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Has Iran war harmed nuclear nonproliferation efforts?

Nehal Johri
March 29, 2026

US President Donald Trump said striking Iran would stop a nuclear threat. Now, more countries are considering speeding up their own programs. Are we at the start of a new arms race?

https://p.dw.com/p/5BHxt

One of the reasons US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited for attacking Iran was destroying Tehran's ability to possess a nuclear weapon. But have they achieved that goal? 

Together with Farzan Sabet, managing researcher of the Sanctions and Sustainable Peace Hub at the Geneva Graduate Institute, we look at how close Iran really was to achieving nuclear deterrence, and why the Iran war may have reignited the nuclear arms race.

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