Overview

• The United States first supplied Iran with civilian nuclear technology through Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1950s Atoms for Peace program, laying the groundwork for its modern nuclear ambitions.
• Iran’s nuclear efforts stalled after the 1979 Islamic Revolution but revived during the Iran-Iraq War with uranium enrichment support from Pakistan’s A.Q. Khan network.
• The 2015 nuclear deal capped Iran’s enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief, but its collapse in 2018 under President Trump reignited hostilities.
• In early June 2025, Israeli airstrikes struck Iranian military and nuclear sites, prompting Iran to launch missiles at Israel and drawing U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities days later.
• Diplomats are working to uphold a shaky ceasefire as leaders from the U.S., Iran and Israel seek to contain a conflict rooted in seven decades of nuclear mistrust.