{"slug":"jcpoa-iran-deal-withdrawal","title":"Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) and Maximum Pressure Campaign","date":"2018-05-08","lastUpdated":"2020-01-03","description":"On May 8, 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — the multilateral 2015 agreement under which Iran had dismantled major portions of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The withdrawal was opposed by all other signatories (UK, France, Germany, Russia, China) and by the IAEA, which had verified Iranian compliance. Trump reimposed and expanded sanctions, triggering Iran's resumption of nuclear enrichment and a cascade of regional escalations.","summary":"The IAEA confirmed Iran was fully complying with the JCPOA when Trump withdrew. His 'maximum pressure' campaign reimposed crippling economic sanctions, including on Iran's banking system, oil exports, and humanitarian goods. Iran resumed enrichment and crossed successive JCPOA limits. The campaign ended with the assassination of IRGC General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020 and Iran further accelerating its nuclear program — ultimately leaving Iran closer to a bomb than when the deal was in force.","category":"foreign-policy","severity":"extreme","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-director-general-s-statement-on-iran","title":"IAEA verified Iran compliance before U.S. withdrawal","publisher":"International Atomic Energy Agency"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/world/middleeast/trump-iran-nuclear-deal.html","title":"Trump Withdraws U.S. From Iran Nuclear Deal","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sc13354.doc.htm","title":"UN Special Rapporteur: U.S. sanctions impede Iran's access to medicine","publisher":"UN Special Rapporteur on Iran"},{"url":"https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/jcpoa-at-a-glance","title":"The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at a Glance","publisher":"Arms Control Association"},{"url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46443672","title":"Iran nuclear deal: Key details","publisher":"BBC News"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["Iran","JCPOA","nuclear-deal","sanctions","maximum-pressure","first-term","non-proliferation"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2015-07-14","title":"JCPOA signed","summary":"The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is finalized between Iran, the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China (P5+1). Iran agrees to remove two-thirds of its centrifuges, reduce enriched uranium stocks by 98%, accept the Additional Protocol allowing intrusive IAEA inspections, and redesign its Arak heavy-water reactor. In exchange, nuclear-related sanctions are lifted."},{"date":"2016-01-16","title":"JCPOA implementation day","summary":"Iran completes its required steps; nuclear-related sanctions are lifted. The IAEA begins quarterly compliance verification."},{"date":"2018-05-08","title":"Trump withdraws from JCPOA","summary":"Over the objections of all European allies, the IAEA, and most of his own foreign policy establishment, Trump signs a presidential memorandum withdrawing the U.S. from the JCPOA and directing the reimposition of all sanctions. He calls the deal 'defective at its core.'"},{"date":"2018-11-05","title":"Sanctions reimposed — oil and banking","summary":"The second wave of U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's oil sector and banking system takes effect. Iran's oil exports plunge from 2.5 million barrels per day to under 300,000. The Iranian rial loses 60% of its value."},{"date":"2019-06-27","title":"Iran exceeds uranium stockpile limit","summary":"Iran announces it has exceeded the 300 kg enriched uranium stockpile limit set by the JCPOA — the first formal step back from the agreement. Iran frames the move as a proportional response to U.S. withdrawal and calls on Europe to implement promised sanctions relief."},{"date":"2020-01-03","title":"Soleimani assassination — Iran withdraws from remaining JCPOA limits","summary":"Following the U.S. assassination of IRGC General Qasem Soleimani, Iran announces it will no longer observe any limits under the JCPOA on its enrichment program. Iran's nuclear escalation accelerates."},{"date":"2021-01-20","title":"Biden inherits a broken deal","summary":"When Biden takes office, Iran has accumulated enough enriched uranium for approximately two nuclear weapons and operates 10 times more advanced centrifuges than when the deal was signed — making a return to the original deal terms nearly impossible to negotiate."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"UN Security Council Resolution 2231","article":"Full resolution","provision":"Endorsed the JCPOA and the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions; U.S. reimposition of sanctions violated commitments made in a UNSC resolution"},{"statute":"Convention Against Torture / ICESCR","article":"Various","provision":"Maximum pressure sanctions restricted access to medicines and humanitarian goods for Iranian civilians; UN Special Rapporteur documented sanctions impeding medical imports"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Iranian civilians denied access to medicines and humanitarian goods; the broader international non-proliferation regime; regional populations at increased risk from an accelerated Iranian nuclear program","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President of the United States","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Mike Pompeo","role":"Secretary of State","institution":"State Department"},{"name":"John Bolton","role":"National Security Advisor","institution":"National Security Council"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2020-01-03","summary":"Updated with post-Soleimani withdrawal from JCPOA limits."}]}}