37 top US scientists urge Trump to abide by Iran nuclear deal

Tehran, Jan 3, IRNA - Dozens of the US top scientists wrote to President-elect Donald Trump on Monday to urge him not to dismantle the Iran deal. “We urge you to preserve this critical US strategic asset,” the US newspaper the New York Times quoted the letter as reading. The 37 signatories included Nobel laureates, veteran makers of nuclear arms, former White House science advisers and the chief executive of the world’s largest general society of scientists. According to the American newspaper, the letter was organized by Richard L. Garwin, a physicist who helped design the world’s first hydrogen bomb and has long advised Washington on nuclear weapons and arms control. During the presidential election campaign, Trump called the Iran accord “the worst deal ever negotiated.” In a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, he declared that his “No. 1 priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal” and argued that Tehran had outmaneuvered Washington in winning concessions. The letter to Trump says its objective is to “provide our assessment” of the Iran deal since it was put in effect nearly a year ago. On Jan. 16, 2016, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the technical body in Vienna that oversees the accord with teams of inspectors it has sent to Iran, gave its approval, saying Tehran had curbed its nuclear program enough to begin receiving relief from longstanding sanctions. In Monday’s letter, the scientists and nuclear experts noted that the accord takes no options off the table for Mr. Trump or any future president. Many of the 37 signatories were among the 29 who praised the accord in a letter to President Obama in August 2015, a month after the deal was signed. Less than three weeks before President-elect Donald Trump moves into the White House, Americans are skeptical he can handle some major presidential duties, a new Gallup poll reveals. Trump lags far behind Americans' confidence in Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton right before their presidential inaugurations. 'Trump prepares to take office with a majority of Americans viewing him unfavorably,' Gallup notes. 'Trump is also much less well-liked than any recent president-elect.' 44 percent believe Trump will be able to prevent major scandals in his administration, compared to an average of 76 percent who felt the same way about Obama, Bush and Clinton. 46 percent expressed confidence Trump could see the US through an international crisis, while 71 percent felt strongly that three other presidents could. 47 percent believe Trump would use military force wisely, compared to an average 76 percent who felt the same about Obama, Bush and Clinton. 53 percent expressed confidence that Trump could manage the executive branch effectively, while 81 percent felt the same about the three other presidents. 55 percent were confident Trump could effectively defend US interests abroad, compared to an average 70 percent for Obama, Bush and Clinton. 60 percent believe Trump would work effectively with Congress to get things done, while an average of 82 percent felt the same about the other three presidents. 1378/IRNA