04. History of Iran's Nuclear Program

History of Iran’s Nuclear Program – I. Introduction

Several blog entries will present the history of Iran’s Nuclear Program and activities, the driving forces in Iran (from an energy perspective) toward nuclear energy, and finally how violations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty might be detected.

The West has fretted over Iran’s nuclear program and activities for many years. What really brought the discussion into focus was the announcement by the then president, Mohammad Khatami, on February 9, 2003, revealing that Iran's program and efforts for building sophisticated facilities at Natanz (located between Isfahan and Kashan in central Iran) and several other cities, would eventually produce enriched uranium. Enriched uranium contains a much greater proportion of U-235. This isotope is highly desirable for nuclear reactors, but is also essential for production of nuclear weapons. Natanz is located between Isfahan and Kashan in central Iran.

Why would Iran engage in a nuclear program, and specifically why would they announce it? These are important questions for intelligence specialists and analysts. President Mohammad Khatami’s announcement of the existence of the these facilities on Iran's television was a bit of a shock for the United States, the European Union, Russia, and Japan. A country virtually paranoid about its state secrets really seemed to have tipped its hand. What was even more surprising was Khatami’s invitation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the facilities.

Subsequently, in late February, 2003, Dr. Mohammad El Baradei, the head of IAEA, along with a team of inspectors, visited Iran. Since then, the IAEA's experts and inspectors have visited Iran several more times. A preliminary report was published in July, with a follow up report on August 26. On September 12, 2003, the IAEA gave Iran an ultimatum to reveal all the details of its nuclear activities by October 31, 2003.

The Clinton administration, the Bush administration, and apparently the Obama administration were and remain highly suspicious of Iran's nuclear program, arguing that, having vast oil and natural gas reserves, Iran hardly needs nuclear energy. The only reason to develop nuclear power for generation of electricity would be a lack of cheaper, less technically demanding resources. Given the US suspicions about Iran’s geopolitical objectives each administration since Clinton has argued that the primary purpose of Iran's nuclear program is developing nuclear weapons. I will go into these concerns in a later blog.

The European Union, Russia, and Japan are all contributing to development in Iran. The EU is negotiating extensive economic and cultural agreements. Russia is completing construction of nuclear reactors in Bushehr and hoping to build many more reactors in Iran. Japan is hoping to sign a lucrative oil agreement with Iran for developing Iran's huge Azaadegaan oil field (the largest oil field in the Middle East). Each of these has pressed Iran hard, demanding that it reveal all the secret details of its nuclear program and facilities.

IAEA safeguard agreements did not require Iran to declare the start of construction of the Natanz facility. These agreements stipulate that Iran must declare the existence of the facility at least 180 days before introducing any nuclear material. Thus, construction of the undeclared Natanz facility was not illegal. Further, the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) allows Iran to build any nuclear facility legally, including one for uranium enrichment, as long as it is intended for peaceful purposes. The NPT also allows the member states to withdraw from the agreement, subject to giving a 90 days’ notice to the IAEA, if they believe that abiding by the terms of the NPT threatens their national security (according to the NPT, their "Supreme Interest").