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Nuclear Proliferation: The Islamic Republic of Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Gawdat Bahgat
Gawdat Bahgat*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
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Abstract

Since the mid-1980s, Israel, thGawdat Bahgate United States, and other Western powers have accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons capability. Iranian officials have categorically denied these accusations and claimed that their nuclear program is designed for civilian purposes. This essay examines the history of Iran's nuclear program since the late 1950s and analyzes the forces that shape the country's nuclear policy. These forces include perception of security threats from Pakistan, Iraq, Israel, and the United States; domestic economic and political dynamics; and national pride. The following section will discuss the European and Russian stance on Iran's nuclear ambition as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency's efforts to reach a compromise that would satisfy the international community's concerns and Tehran's demands. The essay concludes with some predictions on how Iran's nuclear program is likely to evolve in the next few decades.

Type
Articles
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , September 2006 , pp. 307 - 327
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Iranian Studies 2006

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