Prior to the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran pursued a uranium enrichment program and other projects that provided it with the capability to produce bomb-grade fissile material and develop nuclear weapons, if it chose to do so. Iran’s uranium enrichment program continues, but it is restricted by the nuclear deal. Iran has taken steps to breach those limits in response to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and reimposition of sanctions but maintains that it does not intend to pursue nuclear weapons. Iran’s nuclear program remains subjected to safeguards by the IAEA, including continuous surveillance at certain facilities, put in place by the JCPOA.
In 2007, Israel bombed a site in Syria that was widely assessed to be a nuclear reactor being constructed with North Korea's assistance. Syria has refused to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency's attempts to investigate.
