Iran's nuclear programme: from its origins to today's dispute
A week ago, Israel launched an unprecedented attack against Iran, saying the country was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, a claim Tehran has always denied.
Western powers have repeatedly expressed concerns about the rapid expansion of Iran's nuclear programme, questioning in particular the country's accelerated uranium enrichment.
The following is a recap of the main developments regarding Iran's nuclear programme, as European foreign ministers are holding nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart in Switzerland on Friday.
- 'Structured programme' -
Iran laid the foundation for its nuclear programme in the late 1950s with technical assistance from the United States, when Iran's ruling shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the US.
In 1970, Iran ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), committing it to declare its nuclear material to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
But revelations in the early 2000s about undeclared nuclear sites raised concerns. An 2011 IAEA report, collating "broadly credible" intelligence, said that at least until 2003 Iran "carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device".
- Historic accord left in tatters -
After suspending enrichment activities, Iran began talks with European and then international powers that would later culminate in a historic deal.
On July 14, 2015, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany reached an accord in Vienna.
The deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), placed significant restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief after 12 years of crisis and 21 months of protracted negotiations.
But the hard-won deal began to unravel when the US under President Donald Trump walked away from it on May 8, 2018, and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
- 'Nuclear escalation' -
Following the US withdrawal, Iran retaliated by stepping up its nuclear activities as if "a red cape had been waved in front of a bull," said Clement Therme, associate researcher at the Rasanah International Institute for Iranian Studies.
According to Therme, Iran "embarked on a strategy of escalation" in a bid to up pressure and obtain help to circumvent sanctions. But Tehran's moves were unsuccessful and came at an "exorbitant economic cost".
Iran first began enriching uranium to five percent -- breaching the limit of 3.67 percent imposed by the deal -- before it raised the enrichment levels to 20 and then to 60 percent in 2021, which is a short step from the 90 percent required for use in a weapon.
Iran has also increased its stockpiles of enriched uranium, which was set at 202.8 kilogrammes under the deal. Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile is currently believed to be more than 45 times that limit.
And Tehran has since exceeded the number of centrifuges -- the machines used to enrich uranium -- it is allowed to have while beginning to produce more material faster by using advanced models at its plants.
Efforts to revive the deal have been fruitless so far, with European-led talks on hold since summer 2022.
After Trump's return to the White House, talks between Washington and Iran and mediated by Oman resumed in April.
While the US president has voiced confidence that Iran would eventually sign a nuclear deal, Tehran has said that Israeli strikes that targeted a slew of military and nuclear sites "dealt a blow" to diplomacy.
- 'No indication' -
Faced with Iran's rapidly expanding nuclear programme, the IAEA expressed "serious concern" in its latest quarterly report at the end of May.
According to the UN agency, Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to 60 percent. It theoretically has enough near-weapons-grade material, if further refined, for more than nine bombs.
However, the manufacturing and delivering of a nuclear bomb requires many other steps, including mastering both ballistics and the miniaturisation of the nuclear charge.
The IAEA has said it currently has "no indication" of the existence of a "systematic programme" in Iran to produce a nuclear weapon.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to a Senate committee in March that Iran was not actively building a nuclear bomb.
Iran has always denied having such ambitions, regularly referring to a long-standing fatwa, or religious edict, by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prohibiting atomic weapons.
bur-anb/kym/gv
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Trump says it's 'very hard' to ask Israel to stop Iran attacks
US President Donald Trump has played down the possibility of asking Israel to halt its attacks on Iran, as the two countries continue to trade missiles.
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Morning News Bulletin 21 June 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT Iran says it is open to diplomacy, if Israel stops its attacks Two killed after Hurricane Erick makes landfall in Mexico's south Netball Australia signs a television deal with the newly launched All Women's Sports Network Iran says it is ready to consider diplomacy if Israeli aggression is stopped. Iran's Foreign Minister held talks with counterparts from France, Germany and the United Kingdom in Geneva overnight, in the first meeting with the West since conflict erupted with Israel. Following the meeting, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was open to future meetings with Europe. But he's criticised European leaders for failing to speak out against Israel's attacks in Iran. " I expressed Iran's serious concern on non-action of E3 and EU to condemn Israeli regime aggression against Iran and its threats, that Iran will continue exercising its legitimate right of self-defense against the regime and we will continue to do so as long as the atrocities continue." Hurricane Erick has made landfall in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca, killing at least two people and causing widespread destruction. The powerful storm, which was downgraded to a Category 3 before making landfall and has since weakened to a low-pressure system and has brought with it powerful winds and heavy rain in the region. Authorities say a man was electrocuted while helping with debris removal in the southern Oaxaca state. They also report that a child has died in neighbouring Guerrero state after being swept away by a swollen stream as his mother tried to carry him across in the town of San Marcos. Infrastructure has been disrupted, with 15 road sections impacted, and more than 120 thousand people without power. A new report from the Australian Council for International Development has found more than 120 Australian-run peace-building and development projects have been negatively impacted by Donald Trump's cuts to the US aid budget. The report says programs in the Indo-Pacific region were hardest hit, with $113 million worth of funding lost, closely followed by $111 million in Southeast Asia. Child-related programs encompassing education, health, nutrition, and anti-child trafficking experienced the greatest financial loss, closely followed by projects focused on climate change. ACFID's Director of Policy and Advocacy Jessica McKenzie has told SBS News the cost of the cuts is in the hundreds of millions. "$400 million worth of programming has been cut. Twenty country offices have closed, and we've seen a number of staff laid off. Just one agency had to let go of 200 local staff, not even their own staff, and they would have been single income families. And so you can imagine the flow on effects of this." The leader of the Liberals in Victoria has called for party unity after it approved a $1.5m bailout for John Pesutto. Opposition Leader Brad Battin voted to support the deal, with the money to be paid directly to Moira Deeming to settle her legal costs after the Federal Court found Mr Pesutto defamed her by implying she was associated with neo-Nazis. The former Liberal leader is set to repay it at market-rate interest. Mr Battin has denied effectively siding with Mr Pesutto by backing the loan agreement. Netball Australia has signed a television deal with the newly launched All Women's Sports Network, founded by iconic US actress Whoopi Goldberg. The multi-year agreement means the Suncorp Super Netball tournament will be broadcast to over 65 new countries across the next three years, dramatically expanding the sport's global reach and connecting new audiences to the world's best netball league. It's a boon for the sport, which hit financial troubles during the COVID-19 pandemic, making headlines for a $4 million debt before protracted pay talks with players led to Kelly Ryan's resignation as NA boss in late 2023. Super Netball balls and merchandise have been express posted to the United States, while Goldberg has shared her excitement about the partnership online. "I just think it's terrific, and I think you all are terrific. I just watched you play and I see your fans are - they're really loving you. So we want to make sure that we put you everywhere in the world so that everybody knows about you."
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Israel-Iran conflict live updates: Iran hit by earthquake amid conflict
Welcome to our live coverage of the escalating situation in the Middle East. Israel and Iran are continuing to intercept each other's drones with no end in sight to the conflict between the two nations. US President Donald Trump has said Iran has a 'maximum' two weeks to avoid possible US air strikes, indicating he could take a decision before the fortnight deadline he set a day earlier. Mr Trump told reporters that he was 'concerned' about the possibility of Iran launching attacks against Americans. 'We're always concerned about that, and we have to take them out and be very strong,' he said on Friday US time. 'You're even in danger, talking to me right now,' he told the reporter. Meanwhile, Iran was also hit by a 5.1-magnitude earthquake on Friday. While the quake 'shook' the nation, no casualties have been reported with only 'minimal damage'. Follow on for more updates.
