45 U.S. National Security Experts Urge Trump to Withdraw from JCPOA

Reports indicate that 45 U.S. national security experts have sent a letter to Donald Trump, the President of the United States, urging him to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, based on a plan by John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, was signed in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, and the UK, along with Germany. Under this agreement, Iran suspended parts of its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting or suspension of nuclear sanctions against Tehran. This letter was published in U.S. media on Thursday, September 21. These U.S. national security experts, some of whom are high-ranking officials in the fields of nuclear non-proliferation and intelligence from previous administrations, stated in their letter that the JCPOA is a dangerous agreement because it allows Iran to pursue its nuclear weapons program during the agreement's duration. They added that this agreement has weak oversight and verification mechanisms and ignores Iran's destabilizing actions in the region. The authors of this letter emphasized that since the continuation of the JCPOA poses significant risks to U.S. security and the international community, and convincing Iran to accept an amendment to this agreement is not feasible, the only option for the U.S. is to withdraw from this agreement and initiate a comprehensive approach that addresses all of Iran's threats, including its support for terrorism and its missile program. The signatories of this letter asserted that such a strategy towards Iran should include a broad coalition of countries like Israel and other U.S. Arab allies in the Gulf. They also stated that John Bolton's plan for the U.S. to exit the JCPOA in coordination with its allies is the best way to mitigate the damage caused by the concessions Iran received during negotiations with the Obama administration. Signatories include William Boykin, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence; James Lyons, former Commander of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet; Henry Cooper, former State Department official and senior negotiator for defense and aerospace; Monfred Eimer, former Deputy for Verification and Intelligence Collection at the Agency for the Control and Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; and Douglas Feith, former Deputy Secretary of Defense. Donald Trump has heavily criticized the nuclear agreement with Iran during his election campaign, calling it one of the 'worst deals.' In this context, the U.S. President has ordered a review of policies regarding Iran and expressed doubts about Washington's adherence to this agreement on Tuesday. In his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump emphasized that the U.S. will never remain in a one-sided agreement that brings no benefit to the country. Meanwhile, Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, stated on Thursday that the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA would not damage the country's diplomatic credibility. In this context, Rouhani stated that the JCPOA will either remain with its features or be eliminated, and there will be no renegotiation. Democratic senators have called for the Trump administration to provide information on 'Iran's violations of the JCPOA.' Donald Trump has stated, 'I have made my decision regarding the JCPOA.' The President of France warned that destroying the JCPOA would be a dangerous mistake. Trump stated that the criminal regime of Iran should not be allowed to continue its destabilizing actions.