Iran Nuclear Chronology
Events in history of Iran's nuclear program, which it claims is purely peaceful, since it first came to light.
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Iranian exiles say that Tehran has built a vast uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and a heavy water plant at Arak without informing the United Nations.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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Construction work begins on Iran's first nuclear reactor at the Bushehr power plant.
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The existence of sites at Natanz and Arak is confirmed by satellite photographs. The U.S. accuses Tehran of "across-the-board pursuit of weapons of mass destruction". Iran agrees to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA).
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Iranian President Mohammed Khatami reveals that Iran has unearthed uranium deposits and announces plans to develop a nuclear fuel cycle. IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei travels to Iran with a team of inspectors to begin probing Tehran's nuclear plans.
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IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei accuses Iran of not revealing the extent of its nuclear work, and urges leaders to sign up for more intrusive inspections.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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Traces of highly enriched weapons-grade uranium found at Natanz.
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More enriched uranium discovered, prompting urgent calls for Iran to sign a voluntary protocol formalizing a tougher inspection regime.
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After meeting French, German and British foreign ministers, Tehran agrees to stop producing enriched uranium and formally decides to sign the Additional Protocol. No evidence is produced to confirm the end of enrichment.
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ElBaradei says there is "no evidence" that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. The U.S. disagrees.
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Iran signs the protocol at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, is reported to have sold Iran nuclear weapons technology.
IAEA report says Iran experimented with polonium-210, which can be used to trigger the chain reaction in a nuclear bomb. Iran did not explain the experiments. Iran again agrees to suspend enrichment, but again does not.
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Tehran is criticized by the IAEA for trying to import magnets for centrifuges and for not offering "full, timely and pro-active" co-operation with inspectors.
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IAEA orders Iran to stop preparations for a large-scale uranium enrichment. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell labels Iran a growing danger and calls for the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions. Iran says it has resumed large-scale conversion of uranium ore into gas.
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President Mohammad Khatami says no Iranian government will give up nuclear technology program.
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Iran announces plans to resume uranium conversion at Isfahan.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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European Union states warn that any resumption of conversion would end negotiations linked to trade and economic issues. Iran agrees to wait for detailed proposals from the Europeans at the end of July.
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Hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is installed as Iranian president, as Tehran pledges an "irreversible" resumption of enrichment. Iran resumes sensitive fuel cycle work at its uranium conversion facility near Isfahan.
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A study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies concludes that Iran is still several years away from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.
Speaking before the U.N. General Assembly, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his country has an "inalienable right" to produce nuclear fuel.
The IAEA passes a resolution setting Iran up for referral to the U.N. Security Council at a later date, on the grounds of Tehran's non-compliance with international nuclear safeguards.
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Iran removes U.N. seals at Natanz enrichment plant and resumes nuclear fuel research.
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IAEA votes to report Iran to U.N. Security Council. Iran ends snap U.N. nuclear inspections the next day. Ten days later Iran restarts small-scale feeding of uranium gas into centrifuges at Natanz after suspension for more than 2 years.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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IAEA report to U.N. Security Council says it cannot verify Iran's atomic activities are peaceful.
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Iran announces, and IAEA confirms, it has produced low-grade enriched uranium suitable for use in power stations.
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U.N. Security Council demands Iran suspend its nuclear activities by Aug. 31. In a resolution, council for first time makes legally binding demands on Iran and threatens sanctions.
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IAEA announces Iran has not met deadline to suspend its program and has resumed enriching uranium.
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Russia and Iran agree on a start-up date of September 2007 for Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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A confidential IAEA report says Iran is pushing ahead with uranium enrichment and still stonewalling investigations by the agency despite the risk of sanctions. The report also says Iran has started up a second experimental chain of 164 interlinked centrifuge machines and has begun feeding uranium UF6 gas into them for enrichment.
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U.N. Security Council votes to impose sanctions and gives the country 60 days to suspend uranium enrichment. Iran calls the resolution an illegal measure.
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Iran says it has barred entry to 38 IAEA inspectors after hardliners demanded retaliation for sanctions.
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Russia announces a delay in work on the Bushehr reactor saying Iran had missed several payments worth a total of more than $70 million for the construction of the reactor in southwest Iran. Tehran says its payments are up to date.
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The 60-day grace period Iran had been given to stop enriching uranium expires.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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The IAEA says in a report that Iran has expanded its uranium enrichment program instead of complying with a U.N. Security Council ultimatum to freeze it. The finding clears the way for harsher sanctions against Tehran. The agency also said the Islamic republic continues building both a reactor that will use heavy water and a heavy water production plant — also in defiance of the Security Council.
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The state-run Russian company building Iran's first nuclear power plant said that the reactor's launch will be postponed because of Iranian payment delays. Russia has accused Iran of paying only a fraction of the $25 million monthly payments for construction work at the Bushehr reactor in recent months. Russia's federal nuclear agency said the launch date would be postponed by at least two months because the Iranians had made no payments since Jan. 17.
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A report from the U.N nuclear watchdog agency found Iran to be generally truthful about key aspects of its nuclear history, but it warned that its knowledge of Tehran's present atomic work was shrinking. The International Atomic Energy Agency report also confirmed that Tehran continued to defy the U.N. Security Council by ignoring its repeated demands to freeze uranium enrichment, a potential pathway to nuclear arms.
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Senior U.S. intelligence officials said Iran halted its nuclear weapons development program in the fall of 2003 under international pressure but is continuing to enrich uranium, which means it may still be able to develop a weapon between 2010 and 2015. Officials said the new findings suggest that diplomacy was effective in containing Iran's nuclear ambitions.
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The U.N. Security Council's permanent members and Germany agreed on the contents of a new draft resolution on sanctions against Iran. Diplomats said the draft resolution would moderately expand existing sanctions, but would not feature new economic sanctions.
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The U.N. Security Council approved a third round of sanctions against Iran with near unanimous support, sending a strong signal to Tehran that its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment is unacceptable and becoming increasingly costly. For the first time, the resolution bans trade with Iran in goods which have both civilian and military uses.
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In an unusually strongly worded report, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Iran may be withholding information needed to establish whether it tried to make nuclear weapons. The tone of the IAEA report suggesting Tehran continues to stonewall the U.N. nuclear monitor revealed a glimpse of the frustration felt by agency investigators stymied in their attempts to gain full answers to suspicious aspects of Iran's past nuclear activities.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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Iran test-fired nine long- and medium-range missiles during war games that officials said aimed to show the country can retaliate against any U.S. or Israeli attack.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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Iran test-fired more long-range missiles in a second round of exercises meant to show that the country can defend itself against any attack by the U.S. or Israel, Iranian state television reported. The weapons have "special capabilities" and included missiles launched from naval ships in the Persian Gulf, along with torpedoes and surface-to-surface missiles, the broadcast said.
TimeLine: The U.S. And Iran
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The Bush administration imposes economic sanctions on five Iranian companies it has accused of helping Iran pursue its ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon. The Treasury Department froze any assets the companies might have in the U.S. and prohibited American individuals and companies from having dealings with the firms. The five companies are the Nuclear Research Center for Agriculture and Medicine, the Esfahan Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Center, Jabber Ibn Hayan, the Safety Procurement Company and Joza Industrial Company.
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The Bush administration moved to clamp down on Tehran by barring financial institutions from routing certain money transfers through the United States on behalf of Iranian banks, Iran's government and others in the country. The Bush administration has repeatedly warned U.S. banks that Iran is using an array of deceptive practices to hide its alleged involvement in nuclear proliferation and terrorist activities. The United States says Iran is resorting to such alleged practices to evade detection and skirt financial sanctions.
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Credits:
CBS/AP/IAEA
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