U.S.-Iran Hostility and the Pursuit of Nuclear Technology Development in the Context of the Global Energy Transition: An Integrative Analysis

This article analyzes the Iranian nuclear program, which oscillates between friendship and hostility between the United States and Iran, threatening sustainable global peacebuilding and energy transition goals. Although research has been conducted on the relationship between the two countries, the results of existing studies have not been integrated to answer questions about the implications of the issues surrounding the Iranian nuclear program for energy transition aspirations. This study analyzes the consequences of hostility between the two countries due to the Iranian political elite's pursuit of nuclear technology, thereby attempting to implement national steps toward a global energy transition. The study hypothesizes that the previously existing hostile relationship between the two countries will influence their preference for nuclear technology as a measure of energy transition. This study uses an integrative analytical approach as its data collection method. The theoretical basis of the analysis is offensive realism, which is applied from the perspective that the desire to maximize power, egoism, and fear of other states are the conditions responsible for the conflict and competition observed in the international system. The survival of the modern Iranian state in the global system underscores the reason for this behavior of political leadership in its relations with other states. In this regard, the study notes that Iran's nuclear issues do not affect the country's desire to use nuclear technology. To acquire nuclear technology, the country must meet certain criteria, including technical, social, and political ones. However, the primary emphasis is on the social and political criteria, including an effective government and a politically stable economy. The study recommends that Iran's political leadership take real and proactive steps to adopt and implement consolidating democratic principles to ensure success in achieving its goal of establishing a civilian nuclear program.