Synopsis
The Iranian nuclear crisis has dominated world politics since the beginning of the century, with the country now facing increasing diplomatic isolation, talk of military strikes against its nuclear facilities and a disastrous Middle East war. What is Iran's nuclear program all about? What is its genesis? There is little real understanding of Iran's nuclear program, in particular its history, which is now over fifty years old. This ground-breaking book is unprecedented in its scope. It argues that the history of Iran's nuclear program and the modern history of the country itself are irretrievably linked, and only by understanding one can we understand the other. From the program's beginnings under the Shah of Iran, the book details the central role of the US in the birth of nuclear Iran, and, through the relationship between the program's founder and the Shah of Iran himself, the role that nuclear weapons have played in the program since the beginning.
The author's unique access to 'the father' of Iran's nuclear program, as well as to key scientific personnel under the early Islamic Republic and to senior Iranian and Western officials at the center of today's negotiations, sheds new light on the uranium enrichment program that lies at the heart of global concerns. What emerges is a program that has, for a variety of reasons, a deep resonance to Iran. This is why it has persisted with it for over half a century in the face of such widespread opposition. Drawing on years of research across the world, David Patrikarakos has produced the most comprehensive examination of Iran's nuclear program - in all its forms to date.