Iran and the Bomb: How Tehran Views the Nuclear Question

At The Boundary

At The Boundary
Iran and the Bomb: How Tehran Views the Nuclear Question
Jun 08, 2026 Season 4 Episode 134

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How did Iran's nuclear program evolve from a U.S.-supported initiative during the Cold War into one of the world's most contentious national security challenges?

In this episode of At the Boundary, GNSI Non-Resident Senior Fellow Manolis Priniotakis sits down with Dr. Seena Azodi, Director of the Middle East Studies MA Program at George Washington University and author of Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question.

In his studies, Dr. Azodi found a lack of information on Iran’s nuclear history and politics from the Iranian’s point of view, most being from the western perspective. The conversation in this episode will take you through his findings as he compiled this information. They will discuss the historical context, events leading up to Tehran’s decisions, and the growing tension between Iran and the United States.  

This is an excellent deep dive into Middle East affairs and nuclear strategy from two experts in their fields. 

Subscribe to At the Boundary for expert conversations on global affairs, defense strategy, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, great-power competition, and the issues shaping the future of national and international security.

Links from this episode:

“Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran and the Nuclear Question” by Dr. Sina Azodi.

The Journal of Strategic Security: Volume 19, Number 2

“Leaning Seaward: Japan as a Maritime Great Power” by Dr. Geoffrey Gresh

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At the Boundary  from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida,  features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.

A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus.

The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.

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