DefenceTalkFlying above the Yellow Sea between Korea and China, a French naval crew scans the ocean surface for signs of contraband headed for North Korea. The team is part of an international mission enforcing United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang, flying surveillance trips from the US Futenma base in Japan’s Okinawa. “The UN sends us information […]https://www.defencetalk.com/the-uns-eyes-french-navy-enforces-north-korea-sanctions-77478/

DefenceTalkIran on Sunday dismissed Europe’s offer for an informal meeting involving the United States on the troubled 2015 nuclear deal, saying the time is not “suitable” as Washington has failed to lift sanctions. The European Union’s political director earlier this month proposed the informal meeting involving all parties of the Vienna deal, a proposition accepted […]

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkIran on Friday renewed its call for the US to lift all sanctions imposed by former president Donald Trump, after an offer for talks from new President Joe Biden’s administration. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that Iran would “immediately reverse” its retaliatory measures if the US lifts “all sanctions imposed, re-imposed or re-labelled by […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-renews-call-to-us-to-lift-all-sanctions-imposed-by-trump-76785/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkUS President Joe Biden said he won’t lift sanctions against Iran as long as the Islamic republic is not adhering to its nuclear deal commitments. Asked whether he would halt sanctions to convince Iran to return to the bargaining table, Biden offered a clear reply in a CBS interview aired Sunday: “No.” The journalist then […]https://www.defencetalk.com/biden-says-us-wont-lift-sanctions-to-bring-iran-to-talks-76779/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkItaly on Friday revoked approval for arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the conflict in Yemen, making permanent an 18-month temporary suspension. “Today I am announcing that the government has revoked the authorizations underway for the export of missiles and aircraft bombs to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/italy-blocks-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-permanently-76709/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChina said Monday it would impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin, a Boeing defence division and other US firms involved in arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing views as its territory. The two US giants were involved in a recent sale of nearly $2 billion worth of missiles to Taiwan, alongside Raytheon, and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-to-sanction-us-firms-over-taiwan-arms-sale-76528/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkIran on Monday said it is more inclined to sell weapons rather than buy them, after it announced the end of a longstanding UN conventional arms embargo. Tehran said the ban imposed more than a decade ago was lifted “automatically” as of Sunday, based on the terms of a 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-says-will-sell-more-arms-than-buy-after-embargo-lifted-76478/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkNorth Korea is violating international sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear programme by exceeding a cap on petroleum imports and sending its workers overseas, including a former Juventus footballer, the United Nations said. Pyongyang is subject to a range of restrictions imposed since 2017 that limit its oil imports and ban exports of coal, fish […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-flouting-nuclear-sanctions-un-report-76411/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe US Justice Department indicted 28 North Koreans and five Chinese on Thursday for operating a money laundering ring that moved billions of dollars through global banks to avoid nuclear sanctions on Pyongyang. The network processed more than $2.5 billion through over 250 front companies across Thailand, Libya, Austria, Russia, China and Kuwait to evade […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-indicts-nkoreans-chinese-over-2-5-bn-network-to-dodge-sanctions-75701/

DefenceTalkTehran on Monday told Washington to “stop dreaming” after it was reported that the US plans to prevent the expiry of an international embargo on arms sales to Iran. The New York Times reported that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “is preparing a legal argument that the United States remains a participant in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-tells-us-to-stop-dreaming-of-extended-arms-embargo-75295/