, on the back of their non-commitment, lost all legal and moral right to take the measure.

The ministry called on the UN secretary-general to immediately correct misinformation published on the UN website regarding alleged reinstatement of expired Security Council resolutions involving the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The statement further described any attempt to re-establish the council’s sanctions committees or expert panels as illegal and urged all UN member states to reject claims by the US and Europe regarding revival of defunct resolutions.

Elsewhere in the statement, the ministry strongly condemned the Israeli regime’s and the US’s unlawful and unprovoked war on Iran in June that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, including small children, besides afflicting damage on the country’s peaceful nuclear facilities.

It described the aggression as “a betrayal of diplomacy and a blatant violation of international law and the NPT framework,” noting that the assaults had led to destruction of nuclear and other infrastructure as well as significant disruption of Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA.

The ministry, meanwhile, expressed gratitude for the responsible positions of China and Russia as well as Algeria and Pakistan in opposing the European abuse of the JCPOA’s “dispute mechanism.”

Last month, the countries voted against a draft resolution aimed at delaying the “snapback” mechanism, while the US and its allies vetoed it.

The statement also acknowledged South Korea’s and Guyana’s abstention in the face of the draft resolution.

It further thanked the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)’s members and the Friends of the UN Charter group for supporting termination of Resolution 2231, respectively on Thursday and late last month.

The ministry concluded the statement by reaffirming Iran’s commitment to diplomacy, while firmly defending the legitimate rights and interests of the Iranian nation, including the peaceful use of nuclear energy.