Daily News: 10/2013

October 31, 2013

"U.S., China Still Not Aligned on Renewing Nuclear Talks with North Korea" Global Security Newswire / October 30, 2013 After two days of meetings in Washington, senior U.S. and Chinese officials signaled their governments still were not aligned on a strategy for resuming nuclear negotiations with North Korea, the Yonhap News Agency reported... View Source ›

Patricia Zengerle, "White House faces tough sell in Congress on delay of Iran sanctions" Reuters / October 30, 2013 Top Obama administration officials have been pushing U.S. lawmakers hard to hold off on new sanctions over Iran's nuclear program, but some key lawmakers said on Wednesday they had not yet been convinced to support a delay.... View Source ›

Ray Locker, "Pentagon think tank hires 'Rumsfeld's Dr. Strangelove'" USA Today / October 30, 2013 A Pentagon think tank that reports directly to the secretary of Defense has hired a longtime advocate of a large nuclear weapons arsenal to review the Obama administration's move to reduce the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile, military contract records show.... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "Iran nuclear diplomacy intensifies, Tehran denies enrichment halt" Reuters / October 30, 2013 Iran and six big powers began expert-level talks on Wednesday, building on diplomatic momentum created by a pragmatic shift in Tehran towards negotiating a peaceful solution to the dispute over Iranian nuclear ambitions.... View Source ›

"Iran says nuclear site 'saboteurs' were thieves" AFP / October 30, 2013 Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Wednesday that four people accused of sabotaging one of the country's sensitive nuclear sites were only thieves, Mehr news agency reported.... View Source ›

"White House updates Jewish, pro-Israel groups on Iran amid concerns about new sanctions pause" Associated Press / October 29, 2013 The White House has updated Jewish and pro-Israel groups about its talks with Iran amid concerns by some of the groups about the U.S. easing sanctions pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.... View Source ›

Douglas P. Guarino, "House Democrat Eyes More Powerful Alternative to B-61 Nuclear Bomb" Global Security Newswire / October 30, 2013 A key House Democrat on Tuesday pressed the Obama administration over whether it could use another, more powerful nuclear weapon to defend U.S. allies in Europe rather than making controversial and costly upgrades to the B-61 atomic warhead.... View Source ›

October 30, 2013

"Iran, U.N. Atomic Watchdog Upbeat After Two-Day Meeting" Global Security Newswire / October 29, 2013 Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency held "very productive" discussions this week about resolving a rift over the Middle Eastern nation's nuclear activities and will meet again in two weeks, the two sides said Tuesday in an unusual joint statement.... View Source ›

Timothy Gardner, "U.S. senators seek to cut Iran's oil sales in half - again" Reuters / October 29, 2013 Fresh U.S. sanctions over Iran's disputed nuclear program being debated behind closed doors in the Senate aim to slash the country's oil sales in half within a year of the plan being signed into law, an influential senator said this week.... View Source ›

John Bresnahan and Manu Raju, "Kerry, Lew to lobby against new Iran sanctions" Politico / October 29, 2013 Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will hold a top-secret briefing with senators on Thursday about the impact of U.S.-led sanctions on Iran as the White House tries to head off new congressional action on the Middle Eastern country. ... View Source ›

Michael Coleman, "Budget battles threaten U.S. nuclear modernization" Albuquerque Journal / October 30, 2013 Leaders of America’s nuclear weapons complex told Congress on Tuesday that B61 bombs maintained by Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories are critical to the nation’s nuclear deterrent but threatened by ongoing budget battles in Washington.... View Source ›

Clare Foran, "Japanese Nuclear Watchdog: Drastic Measures Must Be Taken at Fukushima" Global Security Newswire / October 29, 2013 The head of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority, Shunichi Tanaka, is calling for a drastic overhaul in operating procedure at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant to restore safety, the Associated Press reports.... View Source ›

"Work Begins on Nuclear Security Center in China" Global Security Newswire / October 29, 2013 Construction got underway on Tuesday for a nuclear-security training facility in Beijing that is being cooperatively financed by China and the United States, the Xinhua News Agency reported.... View Source ›

David Alexander, "U.S. nuclear arms overhaul needed to ensure reliability: officials" Reuters / October 29, 2013 The U.S. nuclear arsenal needs a multi-billion dollar overhaul in the coming decade to ensure the weapons' safety and effectiveness, defense officials said on Tuesday, despite warnings from arms control groups that the effort is unaffordable and unnecessary.... View Source ›

October 29, 2013

George Jahn, "Iran-UN Nuke Talks Advance, New Round Nov. 11" Associated Press / October 28, 2013 Iranian and U.N. negotiators say Tehran has presented "constructive" ideas at talks over a proposed probe of suspicions Tehran worked on nuclear arms and have set a next round for Nov. 11 in Tehran.... View Source ›

"Israel: Nuclear Armed Iran Is Threat to Africa" Associated Press / October 28, 2013 Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. The prime minister's office said Netanyahu told Jonathan that stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons is important to Nigeria, Africa and the world.... View Source ›

"Former US Envoys Urge Nuclear Talks With NKorea" Associated Press / October 28, 2013 Former U.S. negotiators on North Korea's nuclear program are urging the Obama administration reopen a dialogue with Pyongyang.... View Source ›

"Russia Wants to Compromise on U.S.-NATO Missile Shield Plans" Global Security Newswire / October 28, 2013 Russia on Monday said it was open to reaching a compromise with NATO on its plans for European ballistic-missile defense, but warned the current negotiating posture of the alliance is "unacceptable," ITAR-Tass reported.... View Source ›

"S. Korea Seeks More Patriot Missiles as N. Korea Eyes Rocket Launches" Global Security Newswire / October 28, 2013 The U.S. Defense Department on Friday alerted Congress that South Korea wants to bolster its Patriot air-defense system, while North Korea meanwhile is expected to be eyeing more long-range rocket launches... View Source ›

"Turkey Says China Missile Deal Not Final, Is Open to Other Offers" Global Security Newswire / October 28, 2013 Turkey on Saturday said a controversial deal with China to purchase a long-range missile-defense system is not yet final, saying it could halt it if a U.S. or European defense bidder offers better terms on a similar system, the Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported.... View Source ›

"Corker: Inconsistency In Civilian Nuclear Deals Threatens U.S. Non-Proliferation Goals" The Chattanoogan / October 28, 2013 n a letter on Monday to Secretary of State John Kerry, Senator Bob Corker, (R-Tn.), the ranking Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee, raised concerns about inconsistencies in new civilian nuclear cooperation agreements (known as “123 agreements”) with other countries threatening U.S. nuclear non-proliferation goals.... View Source ›

October 28, 2013

Patricia Zengerle and Timothy Gardner, "Kerry, Lew to brief U.S. senators on Iran nuclear talks" Reuters / October 25, 2013 Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will hold a briefing on Thursday on the status of nuclear talks with Iran for members of a U.S. Senate committee considering tough new sanctions on Tehran, Senate aides said on Friday.... View Source ›

Paul Richter and Sergei L. Loiko, "U.S., Russia quietly cooperate on Iran" Los Angeles Times / October 26, 2013 Despite the nations' rocky relations in other areas, Moscow has given crucial support to the effort to curb Iran's nuclear program.... View Source ›

Douglas P. Guarino, "Cost Concerns Could Prompt New Look at Warhead Modernization Plan" Global Security Newswire / October 25, 2013 The Obama administration might reconsider a potentially costly plan to upgrade certain nuclear warheads because of increasing budget constraints and skepticism from lawmakers and some military officials, congressional aides and other observers say.... View Source ›

Benoit Faucon and Laurence Norman, "EU Shifts Tactics to Bolster Iran Sanctions" The Wall Street Journal / October 27, 2013 The European Union is moving to a new approach in reinforcing its Iran sanctions regime in a bid to prevent legal challenges by companies from undermining the West's efforts to counter Tehran's nuclear program.... View Source ›

"Iran MP says Fordo nuclear site a 'red line'" AFP / October 27, 2013 A prominent Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday Iran would never agree to shut down its Fordo underground nuclear enrichment facility as demanded by world powers, Mehr news agency reported.... View Source ›

Julian E. Barnes and Doug Cameron, "Boeing, Lockheed Martin to Bid Jointly on New Bomber Program" The Wall Street Journal / October 25, 2013 Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. plan to make a joint bid on a new bomber to replace the aging B-52s and B-1 jets used by the U.S. Air Force.... View Source ›

"U.S., Germany, Italy Agree to Cooperate on MEADS Development" Global Security Newswire / October 25, 2013 The United States, Germany and Italy this week agreed to maintain trilateral collaboration on a developmental battlefield short-range missile defense system, whose continued financing by the U.S. government has been strongly opposed by Congress, Inside Defense reported on Thursday.... View Source ›

October 25, 2013

"Obama Officials Seek Pause on New Iran Penalties" Global Security Newswire / October 24, 2013 President Obama's staff planned on Thursday to privately caution the Senate against immediately considering new sanctions legislation his administration believes could hamper nuclear negotiations with Iran, Reuters reported.... View Source ›

"U.S. in Talks with Turkey over Antimissile Deal with China" Global Security Newswire / October 24, 2013 The United States is in the midst of talks with Turkey about its pending deal to purchase Chinese missile-defense technology, which a U.S. official said could have negative implications for the collective security of NATO, Agence France-Presse reported.... View Source ›

"Obama Says He is Confident About Pakistani Nuclear Security" Global Security Newswire / October 24, 2013 President Obama asserted he was confident Pakistan is committed to maintaining security around its nuclear arsenal on Wednesday, just weeks after it was revealed the U.S. intelligence community has made surveillance of the South Asian country's nuclear sites one of its top priorities.... View Source ›

Julian Pecquet, "Dems could break with Obama on Iran" The Hill / October 24, 2013 Key Democratic senators are weighing whether to break with President Obama on Iran after the White House pressed them to delay another round of sanctions on Thursday. Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/middle-east-north-africa/330537-dems-weigh-breaking-with-obama-on-iran#ixzz2ijx2liyX Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook... View Source ›

George Jahn, "Top Iranian Official to Meet With UN Nuke Chief" Associated Press / October 24, 2013 A top nuclear negotiator from Tehran will meet with the head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency next week just hours before agency experts sit down with Iranian counterparts to renew their push for access to sites, people and documents believed linked to possible work on atomic arms, the agency said Thursday.... View Source ›

Justyna Pawlak, "EU may re-impose sanctions on Iran ship line despite court order" Reuters / October 24, 2013 European governments have taken preliminary steps to re-impose sanctions against Iran's main cargo shipping line, potentially complicating a new diplomatic push to settle the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.... View Source ›

Wayne Ma, "Sanction Side-Step: Iranian Oil Flows Back Into China" The Wall Street Journal / October 24, 2013 After a three-month break, China has resumed importing Iranian fuel oil, a practice that has helped it avoid U.S. sanctions designed to punish countries that import crude oil from Iran.... View Source ›

October 24, 2013

Thomas Erdbrink, "Lawmaker Says Iran Has Halted Enrichment" The New York Times / October 23, 2013 An influential Iranian lawmaker says his country has halted the production of enriched uranium up to 20 percent, a level that experts say is only a few technical steps from what is needed to produce a nuclear weapon.... View Source ›

John Hudson, "Despite AIPAC Lobbying, Obama Admin Calms Congress on Iran Talks" Foreign Policy / October 23, 2013 On Wednesday, the Obama administration held its first classified briefing with Congress on its high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran. Despite deep skepticism of White House engagement with Iran -- and despite a fresh lobbying effort by AIPAC -- exiting lawmakers appeared mollified by the State Department's chief nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman, who led this month's talks with Iran in Geneva.... View Source ›

Joby Warrick, "Rift widens on Iranian nuclear deal as Israel, Arabs warn against allowing enrichment" The Washington Post / October 23, 2013 The Obama administration on Wednesday acknowledged a widening gulf with key Middle Eastern allies over nuclear talks with Iran, as Israeli and Persian Gulf Arab leaders pressed for drastic cuts to Iran’s atomic infrastructure that Tehran has insisted it will never accept.... View Source ›

"Russia, China Consider Options for Restarting Nuclear Talks with North Korea" Global Security Newswire / October 23, 2013 Russia and China in recent days held bilateral talks on options for reinvigorating a moribund multinational process aimed at permanently ending North Korea's nuclear-weapons work, the Yonhap News Agency reported.... View Source ›

Paul Richter, "Obama, Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif meet at White House" Los Angeles Times / October 23, 2013 U.S. and Pakistan discuss drone strikes, Afghanistan's future and Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.... View Source ›

James Rosen, "Hagel does balancing act with Russian counterpar" McClatchy / October 23, 2013 Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said Wednesday that he'd praised Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for helping to remove Syria's chemical weapons, but Hagel also told Shoigu the United States will continue developing the missile defense system Moscow has opposed for years.... View Source ›

October 23, 2013

"Iran Anticipates Technical Nuclear Meeting After IAEA Talks" Global Security Newswire / October 22, 2013 A senior Iranian diplomat on Tuesday said technical specialists from his country would speak with counterparts from six governments after Tehran confers separately with a U.N. agency on potentially clearing the way for a stalled nuclear probe, ITAR-Tass reported.... View Source ›

"Nuclear missile officers were twice caught leaving blast door open while napping" Associated Press / October 22, 2013 Twice this year alone, Air Force officers entrusted with the launch keys to nuclear-tipped missiles have been caught leaving open a blast door that is intended to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering their underground command post, Air Force officials have told The Associated Press.... View Source ›

Jason Rezaian, "In Iran, relations with U.S. a matter of national interest" The Washington Post / October 22, 2013 Recent moves by the United States to engage the new Iranian government, led by a moderate president, have triggered a public debate in Iran over its national interests, forcing hard-line conservatives to defend Tehran’s 34-year-old enmity with Washington.... View Source ›

Dmitry Zhdannikov, Peg Mackey and Alex Lawler, "Iran sends out feelers for any return to oil markets" Reuters / October 22, 2013 Iran is reaching out to its old oil buyers and is ready to cut prices if Western sanctions against it are eased, promising a battle for market share in a world less hungry for oil than when sanctions were imposed.... View Source ›

"UN nuclear agency says malware infected some computers" Reuters / October 22, 2013 Malicious software infected some U.N. nuclear agency computers over the past few months but no data in its network has been compromised, the agency said on Tuesday.... View Source ›

"Japan Endorses U.N. First Committee Disarmament Statement" Global Security Newswire / October 22, 2013 Japan on Monday threw its support behind a U.N. First Committee statement that discourages the use anywhere of nuclear weapons but stops short of calling for their ban, Kyodo News reported.... View Source ›

"NATO Defense Leaders Address Cybersecurity, Missile Defense" Global Security Newswire / October 22, 2013 Cybersecurity and missile defense are among the topics defense leaders from the 28-nation NATO alliance are addressing during their two-day meeting that wraps up Wednesday, according to a NATO press release.... View Source ›

October 22, 2013

"Iran sees nuclear talks with powers finishing within year: official" Reuters / October 21, 2013 Iran believes it can wrap up negotiations with world powers over its disputed nuclear program in one year or less, Iranian media quoted its chief nuclear negotiator as saying.... View Source ›

George Jahn, "Iran Nuke Overture: More a Promise Than an Offer" Associated Press / October 22, 2013 Iran nuclear talks ended last week with enthusiastic pronouncements of progress from negotiators. Tehran's willingness to engage is a big step, but diplomats familiar with the meeting also say significant gaps remain between what the Iranians offered and what the six negotiating powers seek in order to reduce fears Iran wants to build nuclear weapons.... View Source ›

Henry Meyer, "Iran Nuclear Deal Could Allow It to Enrich up to 5%, Russia Says" Bloomberg / October 21, 2013 Iran and world powers may strike an accord allowing the Islamic republic to continue enriching uranium up to 5 percent purity, according to Russia’s chief negotiator at the talks.... View Source ›

Jeffrey Heller, "Netanyahu's mission: to head off Iran sanctions relief" Reuters / October 21, 2013 Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday will seek to dim the optimism after nuclear talks with Iran, cautioning that Tehran is strengthening its strategic regional position by calling the shots in Syria as President Bashar al-Assad's puppet master.... View Source ›

"Peres defends Israel ambiguity on nuclear programme" AFP / October 21, 2013 President Shimon Peres, considered the father of Israel's nuclear programme, on Monday sought to justify the policy of ambiguity his country has adopted concerning the issue.... View Source ›

"Reactor May Boost North Korea's Clout in Possible New Talks" Global Security Newswire / October 21, 2013 The reactivation of an old plutonium-production reactor could boost North Korea's bargaining position if six-party aid-for-denuclearization negotiations ever resume, a U.S. expert wrote Thursday in a column for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.... View Source ›

"Scottish Leader: Nuclear Arms Could be Removed in 2016" Global Security Newswire / October 21, 2013 An independent Scotland could wait until 2016 to order the removal of British nuclear weapons in the event a planned 2014 succession vote is successful, the head of the locally governing Scottish National Party said on Sunday.... View Source ›

October 21, 2013

Josef Federman, "Signs of Rift Between Israel and US Over Iran" Associated Press / October 20, 2013 Just days after the first round of global nuclear talks with Iran, a rift appears to be emerging between Israel and its closest ally, the United States.... View Source ›

Bradley Klapper and Matthew Lee, "Obama, Congress at Odds Over Iran Sanctions Relief" Associated Press / October 18, 2013 The Obama administration is weighing whether to offer Iran the chance to recoup billions of dollars in frozen overseas assets if it takes steps to scale back its nuclear program, U.S. officials and congressional aides said Friday. The proposal would face a skeptical Congress determined to make the end of Tehran's uranium enrichment activity the condition for any sanctions relief.... View Source ›

John Hudson, Yochi Dreazen, "Obama Admin Wins Over Key Hawk on Iran Nuclear Talks" Foreign Policy / October 18, 2013 Following a round of high-stakes talks on Iran's nuclear program in Geneva, the Obama administration is seeking to reassure lawmakers it won't give away the house in its negotiations with Tehran. On Friday, its chief nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman won over a key Iran hawk, Rep. Eliot Engel, during a round of calls to the Hill.... View Source ›

Kambiz Foroohar, "Iran’s Zarif Uses Twitter, Facebook to Deny Nuclear Deal" Bloomberg / October 18, 2013 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif posted comments on Facebook and Twitter to deny leaks of the Persian Gulf nation’s proposed deal with world powers over its disputed nuclear program.... View Source ›

"Kashmir: Nuclear war between India and Pakistan likely?" One India / October 21, 2013 New Delhi, Oct 21: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shocked many as he hinted that nuclear war between India and Pakistan may take place if the two neighbouring countries clash with each other over Kashmir issue. Hence, the Pakistani minister asked US to intervene into the matter. However, US has rejected to accept Pakistan's proposal citing India's objection. Read more at: http://news.oneindia.in/new-delhi/pakistan-nuclear-war-likely-between-india-and-pakistan-says-sharif-1327690.html... View Source ›

Diane Barnes, "Russia, U.S. to Update Nuclear Crisis Communications" Global Security Newswire / October 18, 2013 A new U.S.-Russian deal made public on Thursday paves the way for the former Cold War rivals to bring their nuclear-arms communications into the digital age.... View Source ›

"Cuba Ignoring Panama, U.N. Requests for Info on N. Korea Arms Shipment" Global Security Newswire / October 18, 2013 Cuba is not responding to requests from Panama and the U. N. Security Council for more details about an arms shipment that was interdicted on its way to North Korea, which Havana originally claimed was to have been returned after the weapons were repaired, Reuters reported on Friday.... View Source ›

October 18, 2013

David Alexander, "U.S. nuclear arms modernization plan misguided: scientists' group" Reuters / October 17, 2013 An Obama administration plan to spend $60 billion over the next 25 years to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal is misguided and violates the spirit of its pledge not to develop new nuclear arms, a Union of Concerned Scientists report said on Thursday.... View Source ›

Mark Landler, "White House Weighs Easing Iran Sanctions’ Bite With Slow Release of Assets" The New York Times / October 17, 2013 The Obama administration, in the wake of a promising first round of nuclear diplomacy with Iran, is weighing a proposal to ease the pain of sanctions on Tehran by offering it access to billions of dollars in frozen funds if the Iranian government takes specific steps to curb its nuclear program, a senior administration official said Thursday.... View Source ›

"Iranian foreign minister accuses Israel of trying to undermine nuclear talks with world powers" Associated Press / October 18, 2013 Iran’s foreign minister on Friday accused Israel of trying to undermine what he described as progress in Tehran’s nuclear talks with world powers.... View Source ›

"Russia says Iran nuclear talks were 'quite promising'" Reuters / October 17, 2013 International talks this week on Iran's nuclear program were "quite promising" and Tehran's new proposals could produce progress toward ending the standoff between global powers and the Islamic state, Russia said on Thursday.... View Source ›

Douglas P. Guarino, "Lawmakers, DHS Weigh How to Secure Ports Most Vulnerable to WMDs" Global Security Newswire / October 17, 2013 Lawmakers are working with the Homeland Security Department to determine whether it is feasible to establish a U.S. presence at the foreign ports it considers most vulnerable to the smuggling of illicit weapons of mass destruction.... View Source ›

Rachel Oswald, "U.S. Should Cancel Plutonium Plant, Delay Uranium Facility: Expert Report" Global Security Newswire / October 17, 2013 The United States should cancel plans to build a multi-billion dollar plutonium research facility in New Mexico and postpone construction of an enriched-uranium processing plant in Tennessee, according to a report released Thursday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.... View Source ›

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