US Abandons Iran Nuclear Deal Amid Search for More Favorable Terms

US President Donald Trump has stated that a new nuclear agreement currently being negotiated with Iran will be “far better” than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA, which had been in place since July 14, 2015. The original accord was reached between Iran and six major powers, including the US, China, France, Russia, the UK, and Germany.

Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear activities in exchange for the relaxation of sanctions. The deal limited Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium to less than 300kg and capped uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent. In return, Tehran committed to limiting activities that could be used to produce a nuclear weapon.

Trump’s latest remarks come amid uncertainty about whether a second round of talks will proceed in Islamabad, Pakistan. The US had previously made new demands, including additional restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program and its ballistic missile capabilities.

The JCPOA was implemented after two years of negotiations involving hundreds of specialists across technical and legal fields. The deal also redesigned Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor to prevent plutonium production and introduced a highly intrusive inspection regime by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Prior to the JCPOA, Iran operated around 20,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges. Under the deal, that number was reduced to a maximum of 6,104, with only older-generation machines confined to two facilities subject to international monitoring.

The agreement also provided relief from international sanctions, releasing billions of dollars in frozen assets and easing restrictions on oil exports and banking. However, Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA in 2018, citing concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and support for terrorism.

Source: Al Jazeera