The Dual Approach in Trump’s Nuclear Strategy: Reviving America’s Nuclear Industry While Pressuring Iran
On Saturday, Reuters published a report that could be startling for many countries: Trump to sign orders to boost nuclear power as soon as Friday, sources say. These executive orders are intended to revive America’s nuclear sector; by increasing uranium production and enrichment capacity, the orders aim to enhance the country’s national independence and energy security; by reforming the country’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the orders aim to facilitate the construction and operation of new nuclear reactors, enabling the political and technological dominance of this industry on the international stage.
At a time when the White House proudly announces Donald Trump’s executive order to revive America’s nuclear industry, a fundamental question occupies the minds of political analysts: How can a government that, under the pretext of global peace, prohibits Iran from any peaceful nuclear activity, simultaneously invest heavily in expanding its own nuclear capabilities? How is it that Trump, fully aware of the complex interplay between nuclear energy and political and geopolitical power, seeks to reap all the benefits of this energy for himself, while denying the same right to countries that do not align with his policies? These executive orders were signed just weeks after Trump stated that Iran, having vast oil reserves, has no need for nuclear energy. This raises another question: if the United States—being the world’s largest oil producer—already has abundant energy resources, what purpose does enhancing its nuclear industry serve?
In the world of politics, contradictions sometimes become so blatant that they can no longer be hidden behind slogans and diplomatic posturing. One of the most striking examples of this paradox is the behavior of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, regarding the issue of nuclear energy. When examined more deeply, his approach not only reflects the United States’ double standards in foreign policy but also serves as a clear manifestation of a classic imperialist mindset in the modern era.
I- Expanding Enrichment Capacity
Trump believes that the United States, once a pioneer in nuclear technology, has now fallen significantly behind. The challenges of powering massive AI data centers, securing emergency electricity supplies for national security, and the growing need for energy independence have led Trump to address these concerns by issuing executive orders to strengthen the nuclear industry. Therefore, Trump himself is concerned about energy independence and national security. So how can he expect other countries not to be concerned about the same issues?
His primary concern that led to the issuance of such an executive order is the growing degradation of the country’s nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure and the heavy dependence on foreign sources for uranium, as well as for enrichment and conversion services. He has stated that this situation cannot continue. Trump has directed his Secretary of Energy to, within 120 days, develop a plan to expand domestic uranium conversion capacity and enrichment capabilities to meet projected needs for both military and civilian reactors—on the condition that essential reserves for the production of tritium, naval propulsion, and nuclear weapons are preserved.
Trump considers the nuclear fuel cycle, especially enrichment, essential for maintaining America’s energy independence and security, while at the same time prohibiting Iran from pursuing the fuel cycle and enrichment under the pretext of security concerns. This double standard aligns only with a policy of technological dominance and creating dependency in other countries to exploit them when convenient. The international community and countries seeking energy independence and security are closely watching such contradictory behaviors by global powers.
II-Strengthening the National Economy, Creating Dependency, and Political and Technological Domination over Countries
With the issuance of this executive order, Trump seeks to address his concerns over the dominance of China and Russia in the nuclear export industry. In recent years, these two countries have surpassed the United States, accounting for 87 percent of nuclear reactor designs worldwide. Trump fears that the world’s acceptance of a multipolar order—through countries’ dependence on Russia’s and China’s nuclear industries—could diminish America’s political presence across various regions. By issuing this executive order, he aims to revive the competitiveness of the U.S. nuclear energy industry against these nations. Trump’s executive order to strengthen the U.S. nuclear industry is an example of using economic power to advance geopolitical goals. This policy demonstrates how a country can use sanctions simultaneously to weaken economic rivals and bolster its domestic industries. In the case of Iran, this strategy is clearly designed to prevent achieving technological independence. However, history has shown that sanctions can, instead of creating dependency, serve as motivation for self-sufficiency and domestic innovation. The future of Iran’s nuclear industry will likely depend on this technological resilience. The United States continues to wield the economy as a weapon, but the fundamental question remains: will this strategy strengthen the U.S. national economy in the long term, or will it only escalate global tensions? The answer to this question will shape the future of the international order.
Trump is concerned about the rapid development and expansion of Iran’s nuclear activities aimed at gaining a presence in the international community and competing with leading nuclear countries. Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasized the development and expansion of their peaceful nuclear activities with the goal of strengthening their national economy through international engagement. However, Trump, worried about Iran’s international presence in the nuclear arena and the potential for other countries to follow Iran’s model, seeks to restrict Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities through maximum pressure and by securing a tougher agreement than the JCPOA. Nevertheless, Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that any agreement resulting in restrictions on the country’s nuclear rights, especially enrichment, is doomed to fail.
III-Strengthening the Nuclear Reactor Sector
Another part of Trump’s executive order to strengthen the U.S. nuclear industry involves the development and expansion of advanced new reactors, such as microreactors, small modular reactors, and Generation III+ and IV reactors. These are intended for applications including data centers, microchip manufacturing, petrochemical industries, desalination, hydrogen production, and more.
The Americans, under the pretext of “securitizing” Iran’s nuclear energy, tried through the JCPOA to restrict the country to only light-water reactor technology. Trump was not even satisfied with this level of technology for Iran; by withdrawing from the JCPOA and imposing maximum pressure, he sought to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities to levels even lower than that. However, this will not succeed, because Iran and the international community are observing Trump’s double standards in dealing with nuclear energy. Every country, based on its international commitments, has the right to benefit from peaceful nuclear technology at any level. Therefore, Iran’s inherent right includes benefiting from and developing various nuclear reactor technologies, and it will not relinquish this right. How is it that the U.S. and its allied countries can continue to develop new nuclear reactor technologies and, by acquiring advanced nuclear technologies, further impose political and geopolitical dominance over the world, while Iran and other countries are denied this? The international community is witnessing these double standards by the Americans.
IV-Double Standard or a Tool of Control?
This glaring contradiction is not merely a technical or economic issue; rather, it reflects a policy in which nuclear energy is not seen as an equal right for all countries but is used as a geopolitical tool to contain and control regional rivals.
Under Trump’s leadership, the U.S. tries, based on this very logic, to prevent Iran from pursuing its peaceful nuclear program through maximum pressure, while simultaneously proudly emphasizing the “need to rebuild and modernize America’s nuclear energy.” This raises important questions: If nuclear energy is unnecessary for a country like Iran with abundant oil resources, then why does it become essential for the United States, itself one of the major energy exporters?!
V-Trump and the Nuclear Legacy: Two Narratives of One Policy
In his domestic rhetoric, Trump presented nuclear energy as a key component of energy independence and national power. However, when it comes to the Middle East and Iran, the same energy is portrayed as a “potential threat.” This duality reflects an unequal and authoritarian perspective that holds only certain countries worthy of access to advanced technologies—not all.
This policy, of course, has roots in years of colonial tradition, where technological advancement was seen not as a right but as a privilege—one that should remain solely in the hands of great powers.
Conclusion: Energy or a Pretext?
The issue of nuclear energy in Trump’s policy seems less a genuine concern about security and more a pretext for political and economic pressure on Iran. If the real issue were truly the fear of nuclear weapons proliferation, Trump could have strengthened the JCPOA instead of withdrawing from it—a deal that, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran fully complied with until the U.S. exit.
Perhaps it is time for the international community to view issues such as nuclear energy not through the lens of the “security rhetoric” of major powers, but rather from the perspective of justice and equal rights of countries. Just as the United States has the right to secure its energy needs, Iran—as an independent nation—has the same right. If Trump believes that nuclear energy is costly and inefficient, he should apply this idea to his own country and, instead of issuing executive orders to develop the nuclear industry, focus on expanding and developing its oil resources.
