DefenceTalkThe accord with Iran to curb its nuclear program means a planned NATO anti-missile system in Europe, hotly opposed by Moscow, is no longer necessary, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavarov argued Wednesday. Moscow fears the system would compromise its own defences while NATO says the project is meant only to protect Europe from Iranian development […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-nuclear-accord-nato-missile-defence-unnecessary-russia-49898/

DefenceTalkIndia has expanded a secretive site that could be used to enrich more uranium for nuclear weapons, a US think tank said Wednesday, citing satellite imagery. The Institute for Science and International Security, a private group opposed to nuclear proliferation, said that India appeared to be finishing a second gas centrifuge facility at its Rare […]https://www.defencetalk.com/india-expands-nuclear-weapons-site-think-tank-49834/

DefenceTalkUS President Barack Obama asked key senators Tuesday for a delay in imposing new sanctions on Iran, but faced skepticism over the terms of a proposed interim nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic. Obama met the lawmakers at the White House on the eve of the next round of nuclear talks between the P5+1 powers […]https://www.defencetalk.com/obama-asks-key-senators-for-time-on-iran-sanctions-49696/

DefenceTalkPentagon chief Chuck Hagel on Friday acknowledged “troubling lapses” among troops managing the country’s nuclear arsenal and warned their job allowed “no room for error.” In a speech marking a change of leadership at the US military’s Strategic Command that oversees nuclear forces, Hagel noted recent failings in upholding “professionalism,” an apparent reference to alleged […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-room-for-error-for-us-nuclear-forces-hagel-49668/

DefenceTalkIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday denied US claims that the Islamic republic had scuttled nuclear talks in Geneva, pointing instead to France as the culprit. US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Abu Dhabi on Monday Iran had balked at the Geneva talks just as world powers were closing in on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-denies-it-scuttled-nuclear-talks-49622/

DefenceTalkThe United States plans to spend billions to upgrade a decades-old atomic bomb designed to stop a Soviet invasion of Europe, as part of a controversial project to modernize its nuclear arsenal. Some lawmakers and experts dismiss the effort as a colossal waste of money that could derail arms control talks with Russia. But top […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-to-spend-billions-modernizing-nuclear-arsenal-49591/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea on Monday warned of “merciless firing” against the South if it goes ahead with a reported plan to develop shells to carry anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. The South’s Joong-Ang Ilbo newspaper reported last week that South Korean troops were developing non-explosive hollow shells capable of carrying such leaflets deep into North Korean […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-warns-of-merciless-firing-against-south-korea-49440/

DefenceTalkA US think tank Friday disputed a study that North Korea’s nuclear program was developing beyond the world’s ability to control it and, as evidence, pointed to support by China. At a conference last month in Seoul, two US scholars presented a report saying that North Korea appeared to be capable of producing key components […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-think-tank-disputes-north-korea-nuclear-progress-report-49433/

DefenceTalkPresident Vladimir Putin is to visit Iran in August to try to restart talks on Tehran’s controversial nuclear drive, a Russian newspaper reported Wednesday. Putin’s visit is planned for mid-August, shortly after Iran’s moderate new president Hassan Rowhani takes office on August 3, Kommersant reported, citing sources in the Kremlin and the Iranian foreign ministry. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putin-to-visit-iran-for-nuclear-talks-report-48618/

DefenceTalkChina and South Korea will keep pushing to end North Korea’s nuclear program, their leaders declared Thursday at a high-profile summit between Pyongyang’s closest ally and its key rival. “We have agreed that under any circumstances, North Korea’s nuclear (weapons) are unacceptable and confirmed that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is of common interest […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-south-korea-agree-to-push-north-korea-denuclearization-48272/