WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Washington should continue to fulfill its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more than 80 leading experts on nuclear nonproliferation said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
"Since the nuclear deal was implemented in January 2016, the JCPOA has dramatically reduced the risk posed by Iran’s nuclear program and mandated unprecedented monitoring and transparency measures that make it very likely that any possible future effort by Iran to pursue nuclear weapons, even a clandestine program, would be detected promptly," the statement read.
Experts, including many academics and former US Department of State employees, expressed their concern that the administration of President Donald Trump may be looking for "false pretext" to accuse Iran of non-compliance with the accord in order "to trigger the reimposition of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran."
In July 2015, Iran, the European Union and the so-called P5+1 group of nations, comprised of the United States, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and China, signed the JCPOA, which lifts sanctions on Tehran in exchange for assurances that its nuclear program would remain peaceful.
However, the United States introduced new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program this year, prompting Tehran's criticism.