How close is Iran to getting a nuclear weapon?

by Carol Simonetti

1. The path towards the JCPOA

Iranian nuclear ambitions were rooted in the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, in which chemical weapons were deeply used, and the conflict was catastrophic for both nations. Following reports of an Iraqi clandestine nuclear program, the Iranian leadership decided that a nuclear deterrent would be critical for the country’s survival. However, the first approach to nuclear technology began in the 1950s, thanks to the US Atoms for Peace program. In 1970 Iran rati