BLUF: Russia-Iran Nuclear Cooperation

It is impossible to forget Operation Midnight Hammer at this summer’s outset, a covert U.S. military operation that used B-2 stealth bombers, F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning, and a submarine to strike three nuclear facilities in Iran said to be enriching uranium with the goal to create a nuclear weapon. 

Fast forward to today: Iran’s dreams of nuclear autonomy are far from over. Tehran and Moscow recently announced a deal to build four nuclear reactors inside Iran. The $25 billion agreement represents one of Iran’s largest nuclear projects to date and significantly expands cooperation with Russia in both large-scale and small-scale reactor technology.

The cooperation reflects a deepening strategic partnership between the two nations, and a direct act of defiance in the face of Western sanctions. Accused of violating the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran’s sanctions are set to renew this Saturday via the U.N.’s snapback mechanism. China is another global power that has notably joined Russia in siding with Iran and refusing to recognize these sanctions as legitimate, thereby undermining the U.N.’s ability to enforce the penalties diplomatically.

So what does this mean for us at home? Russia’s facilitation of new energy resources for Iran underscores the aid of a nation that is directly opposed to Western power, and threatens U.S. national security. The U.S. and its allies must continue to find new ways to apply economic, political, and, if necessary, kinetic force on our adversaries to ensure they don’t achieve goals of proliferation.

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