How the US Laid the Groundwork for Iran's Nuclear Program – The 'Atoms for Peace' Initiative

In **Tehran**, a nuclear reactor, donated by the US in the 1960s through the 'Atoms for Peace' program, remains operational for peaceful purposes.

According to the New York Times, this reactor has not been targeted by Israel's campaign to eliminate Iran's nuclear capabilities. President Eisenhower's 'Atoms for Peace' program aimed to spread nuclear technology to US allies.

Robert Einhorn, a former arms control official, stated that the US helped Iran start its nuclear program by transferring nuclear technology without much concern about nuclear proliferation at the time.

In 1967, Iran, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, received an American research reactor. The Shah, with US support, modernized Iran and invested in the nuclear program, considering it a guarantee of energy independence and a source of national pride.

Despite the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, suspicions about Pahlavi's intentions grew. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran turned to Pakistan for nuclear assistance, acquiring centrifuge devices from Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Gary Samore, a former White House official, emphasized that Iran's enrichment program originated from Pakistani technology but was built upon an Iranian nuclear establishment created by America decades earlier.