Letter from Dozens of American Scientists to Trump to Preserve the JCPOA

Thirty-seven American scientists, including several Nobel Prize winners, researchers, and former scientific advisors in the White House, have written a letter to the elected President of the United States, urging him to maintain the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Donald Trump is known as a staunch critic of the nuclear agreement. The letter was drafted by Richard Garwin, a prominent American physicist whose design was used to create the world's first hydrogen bomb. One of the main signatories of this letter is Rush Holt, the director of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which is considered the 'largest' scientific community in the world with 120,000 members. The signatories of the letter to the elected President of the United States, a copy of which was published by The New York Times, have requested him to preserve the JCPOA as it has made Iran's potential efforts to acquire a 'nuclear weapon' impossible within 'weeks' and has 'delayed' it for months. This group of American scientists and researchers, referring to international inspections and oversight of Iran's nuclear facilities, stated that they are 'confident that a sudden and surprising event in these facilities is not possible.' The summary of this letter states that the nuclear agreement has 'significantly reduced the risk of Iran suddenly producing a substantial amount' of the materials necessary for building a nuclear weapon and has also 'reduced pressure on its neighbors to pursue nuclear weapons production.' The authors and signatories of the letter referenced the agreements reached between Tehran and the six world powers and their results, reminding that the JCPOA has ended the operation of two-thirds of Iran's uranium enrichment centrifuges, over 95% of the four percent uranium has been exported, and 20% enrichment has been halted. Based on the agreement of July 14 between Iran and the P5+1 group, Tehran committed to keeping its stock of low-enriched uranium at about 300 kilograms. In line with this, Tehran exported a large portion of its uranium. In recent months, international inspectors have confirmed Tehran's compliance with the reached agreements. Mr. Trump is considered an opponent and critic of the nuclear agreement. In his remarks in April, he stated, 'I have long been focused on the numbers. I know how to make a deal. Let me tell you; this [nuclear] agreement is disastrous.' During the Republican primary campaign and also in the competition with Hillary Clinton from the Democratic Party, he repeatedly emphasized this issue. Opposition to the nuclear agreement is not limited to Donald Trump, as several other major Republican candidates have also spoken about canceling the nuclear agreement if they win the elections. Additionally, none of the representatives of this party in the United States Congress supported the agreement between the Obama administration, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany, and Iran. Critics of the nuclear agreement outside the United States, such as the Israeli Prime Minister, also believe that the JCPOA does not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, contrary to the Obama administration's stance. At the beginning of the intra-party competition to introduce candidates for the 45th presidency, Eric Trump, Mr. Trump's son, stated that his father's negative stance against the nuclear agreement was 'one of the main motivations' for him to enter the competition. The Iranian government has rejected the possibility of renegotiating the nuclear agreement. The President of that country has also emphasized that the agreement reached is not just an agreement with one country, but has been approved by the United Nations and is being monitored by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Among the main group of Trump's ministers and advisors, as reported by American media, James Mattis, the proposed Secretary of Defense, is likely opposed to the cancellation of the JCPOA. Michael Flynn, the National Security Advisor, is a staunch critic of it. The position of Rex Tillerson, the proposed Secretary of State, is not very clear. The 45th President of the United States will take office in less than 20 days.