Does Israel have nuclear weapons? Does Iran have nuclear weapons? What is Iran’s nuclear programme? What would happen if nuclear weapons were used? Should I be worried about nuclear war in the Middle East? Can the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons play a role in the Middle East crisis?

What is Iran’s nuclear programme?

Answer

Iran has several research sites, uranium mines, a research reactor and several uranium enrichment facilities. Its programme began in the 1950s with support from the U.S under the “Atoms for Peace” program. Iran has been a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1970 and so it is legally bound not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.

In 2002, Iran was accused of secretly working on the development of nuclear weapons which led to an investigation by the IAEA and a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly calling on Iran to suspend its programme. The Internationak Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded there was evidence Iran had worked on a plan for a nuclear weapon, but there was no evidence this was continuing, and U.S. intelligence has concluded that Iran abandoned plans to develop nuclear weapons in 2003.

In 2015, following talks with the five original nuclear-armed states, China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, plus Germany, Iran agreed to limitations on its nuclear programme, including the enrichment of uranium and reduce the size of its stockpile of enriched uranium, in return for the lifting of sanctions.

In 2018, then President Trump took the US out of the JCPOA deal and reimposed sanctions. In response, Iran has incrementally violated provisions of the deal in an apparent effort to put pressure on the other parties to the deal to bring the US back into compliance. Under President Biden, efforts to agree to a US return to the deal and an Iranian return to complete compliance have so far been unsuccessful.

The situation has, in fact, deteriorated sharply. In June 2025, Israel launched major airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, and the United States followed with air strikes on suspected nuclear sites Natanz, Fordow and Esfahan — actions that ICAN has condemned as illegal and a dangerous escalation undermining non-proliferation efforts. These strikes happened while both the IAEA and the CIA concluded that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons. Iran's parliament subsequently voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, restricting inspection access.