U.S.-Russian Team Deems Missile Shield in Europe Ineffective

The Washington Post reports today that a planned U.S. missile shield to protect Europe from a possible Iranian attack would be ineffective against the kinds of missiles Iran is likely to deploy, according to a joint analysis by top U.S. and Russian scientists convened by the EastWest Institute with funding from Ploughshares Fund.

The first-ever U.S.-Russian joint threat assessment brought together a team of Russian and American scientists and technical experts to examine Iran’s nuclear and missile potential.  The team, which included Ploughshares Fund board member David Holloway, as well as grantees Philip Coyle and Theodore Postol on the U.S. side, and the Committee of Scientists for Global Security and Arms Control on the Russian, concluded that it would be more than five years before Iran is capable of building both a nuclear warhead and a missile capable of carrying it over long distances.  "The important thing is for the U.S. and Russia to cooperate in resolving the urgent crisis arising from the Iranian program," said Holloway.

Download the full report here.