Nuclear Iran

Since the 1950s, Iran received encouragement, from the United States, to develop a nuclear energy program for peaceful purposes. Other nations, such as France and even China, assisted in the development of Iran's nuclear capability. However, Iran's war with Iraq in the 1980s gave impetus to the Iranians to develop nuclear weapons. What began as a program to bring modernity to Iran in the 1950s turned into a strategic nightmare for Israel and the United States in the 2000s. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel and threatened United States interest in the Middle East. His means of destroying Israel would presumably be through a nuclear weapon. Israel and the United States must seriously consider Ahmadinejad's rhetoric in order to develop a strategy for dealing with a nuclear-capable Iran. Israel's options for dealing with Iran include diplomacy, deterrence, and military operations. This paper explores these three options by examining the Israeli and Iranian experiences in diplomacy, deterrence, and military operations. This paper assesses the successes and failures of Israel and Iran in their experiences at diplomacy, deterrence, and military operations, as well as examines the implications to United States security interests in the region.