On the 18th, the Iranian side announced that the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 had officially expired on the same day. The document providing the legal framework for the Iranian nuclear agreement was no longer in force, and all restrictions and sanctions against the Iranian nuclear program at the United Nations level would also be terminated. What is Security Council Resolution 2231?

Headquarters reporter Wang Yin:The so-called Security Council Resolution 2231 is a legal document passed by the United Nations in 2015 to confirm the effectiveness of the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (Iran Nuclear Agreement) signed by Iran and China, Russia, the United States, Britain, France and Germany. Under the Iran nuclear agreement, Iran agreed to strictly limit its uranium enrichment activities and accept supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency in exchange for the gradual lifting of sanctions against Iran by the international community. Resolution 2231 is equivalent to "endorsing" the Iran nuclear agreement from the United Nations level and setting a ten-year validity period. By October 18, 2025, all nuclear-related restrictions based on the resolution will automatically terminate.

Iran¡¯s Foreign Ministry announced that all existing restrictions on Iran at the United Nations level have expired since 18 and that Iran¡¯s nuclear issue should be removed from the Security Council¡¯s agenda.

But reality is not that simple. At the end of August this year, Britain, France and Germany launched the so-called "rapid recovery of sanctions" mechanism on the grounds that Iran "failed to fulfill its obligations under the Iran nuclear agreement." Sanctions imposed on Iraq at the United Nations level between 2006 and 2010 were restored after the Security Council failed to pass a resolution to stop it within 30 days. In response, the Iranian government insists that the "rapid recovery of sanctions" mechanism has no legal effect, saying it is a political operation by European countries to follow the United States. At the same time, with Resolution 2231 expiring on the 18th, these sanctions mechanisms established under the resolution have lost legal effect.

According to Iran, starting from the 18th, institutional constraints on Iran's nuclear program at the United Nations level have come to an end. However, this does not mean that Iran has completely escaped external pressure. Unilateral sanctions against Iran by the United States and European countries still exist, covering key areas such as energy exports, financial settlement and high-tech trade. In other words,Although the United Nations has "left hand" but the U.S. West's "rope" remains tight.

On a larger level, the expiration of the resolution brings new uncertainty.For example, mutual distrust between Iran and the U.S. West has long been deeply rooted. The United States unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, followed by multiple sanctions on Iran¡¯s energy and financial system, coupled with this year¡¯s U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran¡¯s nuclear facilities, have made the situation more vulnerable.Now that the resolution expires, the United States and the West may increase pressure on Iraq or even strengthen military deterrence on the grounds that "there are no new diplomatic constraints."