Tamer Mahboub

Iran's Nuclear Motivations: Nuclear Ambiguity Tamer Mahboub

The notion of this book stems from an academic thesis submitted to the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Global Affairs, in December 2013. The goal of study was to explore the motivations that Iran may have for pursuing a nuclear weapons program. This project treats its pursuit as a hypothesis built on concerns elevated by the IAEA that Iran's nuclear program might have a military dimension. There have been debates over the reasons behind Iran?s insistence on pursuing a policy of nuclear ambiguity despite its status as a party to the NPT, the durability that makes Iran bears the considerable amount of international sanctions without giving up its policy, and Iran?s prowess in negotiating with P5+1 in over its nuclear policy without reaching any tangible consequences. Analysts and commentators believe that there are two major perceptions may inspire Iran to develop a nuclear weapon namely the deterrence against potential threats, and the goals of the Islamic revolution.