Iran Nuclear Development Expos.

For many Americans, nuclear development in Iran is seen as a bad thing. Any kind of nuclear activity in the Middle East to U.S. citizens symbolizes a loss of control and the fear that they will some how turn around and attack us with their nuclear weapons. But, we really have nothing to worry about. First of all, Iran is allied with the United States, and the U.S. was one of the first countries to encourage Iran to pursue nuclear energy. Iran doesn’t yet have the technology needed to create nuclear weapons, and, even if they did, they are too busy trying to power their nation. Finally, Iran desperately needs the energy that will come from this development.
Iran’s nuclear program has been around for more than fifty years. Starting in the 1950s, the United States sold a nuclear reactor to Iran to begin their research as a part of the “Atoms for Peace” organization. If the United States was so worried about nuclear weapons, they shouldn’t have sold Iran the technology in the first place. Iran later branched out to researching nuclear power in the 1970s. At the time, Iran planned to build twenty-two power reactors with two of them being for research. Unfortunately, the nuclear program was stopped during the Islamic revolution, and when it was finally started again, it was with significantly less help from the West. Iran now has plans for only seventeen power reactors and the same amount for research. In 1968, Iran, along with many other countries, signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This treaty was made in order to stop the spread and production of nuclear weapons. Under this treaty, the production of weapons may not be allowed, but Iran is allowed to move forward with their civilian energy program.
Iran says they are trying to establish a nuclear fuel cycle to support a civilian energy program. Why should the U.S. doubt them? Iran focuses on the enrichment of uranium which, even though it is one of the key ingredients in the making of nuclear weapons, is not enriched enough to be any kind of threat. In order to figure out the most efficient way to generate nuclear energy and enrich uranium, Iran has expanded the number of operating centrifuges and has started researching ideas for new types of centrifuges. Iran has spread their nuclear facilities around various sites so there is a lower risk of them being attacked and taken over by other groups who could be considered a threat. There is no evidence that Iran has enough nuclear materials to build a weapon. Enriched uranium plays a key role in the manufacturing of energy that the nation needs so desperately. Iran uses nuclear technology to extract usable energy from atomic nuclei by a series of small, controlled nuclear reactions. They use utility-scale reactors to heat water and produce steam. The steam is then converted into mechanical work to generate energy in a way that is efficient and relatively cheap. Nuclear plants can be used to not only produce energy, but also to desalinate water for drinking.
Some might ask: does Iran really need this nuclear energy? Surely they don’t need nuclear energy to replace fossil fuels. Many could become suspicious considering the extent of oil exporting in Iran. Iran has 16% of the world’s gas reserves and 9% of its oil reserves. Surely they can use fossil fuels like the rest of us. But the answer is no. Fifty seven out of sixty of Iran’s oil fields need repairs, upgrades, or to be repressured. Iran can’t afford to depend on oil to power their nation. It is true that Iran is the world’s sixth largest oil producer, but that could easily be reversed. Iran doesn’t produce enough gas to increase its electricity production. Research shows that Iran’s rapidly growing population would make them a leading oil importer by next year if they don’t convert to other sources of energy production. This wouldn’t be good for Iran’s economy, which depends hugely on oil to receive money from other countries. Iran relies on oil for eighty percent of its foreign currency. Research also shows that, due to Iran’s exploding population, the yearly growth of the demand for electricity is eight percent. There has been a 280% increase in energy consumption since 1980 in Iran. If Iran were able to convert to nuclear energy, they would not only be able to create more electricity, but they would also be able to make more money off of the fossil fuels that they would be able to export rather than consume. Another thing to take into account, due to the rising population, is the increased need for drinkable water. Desalinating water takes a lot of electricity. Wouldn’t it be nice if the energy that was used was not only cheaper, but it also didn’t take away from the profit of the country.
So really, what does the United States have to lose? Would it really be such a bad thing if the economy of one of our best allies in the Middle East were to have an economy that benefits from a more renewable energy source? Iran’s need of energy plays a key role in whether they use nuclear materials for weapons or for energy. I think, due to the rapid growth of the country and the signed Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it’s safe to say that the United States doesn’t have to worry about weapons of mass destruction coming from Iran. We should instead be glad that our very helpful ally is becoming more powerful and having more influence over their area of the world.