Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program Institution of Learning Essay

Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program

Institution of Learning

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The interest of Iran's leaders to pursue nuclear energy technology has been active since the 1950s when the then United States President Dwight Eisenhower launched a program which was aimed at providing nuclear energy that would be used for peaceful purposes. The program made steady progress especially since Iran was receiving Western help. However, certain concerns regarding Iran's intentions began to arise and combined with the upheaval of the Islamic Revolution that followed in 1979, outside assistance ceased (Bruno, 2010). Most recently in 2002 and 2003, clandestine research into enrichment of fuel as well as conversion brought to surface the questionable ambitions of Iran as they proved to go beyond peaceful intent. Suspicion continued to deepen when in September 2009 a second uranium enrichment facility was revealed to have been constructed near Qom without the knowledge and consent of international inspectors. This paper will analyze the nuclear weapons program of Iran, the tools that the United States are using to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and recommendable strategies that would help stop Iran's nuclear weapons program.

The fears of the Western countries were confirmed in 2010 when a report was released by the IAEA detailing the potential of Iran to produce a nuclear weapon based on a number of factors including additional enrichment of fuel and presumed plans for the development of a missile-ready warhead. A liberal and pluralist look into the authority of the United States in deciding to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons would reveal the action of the United States to be unnecessary and inappropriate. Based on the fact that the United States and other western nations are conducting their nuclear energy research activities unobstructed, Iran would expect equal treatment. United States' efforts to stop Iran would reflect the intentions of America to be the only group with power in the world.

The United States, though, is justified to call for measures to be taken against Iran for failing to comply with the Safeguards Agreement that it made with the IAEA. The western countries and other countries involved in nuclear energy activities are bound by the terms and policies of the IAEA. The public controversy about the nuclear program of Iran began around 2002 when information was revealed by the National Council of Resistance on Iran proving that Iran had built nuclear related facilities at Arak and Natanz without informing the IAEA.The safeguards agreement allow for the monitoring of nuclear facilities as well as materials ensuring that they are not diverted and applied for military purposes. In the fall of 2002 investigations were began by the IAEA on the nuclear activities of Iran at Natanz and Arak and the February that followed the sites were visited by inspectors (Report by the Director General, 2009). The first resolution of the IAEA was adopted in 2003 calling on Tehran to become more cooperative with the agency in its investigations and also to suspend its activities of enriching uranium. The month that followed, Iran made an agreement with the three countries (The United Kingdom, France, and also Germany) and agreed to suspend its activities of enrichment.

In November 2009 the ElBaradei reported that Tehran still defied the demands of the council by continuing to work on its uranium enrichment program and also its heavy-water reactor program (Burr, 2009). The western nations and other states-parties to the NPT have a sole concern that Iran might be researching on nuclear weapons and enriching uranium aiming to develop nuclear weapons. Were this to take place, the security of other nations globally would be at stake hence the need to take necessary steps and ensure such activities are stopped. Additionally, if Iran continues its nuclear development activities global non-proliferation would be endangered since the weaknesses in the NPT would be exposed as well as the unwillingness or inability of the international community to ensure the NPT is enforced.

The common tools that the United States can use to stop Iran from continuing with its nuclear development activities are segregation of diplomacy, some military options, isolation, and….....