Weighing the Impact of Iran's Uranium Program

{
  "authors": [
    "Pierre Goldschmidt"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "NPP",
  "programs": [
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Iran"
  ],
  "topics": []
}

In The Media

Weighing the Impact of Iran's Uranium Program

By Pierre Goldschmidt

Published on Dec 11, 2007

Source: NPR's Morning Edition

The unclassified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran, released December 3, reported that Iran ended efforts to build a nuclear weapon in 2003. Yet even if Iran has, in fact, stopped these efforts, it continues to pursue uranium enrichment and other technical capabilities that could be applied to producing nuclear weapons.

The NIE did not draw a clear distinction between the intention to develop nuclear weapons and the intention to develop a nuclear weapons capability, Carnegie's Pierre Goldschmidt says.

Click here to listen to the broadcast.

About the Author

Pierre Goldschmidt

Former Nonresident Senior Associate, Nuclear Policy Program

Goldschmidt was a nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment.

Recent Work

Article
A Realistic Approach Toward a Middle East Free of WMD
- Pierre Goldschmidt
Article
Serious Deficiencies Exposed by Latest IAEA Safeguards Implementation Report
- Pierre Goldschmidt

Middle East Iran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Emissary
Trump’s State of the Union Was as Light on Foreign Policy as He Is on Strategy
The speech addressed Iran but said little about Ukraine, China, Gaza, or other global sources of tension.
Aaron David Miller
Article
Can the Gulf Cooperation Council Transcend Its Divisions?
Without structural reform, the organization, which is racked by internal rivalries, risks sliding into irrelevance.
Hesham Alghannam
Commentary
Diwan
U.S. Aims in Iran Extend Beyond Nuclear Issues
Because of this, the costs and risks of an attack merit far more public scrutiny than they are receiving.
Nicole Grajewski
Article
The Trump Administration’s Tangled Talk About Democracy Abroad
How significant are statements by senior U.S. officials about supporting democracy abroad in the context of a foreign policy led by a president focused on near-term transactional interests?
Thomas Carothers, McKenzie Carrier
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Once Neutral on the Ukraine War, Arab States Increasingly Favor Moscow
Disillusioned with the West over Gaza, Arab countries are not only trading more with Russia; they are also more willing to criticize Kyiv.
Ruslan Suleymanov

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary

Emissary

Trump’s State of the Union Was as Light on Foreign Policy as He Is on Strategy

The speech addressed Iran but said little about Ukraine, China, Gaza, or other global sources of tension.

Aaron David Miller

GCC foreign minister meeting in Kuwait City on June 2, 2025

Article

Can the Gulf Cooperation Council Transcend Its Divisions?

Without structural reform, the organization, which is racked by internal rivalries, risks sliding into irrelevance.

Hesham Alghannam

Commentary

Diwan

U.S. Aims in Iran Extend Beyond Nuclear Issues

Because of this, the costs and risks of an attack merit far more public scrutiny than they are receiving.

Nicole Grajewski

Photo of Marco Rubio speaking while Donald Trump sits beside him at the table with a row of flags behind them.

Article

The Trump Administration’s Tangled Talk About Democracy Abroad

How significant are statements by senior U.S. officials about supporting democracy abroad in the context of a foreign policy led by a president focused on near-term transactional interests?

Thomas Carothers, McKenzie Carrier

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Once Neutral on the Ukraine War, Arab States Increasingly Favor Moscow

Disillusioned with the West over Gaza, Arab countries are not only trading more with Russia; they are also more willing to criticize Kyiv.

Ruslan Suleymanov