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 Need for Responsible AI w/ Robert Wright / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek welcome to the show journalist and author ⁠Robert Wright⁠ to talk about the potential and pitfalls of the AI revolution. They discuss how neural networks learn, the differences between predictive and generative AI, machine consciousness, job displacement, the environmental costs of data centers, how capitalism is shaping the AI race, and the need for international regulation.

Read Robert’s new book The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.

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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