Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 08/2012

Iran and the Gulf Military Balance II: The Missile and Nuclear Dimensions

Anthony H. Cordesman, Alexander Wilner

July 2012

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Abstract

Iran’s potential acquisition of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, and future ability to arm its missiles and aircraft with such weapons, pose the most serious risks shaping US, Arab, Israeli and other military competition with Iran. This is, however, where there are many unknowns and where each side’s perceptions of the threat the other side poses can sometimes be as important as actual capabilities. A major revision of past studies by the Burke Chair at CSIS examines these issues in detail as the second part of a comprehensive survey of the military balance in the Gulf and Iran’s military Forces in mid 2012.