Following a United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday, a coalition of countries, including the United States and major European powers, denounced Iranian nuclear ambitions and called on Tehran to adhere to the agreed-upon limits established nearly a decade ago. The US, its European allies, Iran, and Russia issued statements after the semiannual meeting on the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The original JCPOA signatories include Iran, the five recognized nuclear powers (the US, Russia, China, Britain, and France), and Germany. While the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under the Trump Administration, Washington pledged on Monday “to use all means necessary to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.”
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, the three Western powers still party to the agreement, expressed concerns about Iran’s recent “statements about its capacity to assemble a nuclear weapon.”
Both Iran and Russia refuted the claims and blamed the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, highlighting the continuation of harsh economic sanctions despite Iran being subject to “robust verification and monitoring” by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to a May IAEA report, Iran has more than 142 kilograms (313 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity and is rapidly approaching the 90% threshold needed to create weapons-grade material.