United States and the Iranian Nuclear Programme: A Critical History

Steven Hurst

Aug 2018 · Edinburgh University Press

About this ebook

A critical overview of American efforts to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons, from the 1950s to the presentThe first full historical overview of US efforts to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weaponsCovers the US-Iranian nuclear relationship from 1957 to the presentAnalyses the escalation of the crisis in the 21st century, placing that development in proper historical contextCritiques US policy, explaining why it failed to achieve its objectivesSteven Hurst traces the development of the Iranian nuclear weapon crisis across its historical context: from the conception of Iran's nuclear programme under the Shah to the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015. Emphasising the centrality of domestic politics in decision-making on both sides, Hurst adopts a broader perspective on the Iranian nuclear programme and explains the continued failure of the USA to halt it. He reveals how President Obama's alterations to the American strategy, accompanied by shifts in Iranian domestic politics, finally brought about a resolution.