In the wake of its defeat in its eight year war with Iraq (September 1980- Agustus 1988), Iran whose ,military capabilities already include ballistic missiles and chemical weapons, has launched a major rearmament program. Given the country’s efforts to sustain its nuclear research program throughout the Iran-Iraq war and recent reports that Iraq has revitalized its quest for nuclear arms, there is reason for concern that iran, too, will launch a secret nuclear weapons effort to avoid being caught at a strategic disadvantage. Indeed, such a program, which would likely require ten years to achieve success, might already be under way. Thus, despite iran’s adherence to the non-proliferation threaty (NPT), its nuclear activities deserve continuiting scrutiny. Background Acceding to power in late 1979 following the fall of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the revolutionary muslim fundamentalist govertment of ayatollah ruhollah Khomeini inherited a sizeable nuclear infrastructure, albeit one that...