Episode Details

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on the Iran nuclear program — the story behind how it began, and how it led to war.

In this episode, we break down the origins of Iran’s nuclear program, starting with the 1953 CIA-backed coup, the rise of the Shah, and the American “Atoms for Peace” initiative that introduced nuclear technology into Iran. What began as a civilian energy partnership between the United States and Iran would eventually evolve into one of the most dangerous geopolitical conflicts in modern history.

This episode explains how Iran’s nuclear ambitions developed under the Shah, why the West supported it at the time, and how the foundations were built for a future nuclear crisis. From early reactor deals and Western cooperation to long-term strategic miscalculations, this is the beginning of a seventy-year chain of events that leads directly to the Iran war.

If you want to understand the Iran nuclear program, the roots of the Iran conflict, and how this crisis really started, this is where the story begins.

Part 2 covers the hidden rebuild after the 1979 revolution, the Iran-Iraq War, and the secret expansion that the world didn’t see — until it was too late.

Follow the show now so Part 2 appears in your feed the moment it’s released.