DefenceTalkIran and six world powers agreed Thursday on the framework of a potentially historic deal aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear drive, marking a major breakthrough in a 12-year standoff after marathon talks in Switzerland. The framework, agreed between Iran and the West — which has long feared Tehran wants to build a nuclear bomb — […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-world-powers-agree-historic-framework-nuclear-deal-63717/

DefenceTalkJerusalem: Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said Thursday that all options including military action were on the table in the face of the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. Speaking to public radio as crunch talks on Iran’s nuclear program continued in Switzerland, Steinitz said Israel would seek to counter any threat through diplomacy and intelligence […]https://www.defencetalk.com/all-options-including-military-action-open-on-iran-israel-63710/

DefenceTalkGlobal powers on Sunday were narrowing in on a deal to stop any Iranian bid to develop nuclear weapons, with diplomats saying some key parts of an outline had been tentatively agreed. The “framework” accord — no one knows how detailed it will be — is meant to be fleshed out into a comprehensive agreement […]https://www.defencetalk.com/what-an-iran-nuclear-deal-could-look-like-63673/

DefenceTalkGlobal powers were due to gather with Iran Monday, seeking to slot into place the last pieces of a complex puzzle to curtail Tehran’s nuclear programme as diplomats said tentative agreement on some parts had been reached. US Secretary of State John Kerry will lead the team of six world powers — who hope an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-nuclear-talks-race-towards-deadline-63671/

DefenceTalkFears that Shiite Iran will remain a potential nuclear threat under a mooted international deal have raised concerns that Tehran’s Sunni rival Saudi Arabia could seek its own atomic capability. As the March 31 deadline for talks between Tehran and world powers approaches, an influential Saudi prince has suggested his country will respond in kind […]https://www.defencetalk.com/as-nuclear-deadline-nears-fears-saudi-may-try-to-match-iran-63593/

DefenceTalkUS Secretary of State John Kerry hit out Wednesday at a letter by Republican senators to Iran opposing the nuclear talks he is leading, saying it threatened global trust in America. Just days before he returns to Switzerland for fresh negotiations on Sunday, the top US diplomat also took aim at Republican assertions that Congress […]https://www.defencetalk.com/republican-letter-to-iran-shakes-trust-in-us-kerry-63462/

DefenceTalkRecent satellite imagery shows no sign of North Korea preparing an imminent nuclear test, despite a rise in military tensions on the Korean peninsula, a US think-tank said Wednesday. North Korea has ramped up the volume on its bellicose rhetoric in recent weeks in response to the launch of annual South Korean-US joint military exercises. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-sign-of-imminent-north-korea-nuclear-test-us-think-tank-63458/

DefenceTalkThe head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Monday he is “seriously” worried about the North Korean nuclear program, which has not been subject to international inspections since 2009. “I remain seriously concerned about the nuclear program of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),” said Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/un-worried-nkorea-nuclear-program-63346/

DefenceTalkIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Iran was a year away from making a nuclear bomb was contradicted by his secret services, according to reports Monday citing leaked documents. The inconsistency was revealed in a cache of communications between South African intelligence services and their global partners — including Israel’s Mossad and America’s CIA […]https://www.defencetalk.com/leaks-contradict-israels-claim-iran-was-close-to-bomb-63309/

DefenceTalkThe head of the UN’s atomic watchdog warned Monday that “terrorists” could attack or sabotage nuclear facilities in countries where security is weak, and urged governments not to let their guard down. “This is a very serious issue for the international community now,” Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iaea-chief-urges-vigilance-against-terrorist-nuke-threats-62229/