Iran After the Bomb: How Would a Nuclear-Armed Tehran Behave?

Abstract

Iran s acquisition of nuclear weapons is not a foregone conclusion. The U.S. policy of imposing sanctions on Iran while pursuing diplomatic engagement may still dissuade the Islamic Republic from developing a nuclear weapons capability. However, that policy is not guaranteed to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis. Even an Israeli and/or U.S. military attack against Iran s nuclear facilities could not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons; it could only delay such development. Therefore, it is prudent to examine Iran s potential foreign policy, military doctrine, and support for terrorism after it has obtained nuclear weapons. This report seeks to explore how a nuclear-armed Iran would behave, if it would act aggressively, and what this would entail for the United States and its main regional allies, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Israel.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA580454

Entities

People

  • Alireza Nader

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Command And Control
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Security
  • Middle East
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • Minority Groups
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Movements
  • Political Systems
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Strategic Security Studies