At the same time, the United States has not directed its fury towards other aspiring nuclear powers. It ignores that Pakistan, a country whose army is run mostly by Islamic extremists and its population provides sanctuary to Osama bin Laden, has nuclear weapons. It assisted Israel’s development of nuclear weapons, exported nuclear technology to China, offered a deal to North Korea regarding its nuclear bombs, not protested that South Korea and Taiwan have tried to enrich uranium and produce nuclear bombs, and not expressed any concerns that Brazil has refused to allow the IAEA full inspection of uranium enrichment facilities that are under construction, although Brazil provided nuclear materials to Saddam Hussein in the 1980s. Such inconsistencies have turned Iran’s nuclear energy program into a nationalist cause supported by the vast majority of Iran’s population.

International Implications

Iran’s nuclear program will not result in a nuclear arms race in the Middle East as the region is already awash in nuclear weapons. Israel, Russia, Pakistan, and India already possess nuclear weapons. Turkey is a member of NATO and protected by its nuclear weapons, and Saudi Arabia and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf are protected by the US forces there. Turkey and Egypt have recently expressed interest in acquiring nuclear reactors, but that does not imply that a race has started in the Middle East. After exhausting its oil and gas resources in an undisciplined way, it is only natural for Egypt to look for alternative energy sources. Likewise, it is prudent for Turkey to develop a nuclear energy program, given its reliance on imports of oil, gas, and electricity. If Iran is forced to abandon its nuclear fuel cycle, it will have a strong negative impact on development of NPPs as an energy source in developing countries since it will imply that the provisions of the NPT that recognize the right of all nations to make peaceful use of nuclear energy will be respected by the United States only so long as it likes the nations in question. This may lead the international community to another Iran, whereby a nation tries to hide its nuclear energy program until it is very advanced. As long as the IAEA has not found Iran in violation of its international obligations towards nuclear weapons, the global community must not give in to unreasonable pressure by those nations that use international treaties as tools to advance their and their allies’ agenda.