P5+1 Countries

The P5+1 countries are a group of world powers who are working on the Iran Nuclear Deal. The countries include the five permanent members of the United Nations security council with the addition of Germany. The U.N. security council consist of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The agreement is also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The P5+1 countries have been working to neutralize the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear activity since the discovery that Iran had an operational uranium enrichment facility in 2002. The learning of this information, combined with the existence of a heavy-water facility led the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to begin an investigation into Iran’s nuclear actives in 2003. The original group, called the EU-3, consisted of representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom. In 2006, China, Russia, and the United States joined the pact forming the P5+1. 

The creation of the P5+1 came about when an IAEA study concluded that Iran failed to uphold their end of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. New negotiations began in 2013 and were formalized and signed in 2015. The United Nations (UN) passed the first of many resolutions which imposed sanctions on Iran regarding its nuclear development.

The United States has levied several sanctions on Iran since the 1979 revolution. Some of these sanctions continue to relate to Iran’s nuclear programs. As this New York Times archive shows, the U.S. and Iran have a long history.

In November 2013, the P5+1 and Iran reached a preliminary agreement with regards to Iran's ongoing nuclear programs. Two years later, the P5+1 countries and Iran announced the initial details of an understanding which would allow Iran to enrich uranium to generate electricity. 

The 2015 agreement contained:

• Reduction of enriched uranium stockpiles allowing only 3.67% enrichment for research and civil use
• Outlined and limited the conditions for research and development of uranium enrichment at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP)
• Limit the number of centrifuges which can operate
• Require the modification of the Arak (IR-40) heavy-water facilities to produce only non-weapons grade plutonium
• Convert the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP) uranium enrichment center to research functions exclusively

The IAEA was also granted access for inspections of all non-military facilities, uranium mines, and suppliers. If Iran adhered to these conditions, then the lifting of nuclear weapons-related sanctions would occur.

In March 2018, IAEA Director Yukiya Amano announced the certification of Iran implementing its commitments to the nuclear deal. However, not everyone agreed. The surfacing of evidence in 2018 has some stating that Iran is out of JCPOA compliance. This new information shows the Islamic Republic was hiding its continued research into the production of nuclearized weapons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed.

On 30 April 2018, the United States and Israel announced their disagreement with Iran's non-disclosure to the IAEA. Under a month later, on May 8, 2018, U. S. President Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the P5+1 group. He based this decision on the lack of response from P5+1 members to strengthen the current sanctions on Tehran. Trump said the U.S. would replace previous sanctions, removed due to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement.

The weakened Accord continues in place. EU representatives say they will continue implementation as long as Iran adheres to the agreement. However, the other signatories have yet to instigate a new plan of action. The Islamic Republic of Iran say they will continue to follow the JCPOA rules and in their view, the agreement continues with the remaining members. 

Understanding the far-reaching impacts of the weakening of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is still ongoing. Iran and the U.S. have resorted to verbal challenges of military action at one another.

According to World Bank data from 2017, the Islamic Republic of Iran experiences a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.3% per year with an 8.1% annual inflation deflator. The decline in the Iranian rial (IRR) exchange rate continues today as global pressures and disagreements on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal, continue to erode the currency.