Iran Joins the Nuclear World?
Iran Continues Aiming for Nuclear Development with Limited Support
Sep 4, 2008
In a world where there’s already been one nuclear stand-off and enough nuclear warheads to annihilate the planet approximately 80 times over, Iran is going nuclear. The Islamic Republic of Iran is currently attempting to join the ranks of nations with nuclear weapons capability and soon the Ayatollah’s will be raining nuclear hell down on us. At least this is what much of the Western world believes.
Nuclear development in Iran, as part of “Atoms for Peace”, began during the 1950’s. The programme was supported by Western Europe and the United States until the 1979 Islamic Revolution when the Shah was removed from power. From 1979 onwards France refused to supply Iran with enriched uranium and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), under pressure from the US, refused to provide previously agreed upon assistance for post-revolution nuclear development. Many European companies also withdrew from nuclear projects and the 1979 revolution cost Iran billions in investment opportunities.
In 1980, the Iran-Iraq war officially began and in 1985 the first of many chemical attacks were launched upon Iranian cities. With the Western world failing to deter Iraq from using chemical weapons, a transformation began in Iranian Government and they ended the war in 1988, fearing United States involvement (a commercial Iranian airline was shot down in 1988 by USS Vincennes)
As a result of the Iran-Iraq war and subsequent in-fighting between Persian States, Iran decided to back its own nuclear development facilities and China and Russia aided through development of nuclear reactors and technicians. As of the turn of the millennium Iran has been actively seeking a nuclear programme and the US and Western Europe have been actively discouraging such an endeavour, fearing more violence between the Persian states.
However, Iran has maintained that its programme focuses upon nuclear development only as a means towards efficient energy. Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 and in 2003 agreed to sign an Additional Protocol as a show of cooperation after claims were made that nuclear weapons were already being produced. In six countries Arab publics have revealed that Iran should not be pressured to stop its nuclear programme and the majority of Iranians believe it will eventually provide an efficient alternative energy source.
Should Iran then have rights to their own nuclear development programme? Eight other acknowledged nations already have nuclear development in place and Iraq, Iran’s neighbour and main threat, is currently suspected of having nuclear weaponry. Account into this Iran’s history and its almost understandable they wish to deter attackers with nuclear weapons of their own. In contrast to this thinking, the Iranian Government has made frequent invitations to Persian and Western states to examine their current nuclear development and join them in a quest towards better energy. Certainly, if the Iran has any plans to destroy the world with nuclear weapons, they are hiding it well.
The moral to this story is that its all so unnecessary. Realistically, Iran is likely to downgrade nuclear operations under international pressure, especially since Iraq has claimed that they will bomb Iran rather then risk the threat of nuclear attack. However, one must acknowledge the blatant hypocrisy here where the nations shutting down this operation already have nuclear weapons and the main reason Iran wishes to produce them is simply to protect itself. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that the solution is for no-one to have nuclear weapons, but never would nations like Russia and the US give up their diplomatic leverage. Nevertheless, sleep easy, it's unlikely there’ll be an Islamic, nuclear intervention out of Iran in the near future.
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