DefenceTalkDefenceTalkIran has nothing to gain from ending inspections of its nuclear facilities, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog warned as tensions rise after a top Iranian nuclear scientist was assassinated. In an interview with AFP after a year in office, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi issued the appeal in response to calls by Iranian […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-has-nothing-to-gain-from-halting-inspections-grossi-76566/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkIran on Monday said it is more inclined to sell weapons rather than buy them, after it announced the end of a longstanding UN conventional arms embargo. Tehran said the ban imposed more than a decade ago was lifted “automatically” as of Sunday, based on the terms of a 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-says-will-sell-more-arms-than-buy-after-embargo-lifted-76478/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkIran’s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday unveiled a new naval ballistic missile with a potential range of over 700 kilometres (430 miles), local media reported, following months of tensions with arch-enemy the United States. The missile, dubbed “Zolfaghar Basir”, is the naval variant of the surface-to-surface Zolfaghar ballistic missile, according to Tasnim news agency. Its range […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-guards-unveil-new-naval-ballistic-missile-76393/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Tuesday that Washington would prevent Iran from purchasing “Chinese tanks and Russian air defence systems” as the end to a UN arms embargo against Tehran approaches. While the European Union and United Nations disagreed with the US decision to withdraw from an international nuclear deal in 2018 and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-will-prevent-iran-from-getting-chinese-russian-arms-pompeo-76336/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkIran’s Atomic Energy Organization said on Sunday that “sabotage” was the cause of an explosion that damaged the Natanz nuclear facility last month. “Security investigations confirm this was sabotage and what is certain is that an explosion took place in Natanz,” said spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi. “But how this explosion took place and with what materials… […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-says-sabotage-caused-natanz-blast-iaea-head-to-visit-to-iran-on-monday-76190/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkIran on Thursday unveiled two missiles it said had a bigger range than before, naming them after commanders killed in January by a US strike in Iraq. “Regarding cruise missiles, today we have gone from a range of 300 to 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) in less than two years,” said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-unveils-missiles-with-increased-range-76193/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkGeneva: The US drone strike that killed Iran’s top general Qasem Soleimani was “unlawful”, the United Nations expert on extrajudicial killings concluded in a report released Tuesday. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, concluded it was an “arbitrary killing” that violated the UN charter. The US had provided no […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-killing-of-irans-top-general-unlawful-un-expert-75853/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkAccident or Israeli sabotage? A mysterious incident in the early hours of Thursday, July 2, badly damaged a building at Iran’s Natanz nuclear complex and sparked speculation over the cause. The incident came at the end of a week marked by two explosions in Tehran, including one near a military site. Officials said the blasts […]https://www.defencetalk.com/mysterious-damage-to-iran-nuclear-site-what-we-know-75859/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkTehran on Thursday reported an “accident” at Natanz nuclear complex in central Iran, saying there were no casualties or radioactive pollution, and warned foes — especially Israel — against hostile actions. There was “no nuclear material (at the damaged warehouse) and no potential of pollution,” the spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation Behrouz Kamalvandi told […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-reports-accident-at-nuclear-site-warns-enemies-75828/

DefenceTalkAn Iranian warship was hit by a friendly fire missile during naval exercises, killing 19 sailors, state media and the army said Monday, amid tensions with the US in Gulf waters. The incident involving the Konarak vessel occurred on Sunday afternoon near Bandar-e Jask, off the southern coast of the Islamic republic, state television said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/19-dead-as-iran-warship-hit-by-friendly-fire-in-tense-gulf-75496/