The Middle East Policy Forum and the Elliott School Book Launch Series are proud to host Professor Sina Azodi as he debuts his new book, Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran and the Nuclear Question.

Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the most contentious issues of modern international politics. This book is the first to trace the evolution of Iran’s nuclear program in the broader context of its relationship with the United States, from the early days of total US support in the 1950s to the staunch opposition that followed the Iranian revolution, and its reconstitution.

The account covers the pivotal moments including initial meetings to pursue uranium enrichment in Iran, key internal debates, the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Donald Trump’s controversial withdrawal and the latest efforts to revive the agreement. The book shows that because the strategic logic of the nuclear program transcends the regime type, dismantling the Iranian nuclear program is not a viable policy option for the United States. Instead, the United States must learn to live with a nuclear threshold state and make it a priority to keep Iranian capacity as distant from weaponization as possible.

The research is based on American declassified documents and often marginalized Iranian primary sources including political memoirs, diplomatic correspondences, oral histories from Iranian nuclear officials, and exclusive one-on-one interviews with Iranian scientists and national security officials. The account and its findings have important implications for both scholars of nuclear non-proliferation and for policymakers.

All are invited to hear from Sina Azodi and to celebrate the release of his work. This event is open to the general public and media. For those who are interested in purchasing Iran and the Bomb, copies will be available for sale at the event.