Iran’s Nuclear Ambition and Its Conflicts in the Pre-deal Period

This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the Iranian nuclear program and its desire to proliferate until 2015. It explores Iran's involvement in multiple protracted conflicts at regional and global levels to gain a better understanding of the factors that generally trigger its interest in nuclear proliferation. It focuses on the origins of Tehran's civilian nuclear program, which eventually raised suspicions about a potential military component. It examines the various stages of Iran's proliferation ambition, providing a detailed account of its evolution over time. Furthermore, the chapter discusses the impact of sanctions imposed by the West, with particular emphasis on the United States. It highlights Iran's determination to continue its nuclear program despite facing significant obstacles and different leadership, including both moderate and conservative factions. The analysis takes into consideration Iran's adoption of a “denial and deception” strategy, which is evaluated in the context of the three protracted conflicts in which Iran has been actively engaged. Although Iran officially maintained that its proliferation activities were for peaceful purposes, the chapter argues that Iran can be classified as a determined proliferator (Saira Khan, Nuclear Proliferation Dynamics in Protracted Conflict Regions: A Comparative Study of South Asia and the Middle East [London and Vermont: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2002]). It explores Tehran's need for a deterrent capability to address its security concerns across various fronts. Thus, the chapter provides a detailed examination of Iran's nuclear program, including its desire to proliferate until 2015. It analyzes Iran's engagement in multiple conflicts, sanctions imposed by the West, the “denial and deception” strategy, and the underlying motivations for Tehran's pursuit of a nuclear deterrent.