Us president donald trump has known as the 2015 nuclear deal between iran and world powers the "worst ever" and threatened to desert it.
The accord - negotiated via his predecessor, barack obama - saw iran limit its sensitive nuclear sports in trade for relief from worldwide sections.
Why does mr trump oppose it?
Media captiona timeline of what trump's said about the iran deal
Mr trump has twice refused to certify to congress that iran is complying with the agreement, however to date declined to reimpose nuclear-associated sanctions.
But, he warned in january that the us might "withdraw" from the deal on 12 may additionally - the following closing date for waiving sanctions - except congress and eu powers constant its "disastrous flaws".
He complained that the deal handiest restrained iran's nuclear sports for a fixed duration; had didn't prevent the improvement of ballistic missiles; and had exceeded iran a $100bn (£72bn) providence that it used "as a slush fund for guns, terror, and oppression" throughout the center east.
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What become agreed below the deal?
Guys work internal an uranium conversion facility in isfahan, iran (30 march 2005)photo copyrightgetty pix
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Iran restrained its sensitive nuclear sports in exchange for sanctions remedy
The joint complete course of action (jcpoa) become agreed by way of iran and the five everlasting individuals of the un security council - the usa, united kingdom, france, china and russia - plus germany (the p5+1).
The accord saw iran comply with restrict the size of its stockpile of enriched uranium - that is used to make reactor fuel, however also nuclear guns - for 15 years and the range of centrifuges set up to enhance uranium for 10 years. Iran additionally agreed to modify a heavy water facility so it could not produce plutonium suitable for a bomb.
Map displaying sites related to iran's nuclear programme
The accord turned into endorsed via safety council resolution 2231 and its implementation started on january 2016, after the worldwide atomic energy organisation (iaea) licensed that iran had fulfilled its key commitments.
Iran nuclear deal: key info
What does mr trump want 'fixed'?
The president declared in january that he would no longer waive sanctions except congress accredited an modification to legislation masking the nuclear deal, the iran nuclear agreement assessment act, that:
Demands iran permit instantaneous inspections at all websites requested by way of the iaea
Guarantees iran "by no means even comes near owning a nuclear weapon". Us officers say meaning maintaining the so-known as "smash-out time" - the time it would take iran to make a bomb if it determined to accomplish that - at a yr or more
Consists of provisions limiting iran's nuclear sports that have no expiration dates, and permitting sanctions to "snap returned" if the brand new standards are breached
Explicitly states for the primary time that iran's long-range missile and nuclear guns programmes are inseparable, and that the improvement and trying out of missiles must be subject to extreme sanctions
In april, assistant secretary of kingdom christopher ford burdened that the us changed into "not aiming to renegotiate the jcpoa, or reopen it, or exchange its phrases". As a substitute, it turned into "in search of a supplemental settlement that could in a few fashion layer upon it a chain of additional rules", he said.
What do iran and the alternative p5+1 nations say?
President hassan rouhani visits an exhibition showcasing iran's nuclear achievements in tehran (9 april 2018)picture copyrightepa
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President hassan rouhani says iran's nuclear programme might be restarted "within hours"
Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is totally peaceful, has stated it considers the jcpoa "now not renegotiable".
President hassan rouhani has stated there could be "intense consequences" if the usa reimposes sanctions. Iranian officers have stated uranium enrichment may be stepped up inside days and that the united states may want to withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (npt).
The european union has stated the cutting-edge deal is "working" and "desires to be preserved".
French president emmanuel macron shakes arms with us president donald trump on the white residence on 24 april 2018image copyrightafp
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French president emmanuel macron told mr trump he became willing to "paintings on a brand new deal"
However french president emmanuel macron said in the course of a go to to washington in april that it become "not enough" and that he became willing to "work on a new deal". Based totally on his discussions with mr trump, he stated it would "need to cowl 4 subjects":
Blockading any nuclear activity till 2025 - a length covered by way of the present day accord
Ensuring there is no iranian nuclear interest "ultimately"
Halting iran's development and checking out of ballistic missiles
Generating "a political solution to comprise" iran within the wider middle east
Russia has also stated it's miles in favour of maintaining the deal in its contemporary shape because it believes "no opportunity exists", whilst iaea chief yukiya amano has stated its failure could be a "awesome loss for nuclear verification and for multilateralism".
Will deal crumble if the us reimposes sanctions?
Iranian overseas minister mohammad javad zarif has stated the sort of flow could "amount to basically killing the deal" and that it turned into "most probably" that iran could abandon it as well. However, in concept the deal could live on if iran and the opposite parties keep to honour their commitments.
The european powers and different involved nations ought to refuse to comply with the us sanctions - worldwide co-operation become key to the previous sanctions regime that added iran to the negotiating table.
There are also questions about whether or not america may want to simply "withdraw" from the jcpoa, as mr trump has cautioned.
Media captioneu foreign policy leader federica mogherini stated iran changed into enforcing the deal
The obama management argued that the jcpoa turned into "no longer a treaty", but rather a mirrored image of "political commitments" made via iran and the p5+1.
But, the eu's overseas policy chief, federica mogherini, stated in october 2017 that no birthday party should pull out. "it isn't a bilateral settlement. It does now not belong to any single country and it is not up to any unmarried us of a to terminate it," she stated. "it is a multilateral agreement that changed into unanimously recommended with the aid of united countries safety council decision 2231."
Some have advised the us would possibly searching for to counter accusations that it is violating the resolution through citing the jcpoa's preamble, which says all parties ought to refrain from "any action inconsistent with the letter, spirit and rationale" of the deal.
Has iran complied with the deal?
International atomic energy company (iaea) inspectors and iranian technicians disconnect the connections among the twin cascades for 20%-enriched uranium manufacturing at natanz, iran, 20 january 2014image copyrightafp
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Iaea inspectors have certified that iran is enjoyable its nuclear-related commitments
The iaea has stated it has the "international's maximum strong verification regime in vicinity in iran", and its inspectors have certified 11 times considering the fact that 2016 that iran is fulfilling its nuclear-associated commitments under the jcpoa.
But, the watchdog has recorded numerous technical violations. For example, iran has two times surpassed its heavy-water production cap. In both instances, iran shipped the excess out of the country.
The iaea has also stated its inspectors have been granted get admission to to all places that they had to go to in 2017. But, they did not are looking for to go into any military web sites, which iranian officials had declared off-limits - a move the us said raised doubts over iranian compliance.
The us and eu powers also say iran has carried out ballistic missile assessments in violation of safety council resolution 2231. It "calls upon" iran now not to "adopt any pastime associated with ballistic missiles designed to be able to handing over nuclear weapons, together with launches the use of such ballistic missile generation". Iran says the missiles aren't designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Media captionisrael says mystery documents prove iran lied about nuclear programme
Israeli top minister benjamin netanyahu has accused iran of violating the jcpoa via failing to declare to the iaea that it had sought to construct a nuclear weapon. In april, he offered iranian files received via israeli intelligence, which he stated proved iran had lied when denying the existence of a secret nuclear guns programme earlier than 2003. Israel itself is broadly believed to have a nuclear arsenal, even though it has neither confirmed nor denied this.
An iranian overseas ministry professional known as mr netanyahu's presentation a "childish" stunt to influence mr trump's choice on whether to abandon the nuclear deal.
Has us kept its aspect of the deal?
Iran has accused the usa of breaching the jcpoa by way of enforcing new sanctions not without delay associated with its nuclear activities. They have got centered entities related to iran's ballistic missile programme and the modern guards, as well as alleged human rights abusers.
An iranian guy checks trade rates at a store in tehran (10 april 2018)photograph copyrightepa
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Iran's forex has slumped towards the dollar amid issues that us sanctions will resume
Iranian officials have additionally expressed frustration that the usa has kept in place a ban on direct trade with iran and policies barring iran from get entry to to the usa economic device. The restrictions had been already deterring foreign corporations from doing commercial enterprise in iran before mr trump threatened to abandon the nuclear deal.
Beneath the deal, the usa is devoted to "save you interference with the realisation of the entire advantage by using iran of the sanctions lifting" and to "chorus from any policy specially supposed to immediately and adversely have an effect on the normalisation of exchange and financial family members with iran".
Public discontent with the sluggish tempo of iran's financial restoration helped spark anti-government protests across iran at the stop of 2017.
