Iran's Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Capabilities - A net assessment (An IISS Strategic Dossier)

Iran's pursuit of dual-use technologies that could be used for strategic weapons has raised global concerns and even, in some quarters, consideration of pre-emptive military action. There is compelling evidence that Iran is seeking the capability to produce nuclear weapons should its leaders make this fateful decision. This IISS Strategic Dossier provides a detailed and objective technical assessment of Iran's nuclear, chemical and biological programmes, and offers a careful estimate of how long it would take Iran to produce nuclear weapons under different scenarios. The Dossier traces the political and technical history of the programmes and the diplomatic efforts to dissuade Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. Written and reviewed by internationally recognised experts, the Dossier evaluates the programmes, and the concerns they raise, on the basis of what is known and not known. This publication complements the recent IISS Strategic Dossier Iran's Ballistic Missile Capabilities: a net assessment. Both books provide dispassionate, fact-rich analysis to fuel the policy debate on how to deal with the growing crisis over Iran.