Signatories of 2015 weapons deal disagree with Trump over the effectiveness of the pact

Why Europe wants to sidestep US sanctions over Iran nuclear might

What was the 2015 nuclear agreement?

Iran and a six-nation negotiating group reached a landmark agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in July 2015, in a deal which ended 12 years of deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Struck in Vienna after nearly two years of intensive talks, the agreement limited the Iranian programme – reassuring the rest of the world that it would be unable to develop nuclear weapons – in return for sanctions relief.

At its core, the JCPOA is a straightforward bargain: Iran accepted strict limits on its nuclear programme in return for an end to sanctions that had grown up over the preceding decade. Under the deal, Iran unplugged two-thirds of its centrifuges, shipped out 98% of its enriched uranium and filled its plutonium production reactor with concrete.

All nuclear-related sanctions were lifted in January 2016, reconnecting Iran to global markets. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN body in the charge of policing the agreement, has verified 12 times since the agreement that Tehran has complied with its terms.

What changed with Donald Trump?

Donald Trump promised to “dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran” long before he was elected president in November 2016.

Trump believes the agreement is a bad deal, which falls short of addressing Iran’s regional behaviour or its missile programme. He is emboldened by a group of Iran hawks in his inner circle, such as the national security adviser, John Bolton, and the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.

Critics also say it is another example of Trump dismantling Barack Obama’s legacy – the Iran deal was his signature foreign policy achievement.

Initially Trump reluctantly waived a raft of sanctions against Iran. But in May, the US withdrew from the agreement and Trump announced he would impose “the highest level of economic sanctions” on Iran, violating an international nuclear agreement and a UN resolution, and breaking decisively with US allies in Europe.

The six major powers involved in the nuclear talks with Iran were a group known as the P5+1: the UN security council’s five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – plus Germany. The nuclear deal is also enshrined in a UN security council resolution that incorporated it into international law. Apart from the US under Trump, all other signatories have remained adamant that the agreement is working and want to keep it.

What are the new sanctions?

Trump’s first set of sanctions were reimposed in August. Those measures hit the country’s access to the dollar, gold and precious metals and the car-making sector, amid growing street protests. They were followed by a set of additional, and even more stringent measures that came into force on Monday, including an embargo on the imports of Iranian oil and sanctions on its banking sector.

In October, The UN’s international court of justice (ICJ) reprimanded the US over its reimposition of sanctions on Iran, ordering Washington to lift restrictive measures linked to humanitarian trade, food, medicine and civil aviation.

Sanctions have returned at a critical time for Iran. A combination of factors ranging from economic grievances and lack of social and political freedoms to international pressure and sanctions has put the country under unprecedented pressure.

Europe has set up a mechanism to sidestep those measures. European diplomats hope the proposed measure – known as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) – will help persuade an increasingly reluctant Iran to stay inside the deal in the hope of rescuing its economy.