Chapter 5 - Case Study: The Iran Nuclear Deal

Abstract

The case of the Iranian nuclear program—including its clandestine development and the international negotiations and resulting agreement aimed at dismantling it—present a valuable study of the regional, international, and domestic dynamics that complicate discussions of nuclear proliferation and disarmament. Having been conceived under the shah as an alternative to Iran's oil economy, as well as a potential source of defense—if the need ever arose—the Iranian nuclear program became a serious source of regional and international concern following the disclosure of the Natanz enrichment facility and the Arak heavy water reactor by an Iranian dissident group in 2002. For a decade, international stakeholders attempted to curb Iran's nuclear program without success. Finally, in 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was signed between the five Security Council states and Germany. However, with the announcement in May 2018 of the United States' withdrawal from the agreement, the future of the Iranian nuclear program is once again unclear. This chapter will outline the history of the Iranian nuclear program before offering a starting point for understanding how decisions made in Tehran, Berlin, Moscow, Washington, and elsewhere over the last half century have shaped the program's trajectory.