JCPOA — Short Synopsis

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, was reached in July 2015 between Iran and the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the European Union.

Purpose

The agreement sought to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon by imposing restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Key Provisions

• Enrichment: Uranium enrichment was limited to 3.67%, well below weapons-grade levels.

• Centrifuges: Iran substantially reduced the number and types of centrifuges it operated.

• Uranium stockpile: Iran agreed to limit its enriched-uranium stockpile to 300 kg.

• Fordow: Uranium enrichment was halted at the underground Fordow facility.

• Arak reactor: Iran agreed to redesign the reactor to prevent it from readily producing weapons-grade plutonium.

• Inspections: The IAEA received extensive monitoring and inspection authority.

• Sanctions relief: In return for compliance, nuclear-related U.S., UN, and European sanctions were lifted or suspended.

What Happened?

In May 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA and reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Iran subsequently exceeded several of the nuclear limits established by the agreement.

Bottom Line

The JCPOA was essentially a trade-off:

Iran accepted significant restrictions and international monitoring of its nuclear program.

In return, the other parties provided sanctions relief and economic normalization.

The agreement was intended to make it more difficult for Iran to rapidly produce enough nuclear material for a weapon while giving international inspectors greater visibility into Iran's nuclear activities.