2005 - 2013

In 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office as president. The former mayor of Tehran managed to make his way through initial rounds of voting despite initially having low support to win the presidency. Later on in his presidency, pro-Ahmadinejad conservatives gain majority in the parliament, allowing him more control and support for his politics. The conservative leader was largely involved in foreign affairs. He actively supported Iran's nuclear program despite heavy opposition from the United States and U.N. Later in 2005, Tehran claimed that it had resumed its uranium program, claiming peaceful goals of the program. Iran continued its nuclear program until 2006 despite being reported to the U.N. Security Council. The UN Security Council had set a deadline for Iran to cease its nuclear program for the 31st of August, 2006. However, at that date, Tehran had not stopped its program.

In 2007, Ahmadinejad announced the industrialization of Iran's nuclear program. Although past the deadline, Ahmadinejad had continued the program with peaceful intentions. The IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear "watchdog," claimed that Iran's nuclear program had developed and that Iran could possibly develop a nuclear weapon in three to eight years. The U.N. and U.S. responded to this possible future threat by imposing new sanctions on Iran. These sanctions, nearly as tough as the first imposed sanctions, cracked down on Iran's trade and economy. In 2008, Iran had tested both its first long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel, and rocket capable of bringing a satellite to space. Ahmadinejad was known to be hostile to Israel, even calling for it to be "eliminated from the pages of history." The U.N. continued to restated their demands for Iran to cease its nuclear program.

Despite the dismissal of his interior minister, Ali Kordan, Ahmadinejad had managed to win his reelection into presidency in 2009. However, his opponents claimed he had rigged votes and demonstrators took to the streets. The street protests subside after policemen fire into the crowd. Iran continued to expand their nuclear program and testing long range missiles, missiles that that could put U.S. bases and Israel at risk. Despite IAEA protests to more nuclear sites, Iran claims that it has plans to create even more sites.

In 2010, a bomb in Tehran kills an Iran professor, Masoud Ali-Mohammadi. After no group claims responsibility, Iran accuses both the U.S. and Israel for the attack. Iran continued to expand its nuclear program aboard. Despite the greater international control over Iran's nuclear program, the U.S. remained skeptical, claiming that Iran's nuclear program would only continue to grow. Later that year, Iran launched its first nuclear power plant. In 2011, the IAEA found Iran's nuclear research is pointed to a nuclear bomb trigger. Following increased nuclear activity, the United States imposed new sanctions in 2012. After IAEA members were first denied access to a nuclear site, they find traces of uranium despite ongoing international talk over Iran's nuclear program. The United States responded by offering economic benefits to other countries if they would cut their imports of Iranian oil. A month later the European Union boycott Iranian oil exports. The IAEA claimed that Iran's nuclear program had grown so large that the IAEA wouldn't be able to monitor certain sites that were possibly militarized. The sanctions and boycott cause Iran's currency to drop to 80% of its value in 2011.

In 2012, foreign policy in Iran was a topic discussed among the U.S. presidential candidates. In televised talks, debates, and interviews, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama expressed different opinions over what the United States should do in relation to Iran and its nuclear program. Romney believes that Obama's management of Iran's growing nuclear program should have been much more strict. In a GOP debate, Romney stated:

Mitt Romney. January 7,  2012

Romney strongly believed in the threat a nuclear weapon has in the hands of Iran. His approach to Iran was much more aggressive than that of Obama's. Romney even supported possible military intervention if harsh sanctions fail to deter Iran from progressing to a nuclear weapon. Obama on the other hand, stated in his debates that he didn't believe that Iran poses the immense threat they have been perceived as:

Barack Obama. May 18, 2008

Obviously, Obama is much less worried about the threat that Iran poses to the United States and thus holds a more passive stance on the topic of Iran, encouraging negotiation.