İran and nuclear armament policy

Nuclear weapons were used for the first time in 1945 to end the Second World War, then they put their stamp on the period of the Cold War, and they stil keep their importance in the security policies of states. On the other hand the legitimacy of the possession of nuclear weapons is a topic of discussion. The continuation of both the vertical and horizontal nuclear proliferation and the efforts of the non-state actors to acquire them, makes the efforts of controling and non-proliferation vitally important in the protection of international peace and stability.In this context the nuclear armament efforts of the middle-sized regional powers like Iran has the potential to overthrow the balance of power and the security equations in the Middle-East. In case Iran becomes nuclear, it will increase its power and influence in the Middle-East dramatically, it will also initiate a nuclear arms race in the region. In case it might be prevented by a military intervention, long lasting instabilities and humanitarian tragedies will arise and the tension between Muslims (East) and Christians (West) will escalate.Turkey, is one of the countries to be influenced most seriously by this. The nuclearization of Iran would motivate Turkey to take measures in terms of military security, while it will make her face with environmental and economic questions. On the other hand, the possible intervention of USA, or an other regional country, against the nuclearization efforts of Iran will be an option to cause problems in many levels.Keywords: Iran, Middle East, Nuclear Armament, Nuclear proliferation, Nuclear non-proliferation, Nuclear powers, Cold War, Nuclear Terrorism, Turkey.