Letter from 90 U.S. Nuclear Experts to Congress in Defense of the JCPOA

More than 90 nuclear science experts from the United States on Monday, November 8, defended the nuclear agreement with Iran, urging the U.S. Congress to support the continuation of the JCPOA and prevent the Trump administration from withdrawing from the deal. According to the New York Times, these atomic experts, including the designer of the hydrogen bomb, expressed their request in a letter addressed to leaders of both major parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. The letter includes the names of many prominent figures in U.S. science and leading physicists. In their letter, the experts stated that they believe the nuclear agreement has been effective in blocking the Islamic Republic's path to acquiring nuclear weapons, and that the U.S. Congress bears a "grave responsibility" in maintaining this agreement. The signatories requested Congress to keep the U.S. in the JCPOA, stating their perspective as "scientists who understand nuclear physics and technology and have expertise in nuclear explosion science and long-range missiles." They emphasized that by sending this letter, they have shared their "collective experience in nuclear non-proliferation" with Congress. Notable signatories include Richard Garwin, the designer of the hydrogen bomb, and Siegfried Hecker, former director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, who is known as a leading expert on international nuclear security threats. The names of all three winners of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics are also among the signatories. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is an agreement reached in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers, under which the Islamic Republic agreed to alleviate these powers' concerns regarding the potential militarization of its nuclear program in exchange for a reduction in sanctions against it. However, current U.S. President Donald Trump has described the JCPOA as "one of the worst deals" and has spoken about the possibility of the U.S. withdrawing from it. The U.S. President believes that Iran's continued missile activities and the Islamic Republic's regional policies are "inconsistent with the spirit of the nuclear agreement." Iran also accuses the U.S. of violating the JCPOA. In this context, when Iran announced on September 22 that it had tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers, Trump reacted with a tweet referencing the JCPOA, stating: "Iran has now tested a ballistic missile that can reach Israel. They are also working with North Korea; what a deal we have!" Trump also stated in announcing Washington's new strategy towards Iran on October 22 that he could not certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement with world powers. Meanwhile, Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated on November 8, after a visit to Tehran, that the agency's inspectors have no issues in fulfilling their duties in Iran and that Tehran is still adhering to its commitments. European parties to the nuclear agreement with Iran have also emphasized Iran's compliance with the agreement and have urged the U.S. to remain in the JCPOA. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson recently emphasized that he believes there is no doubt that the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, the JCPOA, will continue.