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May 15, 2012

"Iran envoy says nuclear talks with UN agency 'very constructive'" Associated Press / May 15, 2012 VIENNA – Iran's envoy to talks with the U.N. nuclear agency said Tuesday the meeting was going well, as the two sides began their second day of discussion of agency suspicions that Tehran might have tested atomic arms technology.... View Source ›

Thomas Erdbrink, "Iran Sees Success in Stalling on Nuclear Issue" New York TImes / May 14, 2012 TEHRAN — As Iran starts a critical round of talks over its nuclear program, its negotiating team may be less interested in reaching a comprehensive settlement than in buying time and establishing the legitimacy of its enrichment program, Iranian officials and analysts said. ... View Source ›

Song Sang-ho, "Myanmar gave up nuclear programs, president says" The Korea Herald / May 15, 2012 Myanmarese President Thein Sein said Monday the country had given up its plan to develop nuclear programs in cooperation with Russia in the mid-2000s. ... View Source ›

"Poland, Norway Call For NATO Tactical Arms Control Talks With Russia" Global Security Newswire / May 15, 2012 NATO should use the coming high-profile summit in Chicago to commit to new engagement with Russia over the two former Cold War antagonists' nuclear arsenals, the foreign ministers of Poland and Norway urged in a Monday letter published in the New York Times (see GSN, May 11).... View Source ›

"Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant to start operation in 2012: Russian contractor" Xinhua / May 14, 2012 MOSCOW, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant will be launched into industrial operation by the end of 2012, the plant's Russian contractor Atomstroyexport said Monday.... View Source ›

"New York Lawmaker Lashes Proposed Elimination of WMD Response Team" Global Security Newswire / May 15, 2012 A lawmaker from New York on Monday lashed the Defense Department's proposal to dissolve a specialized National Guard team that would assist local authorities in the response to a WMD incident (see GSN, Dec. 1, 2010).... View Source ›

"Iran hangs 'Mossad agent' for scientist killing" Reuters / May 15, 2012 May 15 (Reuters) - Iran has hanged a man it said was an agent for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad whom it convicted of killing one of its nuclear scientists in 2010, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.... View Source ›

May 14, 2012

"Drawing of structure said to shed light on Iran’s secret nuclear work" Associated Press / May 13, 2012 VIENNA — A drawing based on information from inside an Iranian military site shows an explosives containment chamber of the type needed for nuclear arms-related tests that U.N. inspectors suspect Tehran has conducted there. Iran denies such testing and has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of such a chamber.... View Source ›

Ariel Zirulnick, "UN's nuclear agency, Iran begin critical meeting ahead of Baghdad talks" Christian Science Monitor / May 14, 2012 Iranian officials arrived in Vienna today to meet International Atomic Energy Agency officials in preparation for next week's Baghdad meeting on its nuclear program.... View Source ›

"South Korean Military Opposes Refielding of U.S. Tactical Nukes: Source" Global Security Newswire / May 14, 2012 The South Korean armed forces oppose the refielding of U.S. nonstrategic nuclear weapons in their country, a move that was recently hinted at by a key U.S. House of Representatives committee, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday (see GSN, May 11).... View Source ›

Linda Sieg & Yoko Kubota, "Japan assembly agrees to restart reactors, hurdles remain" Reuters / May 14, 2012 TOKYO, May 14 (Reuters) - The local assembly in a Japanese town that hosts a nuclear plant agreed on Monday it was necessary to restart two off-line reactors, its chairman said, the first such nod since all the country's stations were halted after the Fukushima crisis.... View Source ›

"Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Conference Planners End Meeting" Global Security Newswire / May 14, 2012 The planning panel for the 2015 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference wrapped up its initial gathering on Friday after engaging in two weeks of "efficient" proceedings, the United Nations announced (see GSN, April 26).... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "U.N. nuclear agency to push Iran on military site access" Reuters / May 14, 2012 (Reuters) - The United Nations nuclear watchdog signaled on Monday it would press Iran for access to a military installation where it suspects Iran has built a chamber for high-explosive tests that could serve to develop atomic bombs. ... View Source ›

"Milestones at new Russian reactors" World Nuclear News / May 14, 2012 Construction of new nuclear power plants in Russia is advancing, with Kalinin 4 entering trial commercial operation and completion of the installation of the dome of the containment building at Novovoronezh Phase II unit 1.... View Source ›

May 11, 2012

"House Committee Backs Refielding Tactical Nukes in Western Pacific" Global Security Newswire / May 11, 2012 A House of Representatives committee has approved a measure that directs the Obama administration to explore the possibility of refielding U.S. nonstrategic nuclear weapons in the Asia-Pacific region as a response to North Korea's continued work on ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, Foreign Policy reported on Thursday (see GSN, May 10).... View Source ›

"North Korea to bolster nuclear deterrent at any cost" Agence France-Presse / May 10, 2012 SEOUL: North Korea said Thursday it would strengthen its nuclear deterrent and other defences regardless of cost, amid fears it is preparing for another atomic weapons test.... View Source ›

Jay Solomon, "Mideast Nuclear Meeting in Doubt " Wall Street Journal / May 10, 2012 WASHINGTON—Plans for a United Nations-backed conference aimed at ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons are unraveling because of political upheaval in the region and diplomatic sparring over suspected nuclear-weapons programs in Iran and Israel, said officials involved in the event's preparations.... View Source ›

Tony Czuczka , "Iran Working on Nuclear Warhead, Opposition Group Tells Die Welt" Bloomberg / May 11, 2012 Iran is pursuing work on a nuclear warhead, Die Welt said, citing a report by the People’s Mujahadeen and a member of the opposition group. ... View Source ›

"Eastern European projects gather momentum" World Nuclear News / May 10, 2012 Lithuania's government has approved the draft concession agreement for the planned Visaginas nuclear power plant as part of major legislation on strategic energy projects, while Czech power company CEZ confirms it is looking for a strategic partner for Temelin.... View Source ›

Richard Norton-Taylor, "Nato plans to upgrade nuclear weapons 'expensive and unnecessary'" The Guardian / May 10, 2012 Proposals to modernise nuclear arsenal will heighten tensions with Russia, warns thinktank backed by ex-ministers... View Source ›

Awad Mustafa, "UAE calls for more to sign nuclear safety treaty" The National / May 11, 2012 DUBAI // The UAE has urged more countries to sign up to a nuclear convention committing them to international standards of safety.... View Source ›

May 10, 2012

"North Korea threatens to bolster its nuclear arsenal amid worries about another atomic test" Associated Press / May 10, 2012 SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea is threatening to bolster its nuclear arsenal at any cost amid worries that the country may conduct a third atomic test soon.... View Source ›

"Japan to Take Over Tepco After Fukushima Disaster" Reuters / May 9, 2012 TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co, Japan's biggest utility and owner of the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant, will be taken over by the government after the country's trade minister on Wednesday approved a $12.5 billion capital injection. ... View Source ›

"Nuke-Ready Pakistani Missile Fired in Trial" Global Security Newswire / May 10, 2012 Pakistan on Thursday conducted a trial launch of a ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear or conventional warheads as far as 180 miles, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, April 25).... View Source ›

"Brazil shelves plans to build new nuclear plants" Agence France-Presse / May 9, 2012 Brazil said Wednesday it has shelved plans to build new nuclear power stations in the coming years in the wake of last year's Fukushima disaster in Japan.... View Source ›

"South Korea Says Ready For Any New "Provocation" From North" Global Security Newswire / May 9, 2012 South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan on Wednesday declared his country was absolutely able to respond to any "further provocation" by its northern neighbor, which observers worry could be a new atomic device test, the Yonhap News Agency reported (see GSN, May 8).... View Source ›

Dmitry Zhdannikov and Justyna Pawlak, "Britain seeks delay to EU's Iran ship insurance ban" Reuters / May 9, 2012 (Reuters) - Britain is seeking to persuade fellow European Union members to postpone by up to six months a ban on providing insurance for tankers carrying Iranian oil, arguing that it could lead to a damaging spike in oil prices, European diplomats said.... View Source ›

Josef Federman, "Israel: Iran Must Commit to Stop All Enrichment" Associated Press / May 9, 2012 Israel on Wednesday accused Iran of stalling in negotiations over its nuclear program with the international community, and said an upcoming round of talks can succeed only if the Iranians agree to halt all uranium enrichment.... View Source ›

May 9, 2012

Barak Ravid, "Netanyahu: Iran must commit to halt all enrichment in upcoming nuclear talks" Haaretz / May 9, 2012 In unusual move, PM invites Barak, Lieberman and newcomer Mofaz to join meeting with EU foreign policy chief Ashton, in which he accused Iran of playing for time and said world powers must demand that Iran take tangible steps toward halting uranium enrichment.... View Source ›

George Jahn, "Mideast nuclear conference in jeopardy" Associated Press / May 8, 2012 VIENNA (AP) — Hopes dimmed Tuesday for staging major nuclear talks later this year between Israel and its Muslim rivals, as Iran and Arab countries at a 189-nation conference accused Israel of being the greatest threat to peace in the region and Egypt warned that Arab states might rethink their opposition to atomic arms.... View Source ›

"North Korea Not Close to Wielding Credible Nuclear Weapon, Experts Say" Global Security Newswire / May 9, 2012 North Korea is a long way from wielding a credible nuclear weapon that could believably be fielded in an attack, issue analysts told the Associated Press in a Tuesday report (see GSN, May 7).... View Source ›

Maciej Onoszko, "Poland to pick nuclear technology this year -minister" Reuters / May 9, 2012 May 9 (Reuters) - Poland, one of only a handful of European nations still pursuing plans to build nuclear power plants, will select the provider of the technology for its first facility this year and hopes it will start operating in 2023, a government official said.... View Source ›

"Israeli, Iranian Attendance at WMD-Free Zone Meeting Uncertain" Global Security Newswire / May 9, 2012 It remains unclear whether Israel and Iran will attend a key regional meeting this December on outlawing nuclear weapons and other unconventional arms in the Middle East, the event "facilitator" was quoted by Deutsche Presse-Agentur as suggesting on Tuesday (see GSN, April 24).... View Source ›

"Water waste set to become uranium resource in USA" World Nuclear News / May 9, 2012 The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has decided to allow uranium captured in water treatment filters to be processed by uranium recovery operations - without the need for any licence amendment.... View Source ›

Milda Seputyte , "Lithuania Sees GDP Boost From Building Nuclear Plant" Bloomberg / May 9, 2012 Lithuania predicts the construction of a planned nuclear-power plant, its biggest investment since the end of communism two decades ago, to boost economic growth by 0.7 percentage points a year. ... View Source ›

May 8, 2012

"US, India call for Pakistani terror crackdown, want to keep up pressure on Iran" Associated Press / May 8, 2012 NEW DELHI — The United States and India on Tuesday called for Pakistan to do more to stop terrorism and pledged to keep up pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.... View Source ›

"Gov't to decide whether to keep reprocessing spent nuclear fuel" Kyodo News Agency / May 8, 2012 TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The government plans to decide within several years whether to continue processing spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium, government officials said Monday.... View Source ›

Marcus George, "Iran complains of nuclear double standards" Reuters / May 8, 2012 May 8 (Reuters) - World powers should focus on scrapping nuclear weapons and abiding by their own non-proliferation commitments rather than speculating about Iran's peaceful atomic work, the Iranian foreign ministry said on Tuesday.... View Source ›

"UN nuclear inspector reportedly killed in Iranian car crash, another injured" Associated Press / May 8, 2012 TEHRAN, Iran – A U.N. nuclear inspector from South Korea was killed Tuesday and a colleague was injured in a car crash near a reactor site in central Iran, news reports said.... View Source ›

"Nuclear Powers Not Disarming Quickly Enough For Rest of World" Global Security Newswire / May 7, 2012 The world's five acknowledged nuclear powers -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- are not moving as fast as the rest of the world would like in shrinking their atomic arsenals, as called for by the decades-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Reuters reported on Friday (see GSN, April 30).... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl & Justyna Pawlak, "EU tells defiant Iran it "must" suspend atom activity" Reuters / May 7, 2012 (Reuters) - The European Union told Iran on Monday it must suspend uranium enrichment, a few days after the Islamic state ruled out doing just that, as Tehran and the West engaged in diplomatic shadow-boxing ahead of nuclear talks this month. ... View Source ›

"GAO Report Finds Inadequacy, Inaccuracy in NRC Oversight of Funds to Decommission Nuclear Power Plants" Power Engineering / May 8, 2012 Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass. (7th CD), issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, released a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) may not be accurately estimating the costs of decommissioning nuclear power plants nor adequately ensuring that owners are financially planning for the eventual permanent shutdown of America's nuclear power plants. The request was motivated by several other reports suggesting such inadequacies. For example, a 2009 review of licensee decommissioning funding status reports found that licensees for 27 out of 104 operating nuclear reactors had a combined shortfall of more than $2.4 billion in their decommissioning funds. ... View Source ›

May 4, 2012

Andrew Quinn, "Clinton says U.S. willing to work with North Korea if it reforms" Reuters / May 4, 2012 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that the United States was willing to work with North Korea if it changed its ways, and also said more pressure should be brought to bear on Sudan and Syria. ... View Source ›

Roshanak Taghavi, "Ayatollah Khamenei gives Iran nuclear talks unprecedented legitimacy" Christian Science Monitor / May 4, 2012 Iran's supreme leader appears much more involved in current nuclear negotiations, meaning that any deal struck will not face resistance back in Iran. But he's also likely to press for a harder line.... View Source ›

"IAEA says would "not be surprised" by North Korea nuke test" Reuters / May 4, 2012 (Reuters) - The United Nations nuclear chief said on Friday he would not be surprised if North Korea were to carry out a new nuclear test, amid speculation the secretive Asian state is preparing to conduct the third such explosion since 2006. ... View Source ›

"U.S. Denies Willingness to Accept Iranian Uranium Refinement" Global Security Newswire / May 3, 2012 The Obama administration on Monday said it continues to stand by international demands for Iran to halt all uranium enrichment, the Iran Independent News Service reported (see GSN, May 2).... View Source ›

Dan Williams], "Iran goal: To build a nuclear bomb in 60 days, says Israel minister " Reuters / May 4, 2012 Iran is working toward a 'threshold status' of being able to produce a nuclear bomb with 60 days notice, says Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Debate in Israel over Iran's nuclear aims continues.... View Source ›

Chico Harlan, "Japan’s last reactor to shut down, leaving country nuclear-free for first time since 1966" Washington Post / May 4, 2012 SEOUL — Japan will power down its last operating nuclear reactor this weekend, finalizing the country’s sudden turn away from a once-preferred energy source and leaving it nuclear-free for the first time since 1966.... View Source ›

Emma Farge, "Access to Iran army site "priority" in talks: IAEA" Reuters / May 4, 2012 (Reuters) - Gaining access to a key Iranian military facility will be the priority for the U.N. nuclear watchdog when it resumes talks with the Islamic state in mid-May, agency head Yukiya Amano said on Friday.... View Source ›

May 3, 2012

"Senate Faults NNSA For Rising Cost of MOX Site " Global Security Newswire / May 3, 2012 Senate appropriators last week faulted the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration for not sufficiently explaining why the projected operations cost of a mixed-oxide facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina has ballooned in recent years even as they approved hundreds of millions of dollars in additional financing for the project, the Augusta Chronicle reported (see GSN, April 30).... View Source ›

"Japan assesses older nuclear plants" Wall Street Journal / May 3, 2012 TOKYO -- Japan is grappling with the question of whether older nuclear reactors are more prone to spinning out of control when a disaster hits, as the nation pushes to restart units for the first time since last year's accident in Fukushima. ... View Source ›

"North Korea May Soon Detonate Nuke Device, U.S. Said to Inform South" Global Security Newswire / May 2, 2012 The United States has reportedly told South Korea that North Korea could detonate a third atomic device as soon as this week, Kyodo News reported on Monday (see GSN, May 1).... View Source ›

"Japan and South Korea urge North Korea to make no more nuclear ‘provocations’" Reuters / May 2, 2012 VIENNA — Japan and South Korea urged North Korea on Wednesday to refrain from any new “provocations,” amid concern the secretive Asian state will soon conduct a new nuclear test.... View Source ›

"Security Council Adds 3 North Korean Firms to Sanctions List " Global Security Newswire / May 2, 2012 A key U.N. Security Council panel on Wednesday hit three additional North Korean firms with sanctions as punishment for the nation's launch of a long-range rocket last month in what was seen as a botched test of ballistic missile technology, Reuters reported (see GSN, April 26). ... View Source ›

"Iranian envoy says Israel’s nuclear capabilities greatest threat to peace" Associated Press / May 2, 2012 VIENNA — A senior Iranian official said Wednesday that Israel’s undeclared nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat to Mideast peace and accused the United States and other nuclear powers of hypocritically ignoring their disarmament commitments. ... View Source ›

Barak Ravid, "EU's Ashton plans Israel visit to update Netanyahu on Iran nuclear talks" Haaretz / May 3, 2012 Ashton's visit, expected to last several hours, comes ahead of the second round nuclear of talks between Iran and Western powers, which will begin May 23 in Baghdad.... View Source ›

May 2, 2012

"N. Korea believed to have enriched uranium for up to 6 bombs: expert " Yonhap / May 2, 2012 SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is believed to now have enough large stocks of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium for up to six bombs, a nuclear expert at the South Korean government said Wednesday, amid growing concerns that the North may be ready for a new nuclear test.... View Source ›

"CTR Program Secures Three Nuke Transports" Global Security Newswire / May 2, 2012 The U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction program in March supported security for three nuclear-weapon train shipments and disposal of 51 metric tons of chemical nerve agent, Senator Richard Lugar announced on Tuesday (see GSN, April 6).... View Source ›

"Experts meet in Vienna for nuclear non-proliferation talks" Agence France-Presse / May 1, 2012 VIENNA: Some 1,000 delegates from 190 countries gathered here Monday for the first of three sessions of preparatory talks for a 2015 conference reviewing progress on halting the spread of nuclear weapons.... View Source ›

Douglas P. Guarino, "U.S. Official Rejects Call For International Nuclear Security Standards" Global Security Newswire / May 1, 2012 WASHINGTON – A senior Obama administration official on Monday rejected suggestions that the Nuclear Security Summit process should strive to establish enforceable international standards for protecting vulnerable nuclear materials (see GSN, March 28).... View Source ›

Dan Williams, "Israel's Barak: election would not alter Iran plans" Reuters / May 2, 2012 (Reuters) - The prospect of an imminent election in Israel will not affect its strategy for tackling Iran's nuclear program, including plans for a possible preemptive war, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday.... View Source ›

Kerry Sheridan, "Science ensures North Korea nuclear test would be no secret" Agence France-Presse / May 1, 2012 North Korea remains largely cut off from the Internet and mobile phone technology that links much of modern society, but any nuclear test would be swiftly revealed by global scientists, experts say.... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "Iran says seeks end to sanctions at talks with world powers" Reuters / May 2, 2012 VIENNA, May 2 (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday it was seeking an end to Western sanctions over its arms programme during talks with world powers and criticised France for helping Israel, the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have atomic weapons.... View Source ›

May 1, 2012

"Plutonium Glitch Forced Shutdown of Nuclear Arsenal Support System" Global Security Newswire / May 1, 2012 The unintentional release of minute pieces of plutonium from a holding receptacle in 2009 forced the United States to deactivate for more than two years a nuclear arsenal support system at the Nevada National Security Site, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Friday (see GSN, Jan. 9).... View Source ›

Indira A.R. Lakshmanan , "IMF Pressured to Suspend Iran, Close Account" Bloomberg / April 30, 2012 A New York-based advocacy group that has pressured companies and organizations to halt business with Iran because of its disputed nuclear program is urging the International Monetary Fund to close its account at Iran’s central bank and suspend Iran as a member. ... View Source ›

"Compromise Could Allow Iran to Continue Uranium Enrichment: Report" Global Security Newswire / April 30, 2012 Obama administration insiders have said they might assent to continued Iranian production of 5 percent-enriched uranium if the Middle Eastern nation accepts audits without constraints, as well as tight International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring measures intended to ensure the nation's atomic assets are not tapped for use in weapons, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday (see GSN, Apr. 27).... View Source ›

"Israeli defense minister talks tough on Iran" Associated Press / May 1, 2012 (AP) JERUSALEM - Israel's defense minister warned Monday that as long as Iran poses a threat to Israel with its nuclear program, all options are on the table, a reference to a possible Israeli attack.... View Source ›

"Satellite Images Reveal New Preparations For North Korea Nuke Test" Global Security Newswire / April 30, 2012 Satellite pictures taken as recently as April 18 reveal excavation equipment at North Korea's atomic test site in yet another sign that a third underground nuclear blast is likely in the works, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, April 27).... View Source ›

Sandeep Dikshit, "Sign nuclear non-proliferation treaty, Japan tells India" The Hindu / May 1, 2012 Japan on Monday asked India to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) even as the two sides decided to reopen talks on a bilateral civil nuclear agreement. ... View Source ›

"2,800 Nuclear Warheads in Russian and U.S. Arsenal, According to New Report" Ottawa Citizen / May 1, 2012 From the Federation of American Scientists: A new FAS Special Report - Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons - concludes that Russia and the United States combined possess an estimated 2,800 nuclear warheads for their non-strategic nuclear forces. Several thousand other non-strategic warheads have been retired and are awaiting dismantlement.... View Source ›