United States President Donald Trump has said a nuclear agreement currently being negotiated with Iran will be \u201cfar better\u201d than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which he withdrew from in 2018 during his first term in office.<\/p>\n
The original 2015 accord took roughly two years of negotiations to reach and involved hundreds of specialists across technical and legal fields, including multiple US experts. Under it, Iran agreed to restrict the enrichment of uranium and to subject itself to inspections in exchange for the relaxation of sanctions.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n But Trump took the US out of that pact, calling it the \u201cworst deal ever\u201d. Before the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February, the US had made new demands \u2013 including additional restrictions on Tehran\u2019s nuclear programme, the restriction of its ballistic missiles programme and an end to its support for regional armed groups, primarily in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s latest remarks come amid growing uncertainty about whether a second round of talks will proceed in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, as a two-week ceasefire between the US-Israel and Iran approaches the end in just a day.<\/p>\n So, what was the JCPOA, and how did it compare to Trump\u2019s new demands?<\/p>\n On July 14, 2015, Iran reached an agreement with the European Union and six major powers \u2013 China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the US, and Germany \u2013 under which these states would roll back international economic sanctions and allow Iran greater participation in the global economy.<\/p>\n In return, Tehran committed to limiting activities that could be used to produce a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n These included reducing its stockpile of enriched uranium by about 98 percent, to less than 300kg (660lb), and capping uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent \u2013 far below weapons-grade of 90 percent, but high enough for civilian purposes such as power generation.<\/p>\n Before the JCPOA, Iran operated roughly 20,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges. Under the deal, that number was cut to a maximum of 6,104, and only older-generation machines confined to two facilities, which were subject to international monitoring.<\/p>\n Centrifuges are machines which spin to increase the concentration of the uranium-235 isotope \u2013 enrichment \u2013 in uranium, a key step towards potential bomb-making.<\/p>\n The deal also redesigned Iran\u2019s Arak heavy water reactor to prevent plutonium production and introduced one of the most intrusive inspection regimes ever implemented by the global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).<\/p>\n In exchange, Iran received relief from international sanctions which had severely damaged its economy. Billions of dollars in frozen assets were released, and restrictions on oil exports and banking were eased.<\/p>\n The deal came to halt when Trump formally withdrew Washington from the nuclear deal in 2018, a move widely criticised domestically and by foreign allies, and despite the IAEA saying Iran had complied with the agreement up to that point.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Iranian regime supports terrorism and exports violence, bloodshed and chaos across the Middle East. That is why we must put an end to Iran\u2019s continued aggression and nuclear ambitions. They have not lived up to the spirit of their agreement,\u201d he said in October 2017.<\/p>\n He reimposed crippling economic sanctions on Tehran as part of his \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d tactic. These targeted Iran\u2019s oil exports, as well as its shipping sector, banking system and other key industries.<\/p>\n The goal was to force Iran back to the negotiating table to agree to a new deal, which also included a discussion about Tehran\u2019s missile capabilities, further curbs on enrichment and more scrutiny of its nuclear programme.<\/p>\n During the JCPOA period, Iran\u2019s nuclear programme was tightly constrained and heavily monitored. The IAEA repeatedly verified that Iran was complying with the deal\u2019s terms, including one year after Trump announced the US\u2019s withdrawal from the agreement.<\/p>\n Starting in mid-2019, however, Iran began incrementally breaching the deal\u2019s limits, exceeding caps on uranium stockpiles and enrichment levels.<\/p>\n In November 2024, Iran said it would activate \u201cnew and advanced\u201d centrifuges. The IAEA confirmed that Tehran had informed the nuclear watchdog that it planned to install more than 6,000 new centrifuges to enrich uranium.<\/p>\n In December 2024, the IAEA said Iran was rapidly enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, moving closer to the 90 percent threshold needed for weapons-grade material. Most recently, in 2025, the IAEA estimated that Iran had 440kg (970lb) of 60-percent enriched uranium.<\/p>\n The US and its ally, Israel, are pushing Iran to agree to zero uranium enrichment and have accused Iran of working towards building a nuclear weapon, while providing no evidence for their claims.<\/p>\n They also want Iran\u2019s estimated 440kg stock of 60pc enriched uranium to be removed from Iran. While that is below weapons-grade, it is the point at which it becomes much faster to achieve the 90 percent enrichment needed for atomic weapons production.<\/p>\n Iran has insisted its enrichment effort is for civilian purposes only. It is a signatory to the 1970\u00a0Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons\u00a0(NPT).<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
What was the JCPOA?<\/h2>\n
What has happened to Iran\u2019s nuclear programme since the JCPOA?<\/h2>\n
What are Trump\u2019s latest demands for Iran\u2019s nuclear programme?<\/h2>\n
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