Nonproliferation experts push for Iran deal resurrection as talks stall
Dozens of nonproliferation experts and former officials have warned that failure to bring Iran back into compliance with the landmark accord would be "misguided, irresponsible, and dangerous."
With talks over the Iran nuclear agreement at an impasse, a group of nuclear nonproliferation experts and former government officials warned Thursday that failure to revive the deal would raise the likelihood of Iran becoming a threshold nuclear-weapon state.
The original accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), “dramatically reduces the risk posed by Iran’s nuclear program,” read the statement signed by more than 40 experts from organizations including the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Arms Control Association and the Ploughshares Fund.
The JCPOA set curbs on the purity and amount of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile in exchange for sanctions relief. Since former President Donald Trump walked away from the deal in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions, Iran has made steady advances in its nuclear program.
The signatories write that the time it would take Iran to produce enough bomb-grade uranium to build a bomb is roughly one to two weeks, down from more than a year under the JCPOA.
