DefenceTalkNorth Korea has continued to pursue its weapons development programs despite facing a worsening economic situation due to its self-imposed coronavirus blockade, a new UN report has said. Pyongyang is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which have seen rapid progress under current leader Kim Jong Un. The […]

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/

DefenceTalkNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-Un says his scientists have successfully miniaturized thermo-nuclear warheads to place on a ballistic missile and create a “true” deterrent, state media said Wednesday. While Pyongyang has boasted of mastering miniaturization before, this is the first time Kim has so explicitly claimed a breakthrough that experts see as a game-changing step […]https://www.defencetalk.com/kim-jong-un-says-north-korea-has-miniaturized-nuclear-warheads-66994/

DefenceTalkIran’s President Hassan Rouhani has denounced possible new US sanctions on his country which could jeopardize a hard-won nuclear deal due to be finally implemented within weeks. In a letter to his defence minister, Rouhani said reports that the US Treasury Department planned to blacklist companies and individuals with ties to Iran’s ballistic missile program […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-us-tensions-flare-over-new-sanctions-threat-66226/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea could be separating isotopes used to manufacture sophisticated and more powerful nuclear bombs, US experts warned Wednesday, after Pyongyang announced its main atomic weapons complex was fully operational. The head of the North’s atomic agency said Tuesday that all facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex — including a uranium enrichment plant and a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-hot-cell-unit-better-larger-nuclear-bombs-65427/

DefenceTalkPakistan on Monday strongly rejected a report published by a US think tank, which claimed that Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world. “The report is utterly baseless,” said Qazi Khalilullah, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office (FO). “Such reports have the effect of diverting attention from the exponential increase in India’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-rejects-report-claiming-its-nuclear-arsenal-is-fastest-growing-65204/

DefenceTalkTel Aviv: The Iran nuclear deal does not mean military action is off the table when it comes to stopping Tehran from obtaining an atomic bomb, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Sunday ahead of a visit to Israel. “One of the reasons why this deal is a good one is that it does nothing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-chief-says-iran-nuclear-deal-does-not-prevent-military-option-64909/

DefenceTalkA top US Republican said a potential historic nuclear deal with Iran would be a “hard sell” in Congress, as talks neared their final hour in Vienna on Sunday. “It appears as if the administration’s approach to this was to reach whatever agreement the Iranians are willing to enter into,” US Senate Majority Leader Mitch […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nuclear-agreement-a-hard-sell-to-us-congress-64885/

DefenceTalkA dispute over United Nations sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program emerged July 6, holding up a nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers on the eve of a self-imposed deadline. Though ballistic missiles have not been addressed previously in the negotiations, and were not included in a framework agreement announced in April, “the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-stalls-nuclear-talks-with-new-demands-on-ballistic-missiles-64824/

DefenceTalkVienna: The broad outlines of an unprecedented deal between Iran and global powers to put a nuclear bomb out of Tehran’s reach are known. But the devil is in the details. Here are some of the thorniest sticking points which top negotiators still have to nail down to reach a comprehensive accord, as Tuesday’s deadline […]https://www.defencetalk.com/main-sticking-points-in-iran-nuclear-talks-64722/