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intelligence officials estimated that, in the absence of an agreement, Iran could produce enough nuclear material for a weapon in a few months. Heading into the JCPOA negotiations, U.S. The P5+1 wanted to unwind Iran’s nuclear program to the point that if Tehran decided to pursue a nuclear weapon, it would take at least one year, giving world powers time to respond. Israel explicitly opposed the agreement, calling it too lenient. Some Middle Eastern powers, such as Saudi Arabia, said they should have been consulted or included in the talks because they would be most affected by a nuclear-armed Iran. At the heart of negotiations with Iran were the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and Germany-collectively known as the P5+1.
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The JCPOA, which went into effect in January 2016, imposes restrictions on Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program. Renewed diplomacy initially seemed promising, but after stop-and-go talks, it remains unclear if the parties can come to an agreement. In 2021, President Joe Biden said the United States would return to the deal if Iran came back into compliance. Nonproliferation, Arms Control, and Disarmament departure and for deadly attacks on prominent Iranians in 2020, including one by the United States, Iran has resumed some of its nuclear activities. However, the deal has been in jeopardy since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from it in 2018. Proponents of the deal said that it would help prevent a revival of Iran’s nuclear weapons program and thereby reduce the prospects for conflict between Iran and its regional rivals, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Violates International Law
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