Barak: Nuclear talks allowing Iran to continue atomic bid 'ridiculous' - What We're Reading Now
May 17, 2012
Iran
Barak: Nuclear talks allowing Iran to continue atomic bid 'ridiculous'
Haaretz - May 17, 2012
Talks between Iran and world powers that will end in agreed-upon measures that would nonetheless allow Tehran to continue and pursue military aspects of its nuclear program are "ridiculous," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview on Wednesday.
U.S. Senate to consider new Iran sanctions on Thursday
Roberta Rampton, Reuters - May 16, 2012
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid will ask the U.S. Senate to approve a new package of oil and economic sanctions on Thursday aimed at further pressuring Iran to abandon its nuclear program, a Democratic leadership aide told Reuters.
Plans to strike Iran "ready", says US Israel envoy
Maayan Lubell, Reuters - May 17, 2012
U.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is "fully available", the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms.
Korean Peninsula
NKorea Nuclear Reactor Construction Progressing
Matthew Pennington, Associated Press - May 16, 2012
A U.S.-based institute said Wednesday new satellite imagery shows that North Korea has resumed building work on a reactor after months of inactivity.
Ayatollah Khamenei gives Iran nuclear talks unprecedented legitimacy: What We're Reading Now
May 07, 2012
Iran
Ayatollah Khamenei gives Iran nuclear talks unprecedented legitimacy
Roshanak Taghavi, Christian Science Monitor - May 4, 2012
With a second round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the “P5+1” powers just weeks away, analysts inside the Islamic Republic say Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has lent upcoming nuclear negotiations unprecedented legitimacy.
Netanyahu is mistaken on Iran, says election rival
Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Reuters - May 5, 2012
A key rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized his hawkish stance on Iran's nuclear program on Saturday, making the issue a central theme for parliamentary elections expected this year.
U.S. wants 'urgent' Iranian steps in nuclear talks
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters - May 7, 2012
The United States called on Iran on Monday to take "urgent practical steps" to build confidence during nuclear talks with world powers, and the European Union said Tehran must suspend sensitive atomic activities.
Experts Believe Iran Conflict Is Less Likely: What We're Reading Now
Apr 30, 2012
Iran
Experts Believe Iran Conflict Is Less Likely
James Risen, New York Times - April 30, 2012
After a winter of alarm over the possibility that a military conflict over the Iranian nuclear program might be imminent, American officials and outside analysts now believe that the chances of war in the near future have significantly decreased.
U.S. signals major shift on Iran nuclear program
Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times - April 27, 2012
In what would be a significant concession, Obama administration officials say they could support allowing Iran to maintain a crucial element of its disputed nuclear program if Tehran took other major steps to curb its ability to develop a nuclear bomb.
Iran: IAEA Talks For May 13-14 In Vienna
Associated Press - April 28, 2012
A new round of talks between Tehran and the U.N.'s nuclear agency will be held in Vienna on May 13-14, Iran's state TV reported Saturday in a signal of possible progress after separate negotiations resumed with world powers over the country's controversial nuclear program.
Israel ex-spy warns against "messianic" war on Iran
Dan Williams, Reuters - April 28, 2012
A former Israeli spymaster has branded the country's leaders as "messianic" and unfit to tackle the Iranian nuclear program, in the strongest criticism from a security veteran of threats to launch a preemptive war.
North Korea Says It Will Abandon Deal With U.S. - What We're Reading Now
Apr 18, 2012
Iran
U.S. lawmakers say Iran talks inadequate, urge more penalties
Rachelle Younglai and Roberta Rampton, Reuters - April 16, 2012
U.S. lawmakers on Monday pushed for more sanctions against Iran after talks between Tehran and global powers failed to stop Iran from developing its nuclear program.
The stage is set for a deal with Iran
David Ignatius, Washington Post - April 17, 2012
The author argues the Iranians expect to be paid, in “step-by-step” increments, as they move toward a deal. At a minimum, they will want a delay of the U.S. and European sanctions that take full effect June 28 and July 1, respectively.
Romney's foreign policy may mean hardball is back
Steven Hurst, Associated Press - April 18, 2012
Mitt Romney wants the United States to get much tougher with Iran and to end what a top adviser calls President Barack Obama's "Mother, may I?" consensus-seeking foreign policy.
Korean Peninsula
North Korea Says It Will Abandon Deal With U.S.
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times - April 17, 2012
North Korea said on Tuesday that it was abandoning an agreement it made in February with the United States, in which it promised to suspend uranium enrichment, nuclear tests and long-range missile tests.
Obama urges North Korea and Iran to drop nuclear programs: What We're Reading Now
Mar 26, 2012
North Korea
Obama urges North Korea and Iran to drop nuclear programs
Kathleen Hennessey, Los Angeles Times - March 26, 2012
President Obama on Monday made a direct appeal to the leaders of North Korea and Iran, urging them to "have the courage" to step away from their nuclear weapons programs, rather than follow a path toward greater isolation and economic distress.
Obama Urges China to Restrain North Korea
Mark Landler, New York Times - March 26, 2012
President Obama took North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong-un, to task on Monday, urging China to curb his recent behavior and declaring that the successes of South Korea will inevitably swamp the isolation and failure of the North, a White House adviser said.
Obama Warns N. Korea Against Rocket Launch
Daniel Politi, Slate Magazine (Blog) - March 25, 2012
If Pyongyang decides to go ahead with its plan to launch a satellite using a long-range missile next month, it would jeopardize a food aid deal signed in February, warned Obama. “North Korea needs to understand that bad behavior will not be rewarded,” Obama said during an evening news conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
South Korea warns it might shoot down North Korean rocket if it strays into territory
Associated Press - March 25, 2012
Seoul warned Monday that it might shoot down parts of a North Korean rocket that violate South Korean territory, as worries about what Washington calls a long-range missile test overshadowed an international nuclear security summit.
A risky bid on tough Iran sanctions: What We're Reading Now
Feb 15, 2012
IRAN
A risky bid on tough Iran sanctions
Julie Pace and Anne Gearan, Associated Press - February 15, 2012
The United States and Europe are considering unprecedented punishment against Iran that could immediately cripple the country's financial lifeline. But that extreme option in the banking world would come with costs.
Iran Leader to Announce Atomic Steps
Rick Gladstone, New York Times - February 14, 2012
Iran signaled on Tuesday that it had made further advances in the country’s disputed nuclear energy program, announcing that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would reveal “key nuclear achievements” on Wednesday. An Iranian news agency said he was likely to proclaim that a new uranium enrichment plant built inside a mountain near the holy city of Qum was “fully operational.”
Blasts in Bangkok Add to Suspicions About Iran
Thomas Fuller and Rick Gladstone, New York Times - February 14, 2012
A series of explosions rocked a residential neighborhood here on Tuesday, leading the Thai authorities to a cache of bombs in a rented house and the capture of two men who the Thai police said carried Iranian passports. Thai officials said that two other suspects, whom they believed to be Iranians, were being sought, and that one of them had fled to neighboring Malaysia.
MIDDLE EAST
U.S. Steps Up Watch of Syria Chemical Weapons
Adam Entous and Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal - February 15, 2012
The U.S. and some Mideast allies are intensifying surveillance of Syria's chemical and biological depots amid fears that the weapons could go loose if unrest escalates out of control.
No Nukes in Stimulus Bill!
Feb 12, 2009
Extra Extra! An update on something we wrote about earlier in the week (see below). We're thrilled to announce that in the final economic stimulus bill that was just released by a Congressional committee, funding for the nuclear weapons infrastructure was removed!
The Council's supporters and other activists across the country flooded congressional offices with requests to cut this money. The Council also sent letters and pressured Congress to cut these funds. Many Senators and Representatives did not even know this funding existed before we (and our supporters) alerted them to it.
As Joe Cirincione rightfully said, " chalk one up for the good guys."
Our Biggest Threat?
Nov 20, 2008
In 2004, both Bush and Kerry called it the gravest threat facing the United States. This year on the campaign trail, President-elect Obama and Sen. McCain voiced their serious concerns on the issue of nuclear terrorism.
Our research Center recently produced a policy brief: "Understanding and Preventing Nuclear Terrorism."
Here's a few key excerpts:
Since the creation of the atomic bomb, government officials, scientists, and concerned citizens have been aware that weapons of mass destruction could fall into the hands of dangerous terrorist groups or rogue regimes. The rise of Al Qaeda and the events of September 11, however, brought the threat of nuclear terrorism into a whole new light for the United States. Suddenly, the detonation of a crude nuclear device in a major American metropolitan area no longer seemed like something out of a science fiction movie. Indeed, as President-Elect Barack Obama said during the 2008 presidential campaign, nuclear terrorism is “the gravest danger we face.”
[snip]
It is not the odds but the consequences of such an attack that propel nuclear terrorism to the top of the U.S. national security agenda. A March 2003 report by Harvard University’s Project on Managing the Atom found that if a ten-kiloton nuclear weapon, approximately the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, were detonated at Manhattan’s Grand Central Station in New York, it would instantly kill over 500,000 people, injure hundreds of thousands, and cause over $1 trillion in direct damages.
[snip]
If the United States and countries around the world are serious about preventing a nuclear attack by a terrorist group, efforts to contain the threat at its source need serious attention. According to the Partnership for a Secure America, the biggest problem is the lack of coordination on counter-nuclear terrorism efforts across federal agencies. Congress tried to remedy this shortcoming in 2007 with H.R. 1, the 9/11 Commission Act, which created a White House Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. Unfortunately, the Bush administration chose to ignore the law and never filled the position. Failures in coordination are similarly reflected at the international level, where bilateral and multilateral engagement to prevent nuclear terrorism is equally fragmented.