Iran, Nuclear Brinkmanship, and the Oval Office

Only nine countries have possessed nuclear weapons in the roughly eighty years since the US first introduced the atomic bomb to the world. Since then, a dangerous game of "will they, won't they?" has been played between these nations. The most infamous standoff was the Cold War between the US and USSR, but tension between the US and Iran has been steadily growing as Iran's nuclear weapons program surged. By early 2025, Iran had produced enough near-weapons grade uranium to fuel ten nuclear bombs, leading to the 12-Day War in June 2025. A much larger war with Iran began on February 28, 2026. In Iran, Nuclear Brinkmanship, and the Oval Office, Frederick H. Fleitz reveals how tensions got to the breaking point in early 2026, resulting in massive US and Israeli airstrikes to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear bomb. A companion to North Korea, Nuclear Brinkmanship, and the Oval Office, this book examines the history of US policy toward Iran from the Eisenhower administration to the second Trump administration and offers an analysis of the development of its nuclear weapons program despite US efforts to prevent it. Fleitz attributes this, in part, to mistakes and inconsistent strategy in US policy from administrations of both political parties. Further, he covers strategies Iran has used to advance its own nuclear aims, regardless of US—and international—policy and pressure. Offering a "resource that will help the reader, both experts and laymen, understand the state and development of Iran's nuclear weapons program," Fleitz stresses the urgency of a coherent and effective US policy that recognizes both the seriousness of nuclear threats and the global, political, and military realities that have given rise to them.