DefenceTalkBelarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday his country could host nuclear weapons if it faces any external threats, as tensions soar between his ally Russia and the West over Ukraine. Lukashenko is due to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday. “If necessary, if such stupid and mindless steps are […]https://www.defencetalk.com/belarus-says-could-host-nuclear-weapons-if-faces-western-threat-77970/

DefenceTalkIran nuclear deal talks will resume in Vienna on Tuesday, diplomats said Monday, after negotiators in recent weeks have cited progress in seeking to revive the 2015 landmark accord. Parties to the deal have been negotiating in Vienna since last year with indirect US participation. Talks were most recently halted at the end of last […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-nuclear-deal-talks-to-resume-in-vienna-on-tuesday-eu-77838/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea pressed ahead with the development of its nuclear and missile programs last year despite international sanctions, according to a confidential United Nations report seen by AFP on Saturday. Pyongyang is under major sanctions over its weapons programs, including a ban on exports of coal, iron, lead, textiles, seafood and other products. While no […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-presses-ahead-with-weapons-development-despite-sanctions-77827/

DefenceTalkChina and Russia on Thursday blocked a US push to impose United Nations sanctions on five North Koreans in response to recent missile launches by Pyongyang, diplomats told AFP. China’s block came before a new closed-door Security Council meeting on North Korea, also requested by Washington, and was followed by Russia’s decision to similarly oppose […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-russia-block-us-push-for-un-sanctions-on-n-koreans-diplomats-77706/

DefenceTalkThe United States is worried that the arrival of Russian troops in Belarus for exercises could lead to a permanent presence that might introduce nuclear weapons into the country, a senior State Department official told reporters Tuesday. Russian military forces were moving into Belarus after Moscow-allied strongman Alexander Lukashenko announced Monday that the two countries […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-worries-russian-troop-arrival-could-lead-to-nuclear-weapons-in-belarus-77697/

DefenceTalkIsrael will maintain “unrestricted freedom” to act against Iran regardless of any nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday. Bennett made the comments to the Israeli parliament’s foreign affairs and defence committee as an Iranian official said there had been “good progress” towards reviving a 2015 nuclear agreement […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-says-free-to-act-with-or-without-iran-deal-77663/

DefenceTalkChina Tuesday said it will continue to “modernize” its nuclear arsenal and called on the United States and Russia to reduce their stockpiles a day after global powers pledged to prevent such weapons spreading. In a rare joint statement setting aside rising West-East tensions, the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France reaffirmed their goal […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-will-continue-to-modernize-nuclear-arsenal-foreign-ministry-77605/

DefenceTalkVienna: International talks on Iran’s nuclear program will restart on Monday after a five-month hiatus with Tehran saying it is “determined” to reach a deal but analysts predicting major obstacles to any speedy resumption of the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran paused the negotiations in June after the election of an ultraconservative new president, Ebrahim Raisi. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-nuclear-talks-to-resume-tehran-determined-to-salvage-deal-77506/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea’s firing of a suspected submarine-launched ballistic missile into the sea Thursday, if confirmed, would mark the nuclear-armed country’s latest advance in weapons technology. Here we look back at the development of the regime’s banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program: The beginnings North Korea starts working in the late 1970s on a version […]

DefenceTalkThe US State Department published on Tuesday the number of nuclear warheads the country stockpiles for the first time in four years, after former president Donald Trump placed a blackout on the data. As of September 30, 2020, the US military maintained 3,750 active and inactive nuclear warheads, down by 55 from a year earlier […]