Podcast / American Prestige / Jul 1, 2026

The History of Iran’s Nuclear Program—With Sina Azodi

Sina Azodi joins the show to trace the history of Iran’s nuclear program, from the shah and the NPT to the JCPOA, Trump, and the recent war.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

The History of Iran’s Nuclear Program w/ Sina Azodi / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Sina Azodi, assistant professor of Middle East politics and director of the Middle East Studies program at George Washington University, returns to the show to talk about Iran’s nuclear program. The group discusses the Shah’s nuclear agenda, Atoms for Peace, Iran’s signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, how the Iran-Iraq War influenced Iran’s nuclear policy, missed opportunities for diplomacy after 9/11, Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and why Biden didn’t revive the deal, and the recent war with Iran.

Grab a copy of Sina’s book Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question.

And contribute to ⁠GiveDirectly's campaign to help survivors of the earthquake in Venezuela⁠.

Note: In lieu of a news episode this week, we will be posting an interview relevant to the holiday.

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Anewspaper stall with a view of Etemad newspaper’s front page bearing a title reading in Farsi “The night of the end of the JCPOA.”

(Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images)

Sina Azodi, assistant professor of Middle East politics and director of the Middle East Studies program at George Washington University, returns to the show to talk about Iran’s nuclear program. The group discusses the shah’s nuclear agenda, Atoms for Peace; Iran’s signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; how the Iran-Iraq War influenced Iran’s nuclear policy; missed opportunities for diplomacy after 9/11; Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and why Biden didn’t revive the deal; and the recent war with Iran.

Grab a copy of Sina’s book Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question.

And contribute to ⁠GiveDirectly’s campaign to help survivors of the earthquake in Venezuela⁠.

Note: In lieu of a news episode this week, we will be posting an interview relevant to the holiday.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

The History of the Jewish Bund w/ Molly Crabapple / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek speak with artist and writer Molly Crabapple about her book on the history of the Jewish Labor Bund, Here Where We Live Is Our Country. They discuss Molly's personal connection to the story, the Pale of Settlement and Jewish emancipation, the founding of the Bund in 1897, the Bund's armed self-defense against pogroms, its fraught relationship with Lenin and the Bolsheviks, the Bund's rivalry with Zionism, the flourishing of Bundist culture in interwar Poland, and the lessons of the Bund’s story for the Jewish left today.

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is a historian of US foreign relations and is the author of, among other books, Imperialist Realism.

Derek Davison

Derek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.

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