Iran Withdraws from the Nuclear Deal

Iran withdraws from nuclear deal commitment and pledged to begin enriching uranium for its technical needs.

This comes amid a continuing escalation of tensions between Iran and the US following the death of Iran's supreme military commander, General Qasem Soleimani, in a US air strike in Baghdad.

In a statement on state television, Iran has announced that it is ending its nuclear deal from 2015.

"By taking the fifth step in reducing its commitment, the Islamic Republic of Iran eliminates the last key operational restriction it faced under the JCPOA, which is the limitation imposed on the number of centrifuges," the government statement said.

Iran will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and is ready to return to fulfilling its obligations if sanctions against the country are lifted, the statement added.

President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in May 2018, renewing tensions that reached new heights after Friday's air strike, NBC News reported.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, is an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program reached in Vienna on July 14, 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 together with the European Union.