Reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency state that Iran is enriching uranium at a 20 percent concentration—high enough for nuclear weapons use. But why is the world so against this? Why, when so many other powerful countries have nuclear weapons, is the possibility that Iran possesses weapon-grade uranium so troubling?

Sure, Iran hid that it was trying to develop the technology to enrich uranium almost a decade ago. And yes, it is reasonable to hypothesize that they could siphon some of the uranium to put towards developing nuclear weapons. However, so did India, which claims to not intend to use them and is not questioned for possessing them, despite tensions with Pakistan. So why is India’s secrecy forgiven and Iran’s is not, even though India actually has weapons and Iran doesn’t? Granted, India did not sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty and therefore is not subject to its rules, but what about the five countries that did sign the treaty who have warheads?

One of the reasons given regarding why Iran should not be trusted to enrich uranium is that engaging in secrecy violates the treaty. However, part of the treaty is that its signatories are to move towards nuclear disarmament. The United States, United Kingdom, France, China and Russia have all reduced their number of warheads—however many constitutes “reduced”—but do not seem to be actively moving towards disarmament. In fact, the U.S. publicly threatened Iran with force on a first strike basis in 2002, which seems like the opposite of a move towards disarmament.

The main force imposing strict sanctions and influencing other countries to do the same is the U.S. We have the second-largest number of nuclear weapons; we are the only ones to have ever used them; and we are engaged in several wars. How do we have any authority to regulate others? What gives us the right to influence policies that hurt others while we benefit?

There is more to Iran than Hezbollah and Hamas, and the country as a whole should be able to benefit from nuclear power. Nuclear energy is the most efficient source of energy by far and produces no greenhouse gases. France is a shining example of what it can do; almost 80 percent of their energy comes from nuclear energy, with the rest coming from renewable sources. In fact, France makes more nuclear energy than it needs and is able to make a profit by selling the extra energy to neighboring countries.

Assuming Iran was able to develop the technology for warheads, what would happen? The repercussions of a nuclear war are clear: utter destruction and devastation. Nine major powers hold nuclear weapons, and all have pacts and promises with other countries such that a large-scale war would involve some country with warheads. In the Middle East, since countries are so close to one another, the potential harm to one’s own country is enough to deter the use of them.

If Iran cannot make use of the destructive capability of warheads, it must be motivated by a desire for power. In the case of India, warheads forced the world to take the country seriously as a leader. North Korea now has a bite to its bark. The U.S. used them to end a world war. With warheads, Iran would be able to exhort more force in the Middle East—perhaps more than the U.S. has currently. Regardless of the malicious intent suspected, there is no reason to sanction Iran for enriching uranium.