How the US gave Iran its first nuclear kit 72 years ago, and then MIT trained its scientists

Just days after unprecedented U.S. airstrikes reportedly "obliterated" Iran’s key nuclear facilities, President Donald Trump warned Tehran of more attacks unless it “seeks peace.” The strikes aimed to dismantle what Washington sees as a looming nuclear threat. But ironically, the roots of Iran's nuclear ambitions trace back to the United States itself—over 70 years ago.

It Began With ‘Atoms for Peace’

Iran’s nuclear journey began in 1957 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” initiative—a program intended to promote peaceful nuclear energy worldwide. Iran, then a Western-aligned monarchy led by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was among the early recipients.


The U.S. signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Iran, and in 1967, delivered a research reactor along with highly enriched uranium to the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC). That facility, later used to extract Polonium-210 (a material with potential nuclear weapons applications), marked the first major step in Iran’s nuclear development.

Talking to the New York Times, Robert Einhorn, a former U.S. arms control official, put it bluntly: “We gave Iran its starter kit.” Back then, he said, the U.S. was “pretty promiscuous about transferring nuclear technology” and helped several allies—including Iran—enter the nuclear field.

Training the Technocrats

To build technical expertise, Iran partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1975, launching a program to train Iranian nuclear engineers. Meanwhile, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) was created to oversee the effort, and the Shah boosted its budget dramatically—from $31 million to $1 billion within a year.

Iran also struck deals with France to purchase nuclear reactors, and Germany and South Africa were tapped for additional technology and raw uranium supplies. The Shah promoted nuclear energy as a tool for modernization and national pride, despite Iran's vast oil reserves.

However, U.S. concerns grew when Iran insisted on developing its own nuclear fuel cycle. While Iran had signed the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which imposed international safeguards, suspicions about its intentions intensified—especially after it demanded the right to produce nuclear fuel domestically.

Revolution and Reversal

The 1979 Islamic Revolution abruptly halted U.S.-Iran nuclear cooperation. The new clerical leadership, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, initially shelved the nuclear program, viewing it as a relic of the Shah’s pro-Western agenda.

But the eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s changed Iran’s strategic calculations. The country resumed its nuclear work, this time looking east for help. Pakistan’s Abdul Qadeer Khan—infamous for running a global nuclear black market—supplied Iran with designs and components for uranium-enrichment centrifuges. These P-1 and P-2 models, derived from European designs, laid the foundation for Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities.

China also emerged as a key partner, supplying uranium compounds, reactors, and isotope separation technology. Chinese assistance was instrumental in building the Esfahan Nuclear Technology Center. Meanwhile, Russia helped construct the Arak Heavy Water Reactor and shared fuel rod and reactor design technologies.

A Peaceful Reactor Turned Symbolic

Today, the original U.S.-supplied reactor in Tehran still operates, though it’s no longer central to Iran’s nuclear program. It does not contribute to uranium enrichment, and its fuel is far too weak for weapons use. Yet, it stands as a powerful symbol—a reminder of when the U.S. once trusted Iran with nuclear technology.

“The Tehran reactor is a monument,” said one analyst to NYT. “Not just to scientific cooperation, but to strategic miscalculation.”

A Changing Narrative

During the Shah’s era, Iran's nuclear aspirations were praised in the West. American utility companies even ran ads featuring the Shah to promote nuclear energy safety. But by the late 1970s, U.S. policymakers began inserting stricter conditions into nuclear contracts, fearing Iran might weaponize the technology. A contract for eight American reactors was amended to bar Iran from reprocessing spent fuel without U.S. consent—a move that further strained relations.

The Islamic Revolution that followed, with its deep anti-American sentiment, ensured the U.S. reactors were never delivered. But the knowledge, infrastructure, and ambitions were already in place.

Secrets, Suspicion, and Stalemate

In the years that followed, Iran expanded its program in secret. In 2002, revelations about hidden nuclear sites at Natanz and Arak alarmed the global community. Western powers demanded Iran halt enrichment and come clean about its nuclear activities. But Tehran, now a hardened theocracy, insisted its program was for peaceful purposes.

Gary Samore, a former nuclear adviser to Presidents Clinton and Obama, argued that the real turning point was Iran’s acquisition of centrifuge technology from Pakistan—not its earlier cooperation with the U.S. “But those centrifuges were put to use by an Iranian nuclear establishment created by the U.S. decades earlier,” he told NYT.

Despite years of negotiations, threats, and military action—including the latest airstrikes—parts of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remain intact. The long-simmering standoff continues.