RUSI held a discussion panel on the Collision Course: Iran and the West on 8 March 2012.

The panel, including Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP, Peter Jenkins, Shashank Joshi, discussed the looming possibility of military intervention in Iran as tensions increase among a concert of western countries over its nuclear activities and refusal to comply with UN Security Council resolutions.

With a new round of economic sanctions focusing on Iran’s oil exports beginning, and diminishing confidence in other forms of influence as time becomes an increasing factor, pressure seems to be building once again for more drastic measures.

The panel debated what should be done about the Iranian dilemma and gathered three prominent experts to assess Iran’s actions and its intentions, while also laying out possible responses from the UK and the international community.

The Pugwash Conferences on Science & World Affairs has recently published the following reports on the Middle East.

Report: Roundtable on the Nuclear Program of Iran, Herzliya, Israel, 6 January 2012
This workshop took place at a time of significantly increased tension between Iran and the West. Participants explored the development of Iran’s nuclear program, its impact on Israel’s security, increasing threats of a possible military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, and prospects for a negotiated settlement.

Report: Iran, The Arab Spring , & Palestine, Ramallah, Palestine, 7 January 2012
This workshop addressed Palestinian perspectives on the nuclear file of Iran and the dangers posed by possible future military action against Iranian nuclear facilities. Historic efforts at reconciliation among Palestinian parties and current strategies emphasizing non-violent approaches were highlighted.

The purpose of the Pugwash Conferences is to bring together, from around the world, influential scholars and public figures concerned with reducing the danger of armed conflict and seeking cooperative solutions for global problems. For further information, please visit http://www.pugwash.org/.

In an interview with the Korean Times, Scot Wightman, British Ambassador to Seoul, outlined that information security, in addition to safeguarding the world’s nuclear material, is a top priority for Britain at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit this month.

“We need to secure information that terrorists could use to obtain nuclear material, to turn it into a radiological dispersal or improvised nuclear device, and to mount an effective attack,” said Wightman.

He said further: “We’re asking other participating states to join us in signing a voluntary joint statement, in addition to the general communique, which covers a range of subjects, promoting the importance of information security and to sign up to a menu of specific commitments that will improve national nuclear information security”.

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