Historical Perspective on U.S. Claims About Iran's Nuclear Program

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:34:00 +0200

The article argues that U.S. hostilities toward Iran over the past four decades have been fueled by an unfounded accusation that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. While Iran's government has been criticized for supporting militant groups in the Middle East and repressing dissent internally, the article emphasizes that Iran has never developed nuclear weapons. Historically, Iran's nuclear program was initiated with U.S. encouragement under the 'Atoms for Peace' program in the 1950s and 1960s, including the provision of reactors and highly enriched uranium. Iran and the U.S. both signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968, which allowed Iran to pursue nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Following the 1978-79 Iranian Revolution, the U.S. shifted its stance and began portraying Iran's nuclear efforts as threatening. The narrative of Iran's nuclear ambitions persisted despite repeated intelligence assessments showing no evidence of a weapons program. U.S. economic san