Starting in late January, President Trump could suspend two programs that provide US aid to international nuclear inspectors, potentially undermining his own goal of blocking Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
One of the programs has since recovered, but the outcome of the action has weakened confidence in efforts that have been revealing Iran's progress in the production of nuclear weapons over decades. Some experts worry that the disruption will scare talented experts from the field of nuclear non-proliferation and will hinder the global fight against the spread of nuclear weapons.
Overall, Freeze has cast uncertainty and confusion on programs that have received bipartisan support for decades. And now, for the first time, those relying on global teamwork must deal with the possibility that other important collaborations could be aborted or fired.
“These are disastrous policies,” said Terry C. Wallace Jr., former director of the Los Alamos Nuclear Research Institute in New Mexico. “They are against the science and partnerships that lift the country.”
The specific suspension of aid and its partial reversal were explained by current and former U.S. government nuclear experts who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The testing forces of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, part of the United Nations, have long been supported by Washington, helping to block, counter and respond to the wider global nuclear threats. Recently, at four Iranian sites, team detectives found traces of highly processed uranium and raised new questions about whether Tehran has a secret nuclear program to create an atomic bomb.
Hours after taking office, Trump signed an executive order to suspend the US foreign aid program for a 90-day assessment that could lead to restructuring or firing. Most notably, the freeze disrupted humanitarian programs in developing countries fighting illness and hunger.
However, a nuclear expert in the US government said the president's order also halted the assistance from the energy department labs supporting the IAEA inspectors. The two freeze programs recruit, train, supply equipment, teach advanced methods of environmental sampling, and examine samples collected for clues using sophisticated lab devices.
Overall, the two programs act as intermediaries. They will link Vienna detectives who test nuclear sites around the world as part of the IAEA's protection agency to a network of American nuclear laboratories, including Los Alamos. Essentially, they direct Vienna to world-class expertise and technical assistance.
Although it is located in the energy department lab, both US programs are funded by the State Department.
The IAEA, like federal officials, declined to comment on the suspension of aid. In a statement, the State Department said the Trump administration has made US national security a top priority.
“As a result, certain US support continues for programs that support the ability to inspect nuclear facilities around the world, including Iran. The IAEA's work will make America and the world safer.” The statement said nothing about the atomic freeze, appearing to imply that some aid programs will be cancelled.
On Thursday, Wired Magazine reported that the Pentagon was considering parallel moves. The documents it obtained showed the Department of Defense was considering whether to cut the number of U.S. programs that work with global partners to curb the spread of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, according to the magazine.
Countering Iran's nuclear advancement is one of the Trump administration's biggest foreign policy goals. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a confirmation hearing in January that nuclear-armed Iran “will not be permitted under any circumstances.”
It is unclear whether administrative authorities understand the depth of the relationship between the US and IAEA American aid. The Vienna Agency is supporting the development of the Inspector Corps. Inspectors exposed Iran's hidden nuclear advances and helped Moldova's Eastern European nation seize illegal shipments of highly enriched uranium, which can be fueled by atomic bombs. It's a two-way street.
Additionally, nuclear aid will help American citizens get jobs at Vienna institutions. The legislation encourages the peaceful use of atomic energy, including nuclear reactors that glow through cities. It is also a responsibility to ensure that these activities are not secretly used to construct atomic bombs.
The US programme countering the global spread of weapons of mass destruction is steadily growing into a vast federal enterprise. Top players now include departments from the state, Department of Energy, Defense and Homeland Security, as well as the Nuclear Regulation Authority, which trains people from over 50 countries.
The program helped to build ultra-sensitive radiation detectors and promote the fight against atom theft and sabotage. In this fiscal year alone, the National Nuclear Security Agency, a division of the energy sector, has developed a detailed plan to spend $2.5 billion on nuclear non-proliferation.
“These programs will enhance security in the United States,” said Laura Holgate, a former US ambassador to the IAEA and a top advisor to President Barack Obama on nuclear terrorism. She added: “This is not charity. It is in our own interest.”
Over the past few decades, many Republicans have opposed global non-proliferation devices, bloated and called them ineffective. In April 2020, during his first presidential term, Trump proposed a budget that would significantly cut funds for the Pentagon's flagship efforts to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
In early 2023, the Heritage Foundation announced the “Leadership Delegation” behind Project 2025, which many tramployalists helped write. The document was called by the next administration “ends effective and counter-effective non-proliferation activities that involve Iran and the United Nations.”
Trump's executive order, signed on January 20th, halted US foreign aid, did not directly address the suspension of foreign nuclear aid. Since then, with one exception, lab directors and federal officials have not publicly implied the freeze.
In late January, Freeze was hit with a recruitment program based at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island. The International Conservation Project Office not only signs up Americans to work as IAEA inspectors or related staff, but also trains inspectors of all nationalities.
Additionally, the program utilizes the National Lab Network to devise testing equipment. Early on, we designed a handheld device that became the IAEA's favorite.
On February 12th, Kimberly Bdill, director of the Lawrence Livermore National Institute in California, was featured in Brookhaven Freeze at a House hearing. She said her lab non-proliferation program set up through Brookhaven had suspended pending Trump administration review.
“This is an effort of about $1 million,” Dr. Budil told Energy's House subcommittee. “I don't know if I'll restart or not.” The Livermore Lab's press office gave no substantive answers to repeated questions regarding the details of the suspended assistance.
Regarding the suspension of Brookhaven, the Lab's press office. Raymond Diaz, head of the Lab's International Protection Measures Project Office. And the Energy Department declined to comment.
The second American program, covered by the freeze, is run by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Unlike Brookhaven, it specializes in the use of sophisticated lab equipment, analysing the swabs collected by IAEA inspectors to analyze invisible traces of nuclear materials and reading materials that could refer to illegal atomic work.
The Oak Ridge program is a US intermediary for what the IAEA calls a network of analytical laboratories and relies on reassessing and confirming the results. Brian W. Tickner, who runs the Oak Ridge program, declined to comment on the freeze and directed the State Department to all questions.
Current and former government nuclear experts said the State Department revived the entire Oak Ridge Lab program in late February. Similarly, the Brookhaven program has received several exemptions to resume work on certain Iran-related initiatives, but most of the work and funding for other global non-proliferation programs are pending.
Experts said they expect Brookhaven's complete program to be unblocked in the coming weeks. They said the current hold-up of the State Department for approval of that step was administrative rather than substantive.
They added that the reversal of the freeze is rooted in Trump administration officials to see the importance of the IAEA in monitoring Iran's secret moves to make an atomic bomb.
