Evolution of Iran's Nuclear Program: A Complex and Controversial Trajectory

Abstract

This study aims to provide a complete historical analysis of Iran's nuclear program and US efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. Understanding this issue is crucial to comprehending the current nuclear impasse. Iran’s nuclear program has been contentious over the past few decades, with its roots tracing back to the 1950s. Since the 1950s, Iran's nuclear program has gone through significant changes. This study sheds light on Iran's nuclear ambitions and examines the effectiveness of US diplomatic efforts to address the issue for peace purposes. This study employs a qualitative approach to construct the historical trajectory of Iran's nuclear program. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the Iranian nuclear issue that leadership ideologies and geostrategic shifts impacted the fate of Iran's nuclear program and US responses. Ultimately, this study underscores Iran's nuclear status from the Atom for Peace to the revolutionary phase. Iran's nuclear program underwent reactivation that eventually cut off US support and raised concerns for Iranian uranium enrichment. Furthermore, the hidden nuclear sites beyond the reach of the IAEA. Shaping the US responses to impose sanctions shaped the complex phenomenon of Iran's nuclear profile. Moreover, this study also reveals that Iran's diplomacy was based on to snapback UN sanctions mechanism, in which form of JCPOA ultimately collapsed, and Iran started to breach the JCPOA. This study also emphasizes that Iran and the US should adopt the peace process through negotiations by signing the comprehensive pacts.