On 16-18 November 2004, the IISS, along with the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and the Nixon Center, hosted a meeting in Geneva for representatives of the US, European countries, and Iran to discuss security issues in the Persian Gulf, with a focus on diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. The Iranian delegation included representatives from the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), as well as several think tanks and universities in Tehran. For the first time in this meeting series, representatives from the US Department of State and the US Department of Energy were permitted to attend the meeting and hold discussions with their Iranian counterparts.
