Times letter by Sir Simon Gass. Former British ambassador to Iran and former head of the UK team negotiating the JCPoA.

Sir, Binyamin Netanyahu is anxious to persuade us that Iran was on the cusp of possessing a nuclear weapon. Leaving on one side the accuracy of that assertion, it is worth remembering that in 2015 a group of six countries, including the UK, negotiated with Iran the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) — an agreement that, if it were in force today, would restrict Iran to a mere 300kg of uranium enriched to no more than 3.67 per cent, far from the quantity or purity needed for a nuclear weapon. The agreement included an inspection regime of unprecedented intrusiveness to ensure Iran was not cheating. In return, Iran was promised relief from international economic sanctions. Israel lobbied ferociously against this deal: Netanyahu described it as “capitulation”. That lobbying helped to persuade Republican legislators to oppose the deal and contributed to President Trump’s decision to collapse it in 2017. The US never met the obligations that I heard being solemnly given to Iranian negotiators. Iran has plenty to answer for. But Israel would not be in its present position if the JCPoA was still in force.

Sir Simon Gass. Former British ambassador to Iran and former head of the UK team negotiating the JCPoA; London SE13

Letter to the Times 25 June 2025