Iran Nuclear Deal

The Iran Nuclear Deal, formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was concluded on 14 July 2015 in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany — together with the European Union. It was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 on 20 July 2015.

Under the agreement, Iran committed to:

• Reducing its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by roughly 98% (to 300 kg) for 15 years.
• Capping uranium enrichment at 3.67% for 15 years.
• Cutting installed centrifuges by about two-thirds and operating only first-generation IR-1 machines at Natanz.
• Converting the Fordow facility to a research site with no enrichment.
• Redesigning the Arak heavy-water reactor so it could not produce weapons-grade plutonium.
• Accepting enhanced IAEA monitoring, including implementation of the Additional Protocol.

In return, the United States, EU, and UN lifted most nuclear-related sanctions in January 2016 on Implementation Day, unfreezing Iranian assets and permitting renewed oil exports.

On 8 May 2018, President Donald Trump announced US withdrawal from the JCPOA and reimposed secondary sanctions under a "maximum pressure" campaign. The European parties (E3) attempted to preserve the deal through the INSTEX trade mechanism, with limited success. Beginning in 2019, Iran progressively exceeded JCPOA limits — raising enrichment to 60% by 2021 and curtailing IAEA access.

Indirect talks in Vienna in 2021–2022 to restore the deal stalled, and by 2023–2024 the agreement was widely regarded as effectively dormant. Several of its core restrictions, including the UN arms embargo provisions, expired on Transition Day (October 2023) under the original sunset schedule, and the snapback mechanism in Resolution 2231 remained a contested tool among the remaining parties.