A group of prominent Iranian-Americans has reached out to Donald Trump, urging him to keep Iran’s landmark nuclear agreement once he is sworn in as US president.



The signatories, who include artists, scientists, business leaders and pro-democracy activists, said millions of Iranians disagreed with their government on many political issues, but still backed the nuclear accord. The deal was struck between Tehran and the world’s six major powers – known as the P5+1 – in Vienna in July 2015 after nearly two years of talks.



“We all drew a sigh of relief when the P5+1 Iran nuclear deal was reached. To us, it meant ensuring that a disastrous war between the United States and Iran was avoided,” the group writes in a public letter.



“As prominent scientists and arms control experts in the United States and around the world have observed, this was a good deal because it dramatically reduced the chances of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.”



The actor Shohreh Aghdashloo, artist Shirin Neshat, writer Firoozeh Dumas and leading scholars, including the scientist Mohammadsharif Tabebordbar from Harvard University, all signed the letter, as did Ahmad Kiarostami, an entrepreneur and son of Iran’s most celebrated film-maker, Abbas Kiarostami.



Some of the signatories are considered persona non grata in Iran because they are viewed as too critical of the state. They are unable to visit their home country.



Trump’s victory has thrown the future of the deal into doubt. At one point during his campaign, he promised to “dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran”, but many believe he might instead adopt a more rigorous implementation of the agreement and tighten sanctions already in place. That could force Iran to violate the deal or make it redundant. The mood among Iranian politicians is mixed. While many Iranians fear Trump’s presidency, others see opportunities.

“While the easing of sanctions that resulted from this deal has yet to have a tangible impact on the lives of ordinary people in Iran, it has without a doubt given millions hope that the country’s economy has backed away from the edge of the cliff,” the group said. “This is precisely why we are worried about any effort to undo this agreement.”



The plea comes after a group of dissident Iranians published a letter in December claiming that Isis and Tehran “are two sides of the coin that is Islamic fundamentalist terrorism”. The dissidents called on Trump to review the nuclear deal and impose more sanctions.



“During the presidential campaign, we and millions of Iranians followed your forthright objection to the nuclear agreement reached between the Obama administration and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the dissidents wrote after congratulating Trump on his victory. “We ask the incoming administration to develop a comprehensive regime of sanctions against those Iranian officials who have violated the human rights of the Iranian people over the last four decades.”



The first letter drew loud condemnation from many Iranians, particularly those living inside the country. Prominent reformist figures, including those who have served time in prison, criticsed the letter and said its authors did not represent the majority of Iranians.



All signs suggest that the deal remains popular in Iran. Last year, candidates who supported the deal won significant gains in parliamentary elections in a sign of approval for President Hassan Rouhani’s administration. Rouhani faces re-election in May and is under pressure to show that the deal has borne fruit.



In the US, popular support for the agreement also appears high. A survey published by the University of Maryland earlier this week found nearly two-thirds of respondents wanted their government to abide by it.



“Though president-elect Trump campaigned on ripping up the deal and seeking to negotiate a better one, the majority of Americans would rather continue with the deal as long as Iran continues to comply with its terms,” said Steven Kull, the director of the University of Maryland’s public consultation programme.



A group of top scientists also wrote to Trump earlier this week, asking him to abide by the nuclear deal, the New York Times reported. “We urge you to preserve this critical US strategic asset,” they wrote. Richard L Garwin, who designed the world’s first hydrogen bomb, was among the signatories.



The latest letter asks Trump to choose diplomacy over sanctions and war. “As we witnessed over the course of the last decade, sanctions and the threat of war only serve to empower Iran’s hardliners while harming ordinary citizens who represent the backbone of any possible positive change,” the group wrote.

