JCPOA Vis-a-Vis Israel's Nuclear Weapons

Year
2018
Author(s)
T. Douglas Reilly - Los Alamos, NM
Abstract
This paper discusses the Joint Comprehensive Program Of Action (JCPOA) and Israel's nuclear weapons. It briefly discusses the history of Iran's nuclear program, and gives a detailed discussion of Israel's nuclear weapons program. If all sides adhere to the JCPOA, it will effectively prohibi Iran's possible development of nuclear explosive devises. The most important point of the JCPOA is the modification of the ARAK reactor. This agreement has been controversial and still is vehemently opposed by Israel, the GOP, and the President. Iran is today's descendent of Persia, an ancient imperial power of the Middle East. Persia was aseries of imperial dynasties centered in modern-day Iran beginning in 550 BC. The best known leader of the Empire is Alexander The Great. Before 1979, Iran was ruled by Shah Reza Pahlevi; the Shah and his Queen wanted to turn Iran into a modern western-like society. During this period Iran was a USA ally, benefited from the Atoms for Peace Program, signed and ratified (1970) the NPT, and began to develop an extensive nuclear energy program. After the 1979 Revolution, all USA and European support dried up. After the Iran-Iraq war Iran restarted nuclear research, including a clandestine and fairly advanced weapons research program.In 2003, Iran admitted such and stopped the program. Israel began a nuclear weapons development program almost immediately after its 1948 Declaration of Statehood, the first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion pushed this strongly . It was conceived in the shadow of the Holocaust, which provided the justification and motivation for the project. Without the Holocaust it's difficult to understand the depth of Ben Gurion's commitment to acquiring nuclear weapons. Israel now has the third largest nuclear weapons arsenal in the world, after the USA and Russia, according to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The paper will discuss the Apollo affair, the Dimona reactor, the Vela event, and the Samson Option; all of which are extensively covered on the Internet.