Iran has significantly increased the amount of uranium it is enriching at a level close to weapon-grade and is sanitizing a site where it is suspected of doing bomb-related experiments, according to a classified UN nuclear watchdog report released Thursday and obtained by Breaking Defense. Iran continues to block inspectors from the International Atomic Energy… Keep reading →

UPDATED: Iran Nuclear Talks Continue Softly, Softly While Hopes Fade (July 24 18:21 EDT) Talks on the Iranian nuclear program continued at a low level Tuesday, even as prospects for a peaceful outcome grow increasingly grim. Senior-level, US-led negotiations to win guarantees that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons have foundered. Meanwhile, there are disturbing… Keep reading →

Talks with Iran on its nuclear work have continued but little progress has been made. A diplomat close to the lower-level meeting of technical experts in Istanbul last Tuesday told me “a large gap” remains between the positions of Iran and the six nations negotiating with it – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany… Keep reading →

A full monty of sanctions has gone into effect against Iran, the toughest regime of punitive measures since the Iranian nuclear crisis began a decade ago. The goal is to pressure the Islamic Republic to give the international community guarantees it will not make atomic weapons. A European Union embargo on buying Iranian oil became… Keep reading →

Little progress was made towards a deal between Iran and the six major powers at talks this week in Iraq.With speculation about a possible Israeli strike still high, one key aspect of a possible conflict with Iran has been little discussed. Michael Adler, an expert on Iran’s nuclear capabilities at the Woodrow Wilson Center here… Keep reading →

A study by a Washington think tank that closely follows the Iranian nuclear program, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), concludes that Iran could have tested a nuclear trigger in a device at the disputed Iranian site of Parchin. Breaking Defense obtained a copy of the draft report. The Iranian military testing ground… Keep reading →

WASHINGTON: A UN report shows Iran doubling down on its nuclear work, upping its enrichment of uranium closer to weapon-grade even as the United States considers re-starting talks with the Islamic Republic. This does not bode well for a breakthrough towards ending the crisis caused by fears Iran seeks the bomb. The UN watchdog International… Keep reading →

WASHINGTON: With battle lines drawn in the confrontation with Iran, the United States desperately needs an opening, a line of communication. Everyone seems to agree that the crisis over Iran’s nuclear ambitions is fed at least in part by a lack of understanding between the United States and the Islamic Republic, two states which have… Keep reading →

WASHINGTON: A dramatic visit by UN inspectors to Iran amid rising international tension failed to get answers about whether Iran seeks the bomb. This raises concerns the Islamic Republic may be trying to delay tough economic sanctions against it rather than responding to the growing international suspicion about its nuclear ambitions. Iran tried to draw… Keep reading →