Iran's UN fact sheet - Weapons track not confirmed: What We're Reading Now
Mar 12, 2012

Iran

Skeptics doubt U.S. can be certain about Iran's nuclear progress
Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times - March 11, 2012
Despite President Obama's assurances that the United States will know if Tehran begins to secretly build a nuclear bomb, some senior officials familiar with U.S. intelligence and spying capabilities in Iran are doubtful.

Israel Unveils New Bunker Buster, Hones ‘Credible’ Military Option for Iran
Barbara Opall-Rome, Defense News - March 11, 2012
Israel last week unveiled an improved precision, bunker-burrowing weapon, the latest in a series of operational upgrades aimed at honing what one official here labeled “a very credible military option” against the Iranian nuclear threat.

U.N. Won’t Back Down on Iran Nuclear Inspections
Michael Adler, The Daily Beast - March 11, 2012
The U.N. nuclear agency will not back off its demand to visit the Parchin military site even if this escalates the confrontation with Iran over its alleged nuclear-weapons work, the agency’s head Yukiya Amano told Newsweek/The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview.

Iran's UN fact sheet: Weapons track not confirmed
George Jahn, Associated Press - March 11, 2012
Nine years ago, the United States invaded Iraq after telling the world that Saddam Hussein had covert weapons programs that could build nuclear arms. In the end, nothing was found. Today, acting on similar fears, Israel is threatening to attack Iran.

Israeli Army Chief Says Nation Needs to Build Up Military to Strike Iran: What We're Reading Now
Feb 02, 2012

IRAN

Israeli Army Chief Says Nation Needs to Build Up Military to Strike Iran
Jonathan Ferziger and David Lerman, Bloomberg - February 1, 2012
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz said his country must build up its military capabilities and be prepared to strike if economic sanctions fail to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

US Navy comes to rescue of Iranian fishing dhow
Associated Foreign Press - February 1, 2012
The US Navy has announced that it assisted an Iranian fishing vessel in distress in the Gulf, the fourth such incident this year in an area marked by tension between Washington and Tehran.

U.N. Nuclear Monitor Agency Announces Second Visit to Iran
Rick Gladstone, New York Times - February 1, 2012
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday that its inspectors, who had just completed a three-day visit to Iran, would return there in three weeks.

A Third Option for Iran
Richard Haass and Bernard Gwertzman, Council on Foreign Relations - February 1, 2012
Living with a nuclear-armed Iran or launching a preventive military attack both carry great costs and risks, making it essential to pursue a combination of enhanced sanctions and renewed diplomacy, says CFR President Richard N. Haass.

What the Candidates Got Wrong in the Latest GOP Debate
Jan 27, 2012

On Monday night, the Republican candidates for President met in Tampa, Florida to spar over peddling influence, debate tax returns, and generally confuse the American public about the supposed decline of the United States Navy and the bankruptcy of the Obama administration’s policy toward Iran.

During the debate, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said:

"Our Navy is now smaller than any time since 1917."

Though it is true that the United States Navy has seen fluctuations in the total number of ships over the past 95 years, the United States Navy is still by far the most advanced and most powerful navy in the world. It also turns out the Navy was smaller than today at the end of Fiscal Years 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. In 2009, when the Navy had 285 active surface ships (the same as today), then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote in Foreign Affairs (Jan/Feb 2009, Vol. 88 Issue 1, p28-40) that:

“As much as the U.S. Navy has shrunk since the end of the Cold War, for example, in terms of tonnage, its battle fleet is still larger than the next 13 navies combined — and 11 of those 13 navies are U.S. allies or partners.”

Afghanistan opium production set to rise 61%: UN: What We're Reading Now
Oct 11, 2011

IRAN
Iran's 'bombproof' nuclearsite takes defiant aura from village namesake
Washington Post -- October 10
Not far from one of Iran’s most secretive nuclear sites, villagers proudly declare a willingness to sacrifice their lives to defend their country’s nuclear program from attack by the West.

EU Expands Sanctions Against Iran
NPR -- October 10, 2011
The European Union has expanded sanctions against Iran because of continued human rights abuses.  A meeting of EU foreign ministers added 29 officials linked to the regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the list of people facing a visa ban and asset freeze.

NORTH KOREA
S. Korea allows work at factories in North Korea to restart
Reuters -- October 11, 2011
South Korea said on Tuesday it will allow 120 of its firms to restart building a joint industrial park with North Korea, a fresh sign of tensions between the rival countries easing.

Japanese doctors arrive in North Korea to examine atomic bombing victims
Washington Post -- October 11, 2011
A team of Japanese doctors arrived Tuesday in North Korea to examine victims of the 1945 atomic bombings of Japan, a trip that may help improve dismal ties between the countries.

Opinion: An Iranian Offer Worth Considering: What We're Reading Now
Sep 29, 2011

IRAN
Opinion: An Iranian Offer Worth Considering
Alivaez and Charles D. Ferguson, The New York Times -- September 29, 2011
A nuclear research reactor in Tehran may hold the key to resolving the prolonged nuclear stalemate between Iran and the West. The Iranian government is running out of the 20 percent-enriched uranium it needs to operate the reactor, and that appears to be making it amenable to compromise.

Iran to Send Navy Near U.S. Coast: Commander
Lee Ferran, ABC News -- September 28, 2011
Iran plans to send Navy vessels steaming across the Atlantic and towards the U.S. to build up an open sea presence along the marine border with the east coast, according to the Iranian Navy's top commander.

NORTH KOREA
France to open North Korea office
CNN -- September 29, 2011
France is to open an office in North Korea in the coming days to build cultural ties and help with aid efforts, the French Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Activist unfazed by N. Korea assassination threat
AFP -- September 29, 2011
Undeterred by an alleged North Korean plot to assassinate him, a South Korean activist Thursday launched leaflets across the tense border calling for the overthrow of Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong-Il.