WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE JCPOA

As Iran takes steps to implement this deal, it will receiverelief from the sanctions that we put in place because of Iran’snuclear program -- both America’s own sanctions and sanctionsimposed by the United Nations Security Council. This reliefwill be phased in. Iran must complete key nuclear steps beforeit begins to receive new sanctions relief. And over the courseof the next decade, Iran must abide by the deal beforeadditional sanctions are lifted, including five years forrestrictions related to arms, and eight years for restrictionsrelated to ballistic missiles.All of this will be memorialized and endorsed in a newUnited Nations Security Council resolution. And if Iranviolates the deal, all of these sanctions will snap back intoplace. So there’s a very clear incentive for Iran to followthrough, and there are very real consequences for a violation.That's the deal. It has the full backing of theinternational community. Congress will now have an opportunityto review the details, and my administration stands ready toprovide extensive briefings on how this will move forward.As the American people and Congress review the deal, itwill be important to consider the alternative. Consider whathappens in a world without this deal. Without this deal, thereis no scenario where the world joins us in sanctioning Iranuntil it completely dismantles its nuclear program. Nothing weknow about the Iranian government suggests that it would simplycapitulate under that kind of pressure. And the world would notsupport an effort to permanently sanction Iran intosubmission. We put sanctions in place to get a diplomaticresolution, and that is what we have done.Without this deal, there would be no agreed-uponlimitations for the Iranian nuclear program. Iran couldproduce, operate and test more and more centrifuges. Iran couldfuel a reactor capable of producing plutonium for a bomb. Andwe would not have any of the inspections that allow us to detecta covert nuclear weapons program. In other words, no deal meansno lasting constraints on Iran’s nuclear program.Such a scenario would make it more likely that othercountries in the region would feel compelled to pursue their ownnuclear programs, threatening a nuclear arms race in the mostvolatile region of the world. It would also present the UnitedStates with fewer and less effective options to prevent Iranfrom obtaining a nuclear weapon.