Support from a Large Group of Former U.S. National Security Experts for the JCPOA

More than a hundred former U.S. officials in the national security sector issued a statement on Monday, April 6, supporting the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA and urging the President not to withdraw from the treaty. According to the New York Times, this group of former officials and national security experts, calling themselves the 'National Coalition to Prevent a Nuclear-Armed Iran,' includes at least 50 retired generals and four former U.S. ambassadors to Israel. Among the members of this group, who consider the preservation of the JCPOA and adherence to its provisions to be in the national interest of the U.S., are Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor, Michael Hayden, former NSA director, Ryan Crocker, former diplomat, and Thomas Pickering, former Deputy Secretary of State. A significant number of the signatories of this statement are also Republican party members and allies of Donald Trump. Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany, reached an agreement in July 2015 to resolve Iran's nuclear program and lift international sanctions against Iran. Under this agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of nuclear sanctions against Tehran. However, Donald Trump, the U.S. President, has been a serious critic of the JCPOA since before his 2016 election campaign and has continued to maintain his criticisms. Following these criticisms, Mr. Trump set a deadline two months ago to address his 'deficiencies' in the JCPOA and threatened that without addressing them, he would not renew the lifting of sanctions against Iran and would withdraw from the nuclear agreement. This deadline expires on May 12, 2018. As this deadline approaches, the number of statements for and against the JCPOA continues to increase. The Deputy White House spokesperson on Monday, referring to the President's position on the nuclear agreement, warned that if the changes desired by Donald Trump are not made to this agreement, the U.S. is prepared to withdraw from the JCPOA. Alongside the Trump administration, Israel and Saudi Arabia have also firmly supported this position, and the appointment of figures such as Mike Pompeo at the State Department and John Bolton at the White House has intensified speculation that the United States is increasingly close to exiting the JCPOA. On the other side, there are groups in favor of the JCPOA, such as the signatories of the recent statement from U.S. national security experts, who argue that the U.S. will gain 'nothing' by withdrawing from the JCPOA. Members of the 'National Coalition' emphasize that UN inspectors have confirmed that the JCPOA has been effective, arguing that 'maintaining close relations with European allies' is of great importance, and these allies all support the JCPOA. The signatories of the statement also argue that withdrawing from the JCPOA would undermine the possibility of an agreement with North Korea regarding its missile and nuclear activities, as Pyongyang may conclude that 'the U.S. does not adhere to its international commitments.' Since the murmurs of the U.S. President's opposition to the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA began, Europeans have launched a campaign and have insisted on their support for this agreement in Europe and the U.S. In response to changes in the Trump administration and as the JCPOA deadline approaches, Iranian officials have also repeatedly commented on this matter and threatened to withdraw from the JCPOA. For instance, the Deputy Political Minister of Iran's Foreign Ministry warned in Esfand that if the U.S. government withdraws from the nuclear agreement, Iran will also exit the 'JCPOA.'