Abstract
The Islamic revolution marked a clear turning point in the history of the modern Middle East. On a domestic level, Iran’s political, economic, and cultural independence from foreign powers was a key factor that united the different factions against the monarchy. Iran had to also free itself from its scientific and technological dependence on Western countries and from the political inheritance of the shah in order to raise its nuclear program as a symbol of scientific autarchy. This complex and lengthy process, which stretched from 1979 to 1985, slowed down the development of its nuclear activities. It was only toward the mid-1980s during the conflict with Iraq that Iranian investments in the nuclear field acquired new momentum to comply with the strategic needs of the hour.
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© 2015 Michele Gaietta
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Gaietta, M. (2015). The Impact of the Revolution (1979–89). In: The Trajectory of Iran’s Nuclear Program. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137508256_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137508256_3
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