DefenceTalkSTOCKHOLM: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported Monday that nuclear states — including Pakistan and India — continue to upgrade their stockpiles despite an international trend towards disarmament. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of warheads fell from 22,600 to 15,850 according to the institute’s annual disarmament report which said that US and Russia […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-india-increase-arsenals-despite-disarmament-trend-report-64504/

DefenceTalkA top Iranian official, in an unusual declaration Saturday, said there remains no trust between Tehran and world powers and either side could yet abandon a nuclear deal after signing. In comments that laid bare a paradox of long-running negotiations between Iran and the West, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said an agreement — due […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-trust-in-iran-nuclear-talks-top-negotiator-64417/

DefenceTalkA US Army lab sent a live sample of anthrax to Canada by mistake and may have sent the deadly bacteria to the Pentagon’s police force as well, officials said Tuesday. The latest discoveries raised fresh questions about the Defense Department’s handling of the lethal material and the extent of the problem involving mistaken shipments […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-confirms-more-anthrax-blunders-64382/

DefenceTalkThe US has banned Intel from selling China chips it requires to update its Tianhe-2 supercomputer – the world’s largest – over concerns that it will be used for “nuclear explosive activities.” The Tianhe-2 can perform a quadrillion mathematical calculations per second and though most of the technology is domestically developed, it uses tens of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-deal-intel-cant-sell-chips-to-china-over-us-nuclear-fears-64056/

DefenceTalkIran and major powers on Wednesday began the difficult process of finalizing by June 30 a historic deal putting an Iranian nuclear bomb out of reach, three weeks after agreeing the main outlines. Following a negotiating marathon in Switzerland, Iran agreed on April 2 to what US President Barack Obama called a “historic understanding… which, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/tricky-drafting-of-iran-nuclear-deal-begins-63929/

DefenceTalkAuthorities issued an alert for several Mexican states Wednesday after thieves snatched potentially deadly radioactive material used for industrial radiography. The iridium-192 source, marked X-571, was inside a container when it was stolen on Monday from a truck in Cardenas, a town in southern Tabasco state, the interior ministry said in a statement. “This source […]https://www.defencetalk.com/mexico-issues-alert-over-stolen-radioactive-material-63876/

DefenceTalkIran wants international sanctions lifted on the day of the implementation of an agreement with world powers on its nuclear programme, President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday. “We will not sign any agreements unless on the first day of the implementation of the deal all economic sanctions are totally lifted on the same day,” Rouhani […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sanctions-must-go-on-same-day-nuclear-deal-implemented-rouhani-63787/

DefenceTalkPyongyang is capable of launching an ICBM with a nuclear warhead from a hard-to-track mobile launcher at the US West Coast, the US aerospace defense commander has said. The capability is disputed by a study from leading North Korea-watchers, however. “Our assessment is that they have the ability to put a nuclear weapon on a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-capable-of-launching-mobile-nuke-missile-into-us-norad-63761/

DefenceTalkA raft of biting global sanctions imposed on Iran for its suspect nuclear activities will be lifted over time, if the Islamic republic sticks to the terms of a final deal with global powers. Under a framework struck Thursday, the US and EU will lift all nuclear-related sanctions after the UN atomic watchdog, the IAEA, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nuclear-sanctions-on-iran-to-be-lifted-if-it-meets-deal-63721/

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/