JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action)
Status and Collapse
The JCPOA, agreed in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (US, UK, France, Russia, China, plus Germany), was designed to limit Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. The agreement has effectively collapsed following the US withdrawal in 2018 and the subsequent European invocation of the snapback mechanism.
- JCPOA signed: July 14, 2015, in Vienna; endorsed by UNSC Resolution 2231
- Key limits: Iran restricted to enriching uranium to 3.67% (civilian use level); limited to 300 kg LEU stockpile; centrifuge numbers capped at 5,060 IR-1 units at Natanz; Fordow converted to a research facility (no enrichment); Arak heavy water reactor core to be redesigned
- US withdrew: May 8, 2018, under Trump's first term; reimposed sanctions
- Iran's response (from July 2019): progressively exceeded JCPOA limits — enriched to 20% (January 2021) and then to 60% (April 2021)
- European snapback: France, UK, and Germany invoked the snapback mechanism on August 28, 2025, under UNSC Resolution 2231; all pre-JCPOA UN sanctions reimposed on September 27, 2025
- Current status: JCPOA is effectively defunct; Iran enriches to 60% (near weapons-grade is 90%); stockpile exceeds 9,247.6 kg of enriched uranium (May 2025 IAEA report)
● Tracked since February 19, 2026 · last seen April 16, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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