Nuclear Scientists Urge Congress to Protect Iran Deal<br />The scientists said Mr. Trump’s objections could be addressed without a renegotiation, which their letter called an "unrealistic objective." Their letter reflected the intense lobbying underway in Congress by supporters<br />and opponents of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which lifted many sanctions on Iran in return for its verifiable promises of peaceful nuclear work.<br />While the scientists did not dispute Mr. Trump’s objections, they emphasized<br />that under the accord, severe restrictions on Iran’s supply of uranium remain in place through 2030, surveillance of Iran’s uranium-enriching centrifuges remains through 2035, and surveillance of uranium mines and mills through 2040.<br />30, 2017<br />More than 90 top American experts in atomic sciences, including a designer of the hydrogen bomb, publicly threw their weight behind<br />the Iran nuclear agreement on Monday, exhorting Congress to preserve the accord in the face of President Trump’s disavowal of it.<br />More than 20 former government officials and experts on Iran signed<br />that statement, including Elliott Abrams, Robert G. Joseph and Mary Beth Long, who held high-ranking positions on security and defense under President George W. Bush’s administration; and Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director general at the International Atomic Energy Agency.<br />In a letter to Senate and House leaders of both parties<br />that emphasized the "momentous responsibilities" Congress bears regarding the agreement, the scientists asserted that the accord was effective in blocking Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon.
