What About Iran’s Weapons?: The Center for Strategic and International Studies has released a draft of a report on Iran and its ability to deliver the nuclear weapons the country claims it is developing. Penned by Anthony Cordesman and Visiting Fellow Khalid Al-Rodhan, the report gives an assessment of Iran’s missile capabilities, as well as its “alternative” delivery options, namely its air force and asymmetric capabilities through its own intelligence operatives or Hezbollah militants. “There is no way to know Iran’s plans relative to missiles, long range aircraft, and covert/proxy use,” the duo writes. Iran has made a “major commitment” to developing and deploying long-range surface-to-surface missiles and may eventually have enough nuclear arms to use as short-range tactical weapons.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.