Nuclear program of Iran facts for kids

Iran's nuclear program is about how the country uses nuclear energy. This energy can be used for peaceful things, like making electricity. But it can also be used to make nuclear weapons, which are very powerful and dangerous. Because of this, many countries and international groups like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) watch Iran's nuclear activities closely.

Iran has places where it does research, two uranium mines, a special research reactor, and facilities to process uranium. These include three known uranium enrichment plants.

Iran started its nuclear program in the 1950s with help from the United States. This was part of a program called "Atoms for Peace". In 1970, Iran signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This meant its nuclear activities would be checked by the IAEA. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the help from the US stopped. Iran then continued its nuclear program more secretly.

In 2002, some groups said Iran had secret nuclear activities. The IAEA started an investigation. In 2006, the United Nations Security Council asked Iran to stop its enrichment programs. This was because Iran was not fully following its NPT duties.

In 2007, the US said Iran had stopped a nuclear weapons program in 2003. But in 2011, the IAEA reported that Iran might have done experiments to design a nuclear bomb. They thought this research might have continued on a smaller scale after 2003. However, in 2018, the IAEA said they found no strong proof of nuclear weapons work after 2009.

The Bushehr I reactor started working in 2011 with Russia's help. This was a big step for Iran to produce nuclear power. Iran also planned to build more nuclear power plants and uranium mines.

In 2015, Iran signed a deal called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This deal aimed to ease worries about Iran's nuclear program. But in 2018, the US left the deal and put new sanctions on Iran. The IAEA said Iran followed the deal until 2019. After that, Iran started breaking parts of the agreement.

In 2020, the IAEA said Iran had broken the JCPOA. In 2021, Iran faced questions about its claim that its program was only for peaceful uses. This was especially true with talks about growth in satellites, missiles, and nuclear weapons. In 2022, Iran announced a plan to make 10 GWe of nuclear electricity. By October 2023, an IAEA report said Iran's uranium stockpile was 22 times over the limit agreed in 2015.

History of Iran's Nuclear Program

Early Years: 1950s to 1970s

Iran's nuclear journey began in the 1950s. The United States helped Iran start its program. This was part of President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" plan in 1957.

In 1967, the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC) was built. It was run by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). The US company American Machine and Foundry provided a 5-megawatt research reactor. This reactor used highly enriched uranium as fuel.

Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968 and approved it in 1970. This meant the IAEA could check Iran's nuclear program.

Growth and Challenges: 1970s to 1980s

In the 1970s, the Shah of Iran wanted to build many nuclear power stations. He believed oil was too valuable to burn. He planned for 23,000 megawatts of electricity from nuclear plants by 2000.

German companies started building the first plant in Bushehr in 1975. Iran also invested in a French uranium enrichment company called Eurodif. This gave Iran a share of its production. In 1976, the US even offered Iran a way to get plutonium from reactor fuel.

However, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, most international help stopped. The German company stopped work on the Bushehr project. The US also stopped sending fuel for the Tehran Research Center. Iran then decided to continue its nuclear development on its own.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Iran made agreements with France, Argentina, and Russia for nuclear help. Russia even formed a joint research group with Iran.

During the Iran–Iraq War, the Bushehr reactors were damaged by air strikes. Work on the program stopped for a while. Iran later said it thought about getting powerful weapons during the war.

Recent Developments: 1990s to 2002

In the early 1990s, Russia started working with Iran. They shared nuclear experts and technical information. In 1991, France paid back money to Iran from the Eurodif investment.

In 1992, Iran invited IAEA inspectors to visit its sites. The IAEA said everything looked peaceful. But the US pressured Argentina to cancel a sale of nuclear equipment to Iran.

In 1995, Iran signed a deal with Russia to finish the Bushehr plant. In 1996, the US convinced China to stop building a uranium conversion plant for Iran. But China gave Iran the plans, and Iran continued the work.

Key Events and IAEA Reports (2002-2015)

Early Discoveries and Concerns (2002-2006)

In 2002, a group called the National Council of Resistance of Iran revealed secret nuclear sites. These included a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz and a heavy water facility in Arak. The IAEA quickly asked to visit these sites.

In 2003, the IAEA found that Iran had not reported some sensitive activities. Iran said it had to be secret because of US pressure. The IAEA later said Iran had failed to meet its duties, but found "no evidence" of a nuclear weapons program at that time.

In 2004, Iran agreed to temporarily stop its uranium enrichment. This was a voluntary step to build trust with European countries (France, Germany, UK). But talks didn't go well. In 2005, Iran restarted its enrichment activities.

In 2006, the IAEA reported Iran to the United Nations Security Council. The Council then asked Iran to stop enrichment. Iran refused, saying it had a right to peaceful nuclear technology.

UN Security Council Actions

The UN Security Council has passed several resolutions about Iran's nuclear program. These resolutions asked Iran to stop its uranium enrichment. They also put sanctions on Iran when it refused. These sanctions aimed to stop Iran from getting nuclear and missile technologies.

IAEA Reports and Investigations (2007-2015)

The IAEA has always said it can't be sure Iran's nuclear program is fully peaceful. This is partly because Iran stopped allowing extra inspections in 2006.

In 2007, Iran and the IAEA agreed to solve remaining issues. The IAEA said it had verified that declared nuclear materials were not being used for weapons. However, questions remained about "alleged studies" related to nuclear weapons. Iran said these claims were based on "forged" documents.

In 2011, the IAEA became more worried about possible military aspects of Iran's program. They reported evidence that Iran had done experiments for a nuclear bomb until 2003. Some research might have continued after that.

In 2012, the IAEA reported that Iran was increasing its uranium enrichment. They also noted that Iran was making changes at the Parchin military site. The IAEA suspected Iran was trying to hide evidence there.

By 2015, the IAEA concluded that Iran had done activities related to nuclear explosive devices before 2003. But they found "no credible indications" of such activities after 2009. After this report, the IAEA closed its investigation into these past issues.

Recent Developments (2016-Present)

In January 2016, Iran dismantled parts of its nuclear program. This led to some international sanctions being lifted.

In 2018, it was reported that Israeli agents stole nuclear documents from Iran. These documents allegedly showed Iran's past efforts to develop nuclear weapons. This influenced the US decision to leave the JCPOA and put sanctions back on Iran.

In 2019, Iran started to break parts of the JCPOA. It increased its enriched uranium stockpile and purity. By November 2019, Iran announced it would enrich uranium to 5% at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.

In January 2020, Iran said it would no longer follow the JCPOA's limits on enrichment. In March 2020, the IAEA reported Iran had nearly tripled its enriched uranium stockpile.

In June 2020, the IAEA asked Iran to cooperate more and allow access to suspected former nuclear sites. Iran refused. In July 2020, a main centrifuge assembly facility at Natanz was damaged by sabotage.

In November 2020, Iran's top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was killed. This was seen as a setback for Iran's nuclear program.

In 2021, Iran started enriching uranium to 20% and later to 60%. The IAEA head said "only countries making bombs are reaching this level." In March 2022, Iran turned some of its enriched uranium into a form that's harder to use for weapons.

In June 2022, Iran turned off some IAEA surveillance cameras. The IAEA then criticized Iran for not explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

In February 2023, the IAEA found uranium enriched to 84% in Iran. Iran said this was an "unintended fluctuation." The US intelligence community said Iran was expanding its nuclear program.

By October 2023, Iran's uranium stockpile was estimated to be 22 times over the 2015 limit. Iran also continued to limit IAEA inspections.

Iran's Perspective on its Nuclear Program

Most Iranians support their country's nuclear program. They believe it's important for Iran to have nuclear energy. Iran says its program is only for peaceful purposes.

Iran says it had to keep some activities secret because of past sanctions. It argues that the US has tried to stop Iran from having nuclear technology. Iran also points out that the US is silent about Israel's nuclear weapons program.

Iran has offered to put limits on its nuclear program. This includes letting foreign countries be part of its nuclear operations. It has also offered to avoid making plutonium. However, the UN Security Council still wants Iran to stop all enrichment activities.

Iran believes the UN Security Council's demands are unfair. It says these demands go against its right to peaceful nuclear technology under the NPT. Iran's leaders have said they will not give in to pressure. They believe sanctions have helped Iran make progress.

Iran insists that its nuclear activities are peaceful. It argues there is no legal reason for the UN Security Council to be involved. Iran says the IAEA has not proven that its activities are linked to weapons.

International Negotiations

Iran has held many meetings with a group of six countries: China, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States. This group is called the P5+1. These meetings aim to solve concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

Talks and Agreements (2011-2015)

Negotiations restarted in 2011. Iran wanted its right to enrich uranium to be recognized. The US hinted it might accept Iran enriching uranium to 5% if there was strict international oversight.

In 2009, Iran told the IAEA it was building a second enrichment facility near Qom, called Fordow. This site was underground for protection. The US, UK, and France criticized Iran for hiding it. Iran said it was for peaceful purposes.

In 2010, Iran announced it would enrich uranium to 20% for a medical research reactor. Iran's president said they could enrich to 80% or more if needed, but they didn't intend to make a bomb.

In May 2010, Iran, Brazil, and Turkey made a deal. Iran agreed to send low-enriched uranium to Turkey for enriched fuel. But the US and EU wanted Iran to stop enrichment entirely.

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (2015)

After many talks, the Iran nuclear deal framework was reached in April 2015. The final agreement, the JCPOA, was signed on July 14, 2015. Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program and allow more inspections. In return, sanctions would be lifted.

Views on Nuclear Weapons Development

The debate over Iran's nuclear program often involves claims that Iran worked on nuclear weapons until 2003. These claims are based on information from a laptop computer. The US showed some of this information to diplomats in 2005. However, the full documents have not been given to the IAEA for independent checks. Some experts doubt the information's accuracy.

In 2007, Iran and the IAEA agreed to resolve past issues. The IAEA said most issues were resolved, except for the "Alleged Studies". Iran said these documents were fake. The IAEA said it couldn't share the full documents with Iran to protect its sources.

In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed files he said were from Tehran. He claimed they showed Iran's efforts to make nuclear weapons between 1999 and 2003. However, the IAEA repeated its 2015 report, saying it found no strong proof of nuclear weapons activity after 2009.

Nuclear Power as a Political Topic

Iran's Program and the NPT

Iran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful uses and follows the NPT. The NPT allows countries to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. However, the IAEA has said Iran did not fully follow its NPT rules in the past.

The UN Security Council has asked Iran to stop its enrichment activities. The US says that countries that don't seek nuclear weapons can get help for peaceful nuclear programs. But this must be done while following all rules. Iran argues that being asked to stop enrichment goes against its NPT rights.

Russia believes Iran has a right to enrich uranium on its own land. Some experts suggest allowing Iran to enrich uranium under strict international checks. Iranians believe their country should develop its peaceful nuclear industry.

Iran's Statements on Nuclear Deterrence

Iranian leaders say they are not trying to get nuclear weapons to protect themselves. They believe having nuclear weapons would make the Middle East less safe. They argue that nuclear bombs are from the past century and don't solve modern problems.

Iran's nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Iran would not use weapons of mass destruction. He also said Iran doesn't feel threatened by its neighbors. He believes Iran cannot match the nuclear power of countries like Russia or the US.

Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the Middle East

Iran has historically supported creating a zone free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. In 1974, Iran proposed this idea to the UN General Assembly. This was due to worries about Israel's nuclear program.

Images for kids

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  Iranian newspaper clip from 1968 reads: "A quarter of Iran's Nuclear Energy scientists are women." The photograph shows some female Iranian PhDs posing in front of Tehran's research reactor.

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  The IR-40 facility in Arak.

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  Iran-EU-3's first meeting, Sa'dabad Palace, Tehran, 21 October 2003. EU-3 ministers and Iran's top negotiator Hassan Rouhani.

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  Tehran Declaration on 21 October 2003, from right to left: Joschka Fischer, Hassan Rouhani, Dominique de Villepin and Jack Straw.

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  Gholam Reza Aghazadeh and AEOI officials with a sample of yellowcake during a public announcement on 11 April 2006 in Mashhad.

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  Catherine Ashton, P5+1 and Iran foreign ministers in Geneva negotiations.

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  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits across from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna, Austria.

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  Negotiations about Iranian Nuclear Program, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Other Officials of the P5+1 and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Iran and EU in Lausanne.