The Council said that Iran has failed to comply with its obligations under the agreement, and that the sanctions are necessary to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

The Transition Day, which was set for 18 October 2023, was supposed to mark the end of the UN Security Council’s involvement in the nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

However, the EU Council decided to maintain the restrictive measures under its own non-proliferation regime on Iran, following the reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran has breached several key provisions of the JCPOA since 2019. The Council also cited the letter from the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the UK, who invoked the dispute resolution mechanism of the JCPOA in January 2020, and expressed their readiness to reverse their decision if Iran returns to full compliance.

On January 16, 2016, Iran's nuclear program triggered the creation of the JCPOA between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany). However, on May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany) and imposed new sanctions against Iran as of November 2018.

The sanctions that will remain in place include the designations of individuals and entities linked to Iran’s nuclear or missile programs or to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as the embargoes on arms and missiles. The Council stressed that these measures do not constitute new sanctions, and that all other sanctions that were lifted under the JCPOA will stay lifted.

The Council reaffirmed its commitment to the full implementation of the JCPOA, and called on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA and restore confidence in its peaceful nuclear intentions. The Council also reiterated its support for diplomatic efforts to preserve and strengthen the JCPOA, and urged all parties to refrain from actions that could undermine its viability.

Iran has been seeking various ways to restart talks with the other parties on its nuclear issue and revive the JCPOA. The main goals of Iran are to end the sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, access its funds frozen abroad, and resume its crude oil exports.

Iran claims that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has increased its highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months, and currently has 4,745 kilograms of enriched uranium. This is 15 times more than the amount allowed for Iran in the JCPOA.

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