Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

The **Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action** (**JCPOA**; ), 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 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States —plus Germany) together with the European Union.
The **JCPOA** talks started in November 2013 with the Joint Plan of Action. This was a temporary agreement signed by Iran and the P5+1 nations. For about 20 months, Iran and the P5+1 countries talked and talked until they made a plan for the final agreement in April 2015. Then, in July 2015, Iran and the P5+1 countries said 'yes' to the plan, which is now called the **Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)**.

The **JCPOA** was a deal where Iran agreed to take apart a large part of their nuclear program and let international inspectors check their nuclear sites more often. In return, they were promised to get rid of many of the _punishments_ (called sanctions) that other countries had placed on them. This deal was meant to ease concerns about **Iran developing nuclear weapons**, which could be dangerous for global security. By allowing more oversight and limiting their nuclear activities, Iran aimed to show that their nuclear program was _peaceful_ and _not intended for weapons_. In exchange, they expected economic benefits from lifted sanctions, such as being able to trade more freely with other nations and access to frozen assets abroad.

## Participants

The **JCPOA**, which started in **January 2016**, puts limits on Iran's nuclear activities meant for peaceful purposes. The main players in these talks were the big five countries in the **UN Security Council** (_China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States_) plus _Germany_, known together as the P5+1. The European Union (EU) was also involved.

Some countries in the Middle East, like _Saudi Arabia_, felt left out of the discussions. They believed they should have been asked to join because they would be greatly affected if Iran got nuclear weapons. Israel _strongly disagreed_ with the deal, saying it was too soft on Iran. They were worried that Iran could still secretly develop nuclear weapons, which could pose a threat to their safety.

The European countries, along with Russia and China, aimed to uphold diplomatic solutions to global conflicts and prevent nuclear proliferation. Iran, on the other hand, sought relief from economic sanctions and the ability to pursue its nuclear program for peaceful purposes, such as **energy production** and **medical research**. Throughout the negotiations, various compromises were made to address the concerns of all parties involved. These compromises formed the basis of the **JCPOA**, which was intended to _limit_ Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Some countries, like _China_ and _Germany_, hoped the **JCPOA** would make Iran _stop_ having nuclear weapons and increase trade and business opportunities with Iran. But some of Iran's nearby countries, like _Israel_, and some _American lawmakers_ didn't trust the agreement. They thought it had _big problems_. The reason for that was because they thought the agreement was _not strict enough_. Iran, as a result, could still develop nuclear weapons if it wanted to, according to them. These nuclear weapons could then be a danger to Israel, which has bad relations with Iran.

## United States Leaving the Agreement (2018)

On May 8, 2018, the United States decided to _leave_ the agreement. This happened because President Donald Trump signed a special document called a ***Presidential Memorandum***. This document instructed the government to impose even stricter sanctions on Iran. These sanctions were meant to make it harder for Iran to trade with other countries and access international resources like money and goods.

The reason behind this decision was that President Trump and some others believed that the agreement with Iran wasn't strong enough. They thought Iran could still develop nuclear weapons despite the deal. So, they wanted to put more pressure on Iran by increasing the sanctions. This move was controversial because it meant _breaking the agreement_ that had been made with Iran and other countries. It also raised concerns about the stability of international agreements and relationships between nations.

Washington and Tehran have both said they would return to the original deal, but they disagree on the steps to get there.

## Uranium Enrichment

When uranium is ***processed*** or "***enriched***," it becomes useful for nuclear purposes. This process involves increasing the amount of a specific type of uranium called U-235. This is done using machines called centrifuge<nowiki/>s, which spin really fast.

There are different levels of enrichment:
- _Low-enriched_ _uranium_, with around **3-5%** U-235, is used for making fuel for nuclear power plant<nowiki/>s.
- _Highly enriched uranium_, with over **20%** U-235, is used in special reactors for scientific research.
- _Weapons-grade uranium_ is very highly enriched, with over **90%** U-235, and is used for making nuclear weapons.

Before the agreement in 2015, Iran had two places where it enriched uranium - _Natanz_ and _Fordo_. They were running thousands of centrifuges to do this.

Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment. They could only use a specific number of centrifuges, and only the older and less efficient ones, until 2026. This was part of a deal made in 2015 to control Iran's nuclear activities.

So basically, the agreement aimed to make sure Iran didn't make _highly enriched uranium_ that could be used for nuclear weapons. It restricted the number and quality of centrifuges Iran could use for enriching uranium, helping to keep things peaceful and safe.