On May 27th, 2011 several experts gathered in Vienna to discuss Iran's nuclear capabilities in light of a recently released International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) dossier detailing Iran's nuclear, chemical, and biological capabilities. Panel experts included Mark Fitzpatrick, Director of the Disarmament and Non-proliferation Programme at IISS, Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Resident Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the IAEA, and Ambassador Rüdiger Lüdeking, Resident Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany. The event was co-organized by the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP), the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. Elena Sokova, Executive Director of the VCDNP, served as moderator.
The event began with a presentation by Mark Fitzpatrick in which he highlighted the findings of his recently released dossier, "Iran's Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Capabilities: A Net Assessment." Both Ambassador Soltanieh and Ambassador Lüdeking followed with comments of their own. The discussion was particularly timely considering the May 24, 2011 report by Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in which he claims the IAEA possesses evidence that Tehran has conducted work on a highly sophisticated nuclear triggering technology that experts say could be used for only one purpose: setting off a nuclear weapon. The presentation and the comments generated an engaging discussion among the panelists and numerous questions from the audience.
