Iran & America: A Century and Counting · Episode 8 of 11 · 17 min
Axis of Evil to Stuxnet: How the Iran Nuclear Crisis Began
Iran quietly cooperated with the U.S. against the Taliban after 9/11, but President Bush's January 2002 "Axis of Evil" speech chilled any rapprochement. Later that year an exile group exposed secret enrichment and heavy-water sites, opening the nuclear crisis that dominates the rest of the story.
Who's who
- George W. Bush+2 more episodesPresident who named Iran part of an "Axis of Evil"
Where it happens
- Natanz, Iran+1 more episodeSite of a secret uranium-enrichment facility exposed in 2002
- Arak, Iran+1 more episodeSite of a heavy-water project exposed in 2002
Timeline
- 2001After 9/11, Iran quietly cooperates with the United States against the Taliban.
- January 2002Bush names Iran part of an "Axis of Evil."
- 2002An exile group exposes the Natanz enrichment site and the Arak heavy-water project.
Still debated
Whether Iran sought a bomb remains disputed. U.S. intelligence and the IAEA have long distinguished between enrichment capability and a decision to build a weapon, and intent versus leverage or latency is central to every negotiation.
← PreviousThe Reset That Never Happened: US–Iran Relations in the 1990sNext →Stuxnet: The Cyberweapon That Sabotaged Iran's Nuclear Program
