PRESS RELEASE : Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) Transition Day – UK statement [October 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 October 2023.
The UK government has issued a statement on its decision to maintain nuclear and missile-related restrictions on Iran beyond JCPoA Transition Day.
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:
18 October 2023 marks ‘Transition Day’ under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), when certain restrictions on Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes are due to lift, including: 84 UN and 112 UK designations on individuals and entities involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities; and sectoral measures including arms and missile embargoes on Iran.
In response to Iran’s serious and escalating non-compliance with the JCPoA since 2019, the UK, alongside the EU, is maintaining the autonomous designations and sectoral measures, and has transferred the UN designations into our autonomous sanctions regime. The UK will therefore continue to apply these sanctions on Iran. The UK, France, and Germany (E3) jointly notified the JCPoA Coordinator of this decision on 14 September 2023.
This step is a proportionate and legitimate response to Iran’s nuclear escalation and is fully compliant with the JCPoA. The extent of Iran’s nuclear advances has no credible civilian justification. The programme poses a grave threat to international peace and security and undermines the global non-proliferation system.
The UK has also joined other states as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative today in calling Iran out for providing missile and drone technology to its partners and proxies, which endangers international stability and escalates regional tension. We and our partners remain committed to tackling Iran’s missile threat.
