Jan 11, 2022
On December 8, 1953, President Eisenhower laid the groundwork for the international diplomacy that would create Iran's nuclear program. In his "Atoms for Peace" speech before the U.N. General Assembly, Eisenhower said the U.S. should lead the way in helping the poorer nations of the world develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes, at a time when the Cold War had many fearing the possibility of nuclear war. Nearly 70 years later, Iran and the U.S. are once again arguing over nuclear power, as the parties to the JCPOA are meeting in Vienna to attempt to restore the 2015 Obama-era accord. In this episode, historian John Ghazvinian explains why the 2015 deal may be dead, and how Atoms for Peace remains at the core of this international dispute.