Paper Summary:

Iran's pursuit of a nuclear option has long plagued the world of politics. Increasing evidence, including a November 2011 report by the IAEA, suggests that the Middle Eastern nation is closer than ever to going nuclear. This paper assesses the evidence against Iran and its nuclear military options, and looks at the possible responses by powers at large like the U.S., EU and China, and the response of regional governments directly affected such as Israel.

Outline:
Iran's Leverage
Diplomacy vs. Aggression

From the Paper:

"Iran's most significant deterrent in recent years has been its control of regional oil and transport routes. Iran controls the Straits of Hormuz through which nearly one-third of sea-borne oil is transported and exports oil equal to 70% of OPEC's spare capacity, leading the Wall Street Journal to refer to Iran's oil position as its "existing nuclear option".(Denning, 2011) Regional strife since the Arab Spring of 2011, however, has left questions of Mideast oil and transport largely in question, as new governments and affiliations emerge and old alliances begin to decay in the face of ongoing revolutions in the area.

"Iran also holds an extensive and comprehensive ballistic missile program. This, however, is in danger of being countermanded by U.S. plans to build a ballistic installation in Europe and Israel's plans to expand their own program. Throwing a wrench in these works is Russia, who has quite vocally protested against Washington's plans to install ballistics in Europe and even hinted at a military response to such action. Nonetheless, these new tactics on the part of the U.S. and Israel have considerably reduced what was once one of Iran's strongest deterrents."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Denning, L. (2011, November 10). Iran's Existing Nuclear Option. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/overheard/2011/11/10/irans-existing-nuclear-option/
• Hurd, E. (2011, November 02). Israel Considers Pre-Emptive Strike on Iran. Retrieved January 17, 2012, from Sky News: http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16101552
• IAEA. (2011, November 8). Iran's nuclear programme: the IAEA report. Retrieved January 19, 2012, from The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/nov/09/iran-nuclear-programme-iaea-report
• Karon, T. (2005, February 12). Why Iran Will Go Nuclear. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from Time World: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1027246-2,00.html
• Keck, Z. (2012 , January 18). Iran's Fading Deterrent Could Increase the Lure of Going Nuclear. Retrieved Janaury 20, 2012, from World Politics Review: http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/11207/irans-fading-deterrent-could-increase-the-lure-of-going-nuclear

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