JCPOA

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a 2015 international agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program. It was negotiated in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 (the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany), with the European Union participating in coordination. In 2015, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 endorsed the deal and provided for its implementation.

Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to strict limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for relief from certain nuclear-related sanctions. The agreement set caps on Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and enrichment level, placed limits on the number of centrifuges, and included constraints on key facilities such as the Fordow enrichment site and the Arak heavy-water reactor. It also required Iran to redesign or repurpose certain facilities to reduce proliferation risk. Enhanced verification and transparency measures were core to the deal, with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) given expanded access, continuous monitoring at some sites, and routine inspections.

The arrangement linked sanctions relief—by the United States, the European Union, and United Nations—progressively to Iran’s compliance. A dispute-resolution mechanism and a “snap-back” provision allowed reimposition of sanctions if Iran violated its commitments or if other parties deemed violations occurred.

Since the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, the United States reimposed sanctions, and Iran began signaling steps away from certain JCPOA limits. From 2021 onward, there have been intermittent negotiations to restore the agreement, but as of 2024–2025 no final revival had been achieved. The IAEA continues to monitor Iran’s nuclear program under the framework established by the JCPOA and related arrangements.