Iran dealLeading U.S. scientists support Iran deal
Twenty-nine of leading U.S. scientists – among them Nobel laureates, nuclear weapons designers, and former White House and congressional science advisers – on Saturday sent a letter to President Barack Obama to express their support of the nuclear deal reached between the P5+1 powers and Iran, and to stress that in their professional assessment the deal “technically sound, stringent and innovative.” Most of the twenty-nine who signed the letter have held Q clearances, a top security clearance which grants its holders access to a special category of secret information related to the design of nuclear weapons. The scientists’ letter as describe as “without precedent” the deal’s explicit ban on Iran’s research on nuclear weapons “rather than only their manufacture,” as prescribed in the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Twenty-nine of leading U.S. scientists – among them Nobel laureates, nuclear weapons designers, and former White House and congressional science advisers – on Saturday sent a letter to President Barack Obama to express their support of the nuclear deal reached between the P5+1 powers and Iran, and to stress that in their professional assessment the deal“technicallysound, stringent and innovative.”
The New York Times notes that the first signature on the letter is from Richard L. Garwin, a physicist who was among the designers of the world’s first hydrogen bomb.
Most of the twenty-nine who signed the letter have held Q clearances, a top security clearance which grants its holders access to a special category of secret information related to the design of nuclear weapons.
The scientists who signed the letter offer a technical assessment of Iran’s nuclear capabilities which is more worrisome than what has been offered so far, even by the administration. They say that in their technical judgment of Iran’s nuclear capability, Iran — before scaling back its nuclear activities as part of the interim agreement which went into effect in January 2014 — was “only a few weeks” away from having fuel for nuclear weapons.
The scientists’ letter as describe as “without precedent” the deal’s explicit ban on Iran’s research on nuclear weapons “rather than only their manufacture,” as prescribed in the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The letter also notes that critics of the agreement say that after ten years, some of the limits stipulated in the agreement would expire, removing any constraints preventing Iran from potentially developing nuclear weapons. “In contrast,” the scientists’ letter says, “we find that the deal includes important long-term verification procedures that last until 2040, and others that last indefinitely.”
The letter in full:
Dear Mr.President,
As scientists and engineers with understanding of the physics and technology of nuclear power and of nuclear weapons, we congratulate you and your team on the successful completion of the negotiations in Vienna. We consider that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) the United States and its partners negotiated with Iran will advance the cause of peace and security in the Middle East and can serve as a guidepost for future non-proliferation agreements.
