SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Nuke Experts Back Iran Deal, Call for Congressional Support
From a 'nuclear nonproliferation and security standpoint,' the framework agreement is 'a vitally important step forward,' says group of 30 nuclear scientists
Apr 06, 2015
As President Barack Obama and his aides attempt to sell the framework deal on Iran's nuclear program to members of Congress, and negotiators prepare for talks aimed at securing a more comprehensive deal with Tehran by June 30, foreign policy experts and nuclear scientists continue to herald the agreement as a "vitally important step forward" for non-proliferation and international security.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) between Iran and the P5+1 nations, announced in Switzerland last week, "comprehensively addresses the key routes by which Iran could acquire material for nuclear weapons" and "reduces the likelihood of destabilizing nuclear weapons competition in the Middle East," according to a joint statement released Monday by a group of 30 leading nuclear non-proliferation specialists, primarily from the United States.
"The framework agreement announced by the P5+1 and Iran is--from a nuclear nonproliferation and security standpoint--a vitally important step forward," the statement reads. "When implemented, it will put in place an effective, verifiable, enforceable, long-term plan to guard against the possibility of a new nuclear-armed state in the Middle East."
Its signatories, who include former United Nations Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering and executive director of the Arms Control Association Daryl Kimball, urged negotiators and policymakers to "promptly finalize the remaining technical details."
Members of the Iran Project, a non-governmental entity dedicated to improving the relationship between the U.S. and Iranian governments, echoed that call in a separate statement also issued Monday.
Acknowledging that "important, difficult, and ambiguous issues still remain," the Iran Project said the JCPA achieved key U.S. objectives including a reduction and then a limit on Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and "broad and sweeping inspections."
"In view of this hopeful progress, we call on the U.S. Congress to take no action that would impede further progress or undermine the American negotiators' efforts to complete the final comprehensive agreement on time," the statement reads. "The Congress should examine the announced framework, asking itself whether the potential for a comprehensive, verifiable accord is preferable to the current standoff with Iran or other alternatives as a means to ensure that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon."
A coalition of groups representing Arab Americans, Jewish Americans, and Iranian Americans added their voice to the mix as well.
"[W]e are especially cognizant of what this agreement may mean for the Middle East," reads a joint statement released Monday by the Arab American Institute, J Street, and the National Iranian American Council. "This deal may provide an important first step towards de-escalating regional tensions and pave the way for resolving the many conflicts that still persist. The lesson that we all must learn from these successful negotiations is that diplomacy works. This deal demonstrates that no disagreement should be so deeply entrenched that it cannot be resolved through the give and take of serious diplomacy."
Meanwhile, Win Without War's "No War With Iran" coalition compiled close to 20 newspaper editorials in support of the framework agreement.
Despite this outpouring of support, the deal still faces significant opposition from domestic and international players--as evidenced by Monday's news that a senior Israeli government minister had warned that taking military action against Iran's nuclear program was still an option.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
As President Barack Obama and his aides attempt to sell the framework deal on Iran's nuclear program to members of Congress, and negotiators prepare for talks aimed at securing a more comprehensive deal with Tehran by June 30, foreign policy experts and nuclear scientists continue to herald the agreement as a "vitally important step forward" for non-proliferation and international security.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) between Iran and the P5+1 nations, announced in Switzerland last week, "comprehensively addresses the key routes by which Iran could acquire material for nuclear weapons" and "reduces the likelihood of destabilizing nuclear weapons competition in the Middle East," according to a joint statement released Monday by a group of 30 leading nuclear non-proliferation specialists, primarily from the United States.
"The framework agreement announced by the P5+1 and Iran is--from a nuclear nonproliferation and security standpoint--a vitally important step forward," the statement reads. "When implemented, it will put in place an effective, verifiable, enforceable, long-term plan to guard against the possibility of a new nuclear-armed state in the Middle East."
Its signatories, who include former United Nations Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering and executive director of the Arms Control Association Daryl Kimball, urged negotiators and policymakers to "promptly finalize the remaining technical details."
Members of the Iran Project, a non-governmental entity dedicated to improving the relationship between the U.S. and Iranian governments, echoed that call in a separate statement also issued Monday.
Acknowledging that "important, difficult, and ambiguous issues still remain," the Iran Project said the JCPA achieved key U.S. objectives including a reduction and then a limit on Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and "broad and sweeping inspections."
"In view of this hopeful progress, we call on the U.S. Congress to take no action that would impede further progress or undermine the American negotiators' efforts to complete the final comprehensive agreement on time," the statement reads. "The Congress should examine the announced framework, asking itself whether the potential for a comprehensive, verifiable accord is preferable to the current standoff with Iran or other alternatives as a means to ensure that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon."
A coalition of groups representing Arab Americans, Jewish Americans, and Iranian Americans added their voice to the mix as well.
"[W]e are especially cognizant of what this agreement may mean for the Middle East," reads a joint statement released Monday by the Arab American Institute, J Street, and the National Iranian American Council. "This deal may provide an important first step towards de-escalating regional tensions and pave the way for resolving the many conflicts that still persist. The lesson that we all must learn from these successful negotiations is that diplomacy works. This deal demonstrates that no disagreement should be so deeply entrenched that it cannot be resolved through the give and take of serious diplomacy."
Meanwhile, Win Without War's "No War With Iran" coalition compiled close to 20 newspaper editorials in support of the framework agreement.
Despite this outpouring of support, the deal still faces significant opposition from domestic and international players--as evidenced by Monday's news that a senior Israeli government minister had warned that taking military action against Iran's nuclear program was still an option.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
As President Barack Obama and his aides attempt to sell the framework deal on Iran's nuclear program to members of Congress, and negotiators prepare for talks aimed at securing a more comprehensive deal with Tehran by June 30, foreign policy experts and nuclear scientists continue to herald the agreement as a "vitally important step forward" for non-proliferation and international security.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) between Iran and the P5+1 nations, announced in Switzerland last week, "comprehensively addresses the key routes by which Iran could acquire material for nuclear weapons" and "reduces the likelihood of destabilizing nuclear weapons competition in the Middle East," according to a joint statement released Monday by a group of 30 leading nuclear non-proliferation specialists, primarily from the United States.
"The framework agreement announced by the P5+1 and Iran is--from a nuclear nonproliferation and security standpoint--a vitally important step forward," the statement reads. "When implemented, it will put in place an effective, verifiable, enforceable, long-term plan to guard against the possibility of a new nuclear-armed state in the Middle East."
Its signatories, who include former United Nations Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering and executive director of the Arms Control Association Daryl Kimball, urged negotiators and policymakers to "promptly finalize the remaining technical details."
Members of the Iran Project, a non-governmental entity dedicated to improving the relationship between the U.S. and Iranian governments, echoed that call in a separate statement also issued Monday.
Acknowledging that "important, difficult, and ambiguous issues still remain," the Iran Project said the JCPA achieved key U.S. objectives including a reduction and then a limit on Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and "broad and sweeping inspections."
"In view of this hopeful progress, we call on the U.S. Congress to take no action that would impede further progress or undermine the American negotiators' efforts to complete the final comprehensive agreement on time," the statement reads. "The Congress should examine the announced framework, asking itself whether the potential for a comprehensive, verifiable accord is preferable to the current standoff with Iran or other alternatives as a means to ensure that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon."
A coalition of groups representing Arab Americans, Jewish Americans, and Iranian Americans added their voice to the mix as well.
"[W]e are especially cognizant of what this agreement may mean for the Middle East," reads a joint statement released Monday by the Arab American Institute, J Street, and the National Iranian American Council. "This deal may provide an important first step towards de-escalating regional tensions and pave the way for resolving the many conflicts that still persist. The lesson that we all must learn from these successful negotiations is that diplomacy works. This deal demonstrates that no disagreement should be so deeply entrenched that it cannot be resolved through the give and take of serious diplomacy."
Meanwhile, Win Without War's "No War With Iran" coalition compiled close to 20 newspaper editorials in support of the framework agreement.
Despite this outpouring of support, the deal still faces significant opposition from domestic and international players--as evidenced by Monday's news that a senior Israeli government minister had warned that taking military action against Iran's nuclear program was still an option.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.