Trump Freeze on Aid to Nuclear Inspectors Undercuts His Iran Policy

The president’s halt of foreign aid upended two U.S. programs that help the International Atomic Energy Agency find clues about Iran’s drive to build atomic bombs.

Starting in late January, President Trump suspended two programs that provide American aid to international nuclear inspectors, potentially undermining his own goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal.

Though one of the programs has since been restored, the outcome of the actions has been to weaken confidence in an effort that for decades has exposed Iran’s strides toward the production of nuclear weapons. Some experts now worry that the disruptions will scare away talented professionals from the field of nuclear nonproliferation and hinder the global fight against the spread of nuclear arms.

Overall, the freezes have thrown uncertainty and confusion into programs that have had bipartisan support for decades. And now, for the first time, the people relying on global teamwork have to contend with the possibility that other vital collaborations may be discontinued or come under fire.

“These are disastrous policies,” said Terry C. Wallace Jr., a former director of Los Alamos nuclear laboratory in New Mexico. “They go against science and partnerships that lift a nation.”

The specific pauses in aid, and their partial reversals, were described by current and former U.S. government nuclear experts who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The inspection unit of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is part of the United Nations and based in Vienna, has long received aid from Washington to help it block, counter and respond to a wide range of global nuclear threats. Recently, at four sites in Iran, the team’s sleuths found traces of highly processed uranium, raising new questions around whether Tehran harbors a clandestine nuclear program to make atomic bombs.