Obama-era Iran nuclear non-proliferation deal officially expires — as Trump seeks out peace deal with Tehran

Iran announced its nuclear program was free from restrictions of the 2015 non-proliferation pact with world powers that was signed by President Obama — after the deal expired on Saturday.

The decade-old Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which sought limitations on Tehran’s nuclear initiatives in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions, came to an end with the Iranian regime celebrating a possible new nuclear era.

In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry called for their nuclear program, moving forward, to be “treated in the same manner as that of any non-nuclear-weapon” state.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its unwavering commitment to diplomacy while resolutely upholding the legitimate rights and lawful interests of the Iranian nation in all fields, including the inalienable right to the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy,” the statement concluded.

Talks with European powers to revive the agreement continually failed over the years and likely were put to an end after the 12-day war in June with Israel that saw Tehran sustain devastating strikes to its nuclear facilities.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, found in June that Iran was in violation of the agreement — which Iran contested — that resulted in the reimposition of economic sanctions on Tehran, known as “snapback sanctions,” that had been lifted under the 2015 deal.

Iran denounced the US, UK, Germany and France for “undue pressures” exerted on the Islamic Republic and maintained that it never sought to weaponize their nuclear capabilities, the statement claimed.

Its Foreign Ministry also called out the US and European parties to the now expired non-proliferation pact for not abiding by the rules of the agreement.

The US withdrew from the Obama-era deal in 2018 under President Trump who claimed at the time, “Not only does the deal fail to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but it also fails to address the regime’s development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads.”

However, Trump — during his speech Monday at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament — signaled a desire to make peace with Tehran.

“It would be great if we made a peace deal with them. Wouldn’t it be nice?,” Trump told Israel’s elected leaders, The Guardian reported. “I think they want to.”