Nuclear missiles in Iran: should they be a subject of concern?

At the end of January, Israel launched an explosive drone attack on Isfahan, a city in Iran that boasts two missile facilities. Israel has launched multiple attacks on Iran in the past, prompted by its concern over the country’s nuclear missile program. Iran has not yet succeeded in creating a missile that could launch a nuclear weapon, but has a diverse array of over 3,000 missiles.  

Both Israel's aggression and Iran’s focus on its nuclear program can be understood through the perspective of geopolitical codes, which define how a country orients itself in a region and the world. One aspect of geopolitical codes takes into account possible threats, which are then used to inform actions to mitigate harm to a country and its allies. For Israel, the possibility of Iran gaining nuclear capabilities is a threat to its security, due to the range capability of missile attacks and Iran’s history of providing arms to state’s that are hostile towards Israel. Thus, this threat has prompted Israel to launch attacks with the ultimate goal of preventing or slowing Iran’s progress in developing nuclear technology. For Iran, developing nuclear and other weapons technology is a calculation of its own geopolitical code. Iran has supplied its allies, including Russia, with weaponry, strengthening those relations and gaining advantage in other disputes. Obtaining nuclear weapons capability can also act as a form of protection for Iran and a useful tool in geopolitical tensions. 

Nuclear weapons, and all military sectors are an element of a state’s material power, which influences geopolitical conflicts. More material power can translate into an advantage over another state. Obtaining nuclear weapons capability could disrupt the geopolitical playing field and threaten the region surrounding Iran, hence the discomfort of Israel and at times the U.S. with Iran’s nuclear weapons program. 

_{Image source:  Fars Media Corporation, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 >, via Wikimedia Commons}