Daily News: 01/2014

January 31, 2014

"Time to tackle 'more difficult' issues with Iran, IAEA head says" AFP / January 31, 2014 After recent progress with Iran, it is time to tackle "more difficult" nuclear issues such as allegations of past weapons work, the head of the UN atomic watchdog told AFP in an interview.... View Source ›

Rachel Oswald, "New Signs Point to North Korea Prepping for Road-Mobile Missile Tests" Global Security Newswire / January 30, 2014 North Korea appears to be readying one of its rocket sites for a vigorous testing program that could involve the country's mysterious new strategic missile.... View Source ›

Jeremy Herb and Julian Pecquet, "Republicans: US needs to act on Russia missile treaty violations" The Hill / January 30, 2014 Republicans said Thursday the Obama administration should take action over an apparent Russian violation of the treaty banning testing of medium-range missiles.... View Source ›

Douglas P. Guarino, "Senator Threatens to Sue Nuclear Agency Over Withheld Documents" Global Security Newswire / January 30, 2014 Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is threatening to sue the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for withholding information related to a now-defunct nuclear power plant that lawmakers and watchdog groups feared was a security risk.... View Source ›

"Air Force: 92 Implicated in Nuke Cheating Scandal" Associated Press / January 30, 2014 Top Air Force officials described a persistent culture of "undue stress and fear" that led 92 out of 550 members of the military's nuclear missile corps to be involved in cheating on a monthly proficiency test on which they felt pressured to get perfect scores to get promoted.... View Source ›

January 30, 2014

"IAEA visits Iranian mine as part of nuclear transparency pact" Reuters / January 29, 2014 U.N. nuclear inspectors visited an Iranian uranium mine for the first time in nearly a decade on Wednesday, Iranian media reported, as Tehran gradually opens up its disputed nuclear program to greater international scrutiny.... View Source ›

Josh Gerstein, "Report: Iran nuclear hurdles political, not technical" Politico / January 29, 2014 Iran’s ability to make missiles loaded with nuclear warheads now rests primarily on the “political will” of its leaders, rather than any technical constraints, according to an annual U.S. intelligence assessment presented on Capitol Hill Wednesday.... View Source ›

"US scales back military exercise with S.Korea" AFP / January 29, 2014 The US military is scaling back an annual exercise with South Korea next month and will not deploy an aircraft carrier or fly strategic bombers for the drill, officials said Tuesday.... View Source ›

Matthew Pennington, "US Official: North Korea Nuclear Reactor Restarted" Associated Press / January 29, 2014 North Korea has followed through on its threat to advance its nuclear weapons program, the top U.S. intelligence official said Wednesday, while a research institute pointed to signs the communist country is preparing to launch bigger rockets.... View Source ›

Michael R. Gordon, "U.S. Says Russia Tested Missile, Despite Treaty" The New York Times / January 29, 2014 The United States informed its NATO allies this month that Russia had tested a new ground-launched cruise missile, raising concerns about Moscow’s compliance with a landmark arms control accord.... View Source ›

Tony Capaccio, "Bunker-Buster Bomb Upgrades Effective, Tester Finds" Bloomberg / January 29, 2014 Upgrades that let the U.S. military’s most powerful precision-guided bomb hit more deeply buried targets have been successful, according to the Pentagon’s top weapons tester.... View Source ›

January 29, 2014

Lara Jakes, "Obama Threatens to Veto New Sanctions Against Iran" Associated Press / January 29, 2014 Any new economic sanctions that Congress tries to impose against Iran during international negotiations to limit the Islamic republic's nuclear program will be vetoed, President Barack Obama warned lawmakers on Tuesday, even as he acknowledged the ongoing talks are difficult and may not succeed.... View Source ›

Dan Williams, "Netanyahu: interim deal set Iran's nuclear drive back by six weeks" Reuters / January 28, 2014 An international deal capping Iran's nuclear work set the programme back by just six weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, accusing Tehran of using the hiatus to hone technologies with bomb-making potential.... View Source ›

"Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant to shut within days to refuel: IRNA" Reuters / January 28, 2014 Iran's first nuclear power plant at Bushehr is expected to shut down in the next few days for an annual refueling outage, the IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday.... View Source ›

"U.N. nuclear inspectors in Iran to visit uranium mine" Reuters / January 28, 2014 U.N. nuclear inspectors arrived in Iran on Tuesday to visit a uranium mine, Iranian media reported, as part of a cooperation pact meant to help allay international concern about the country's nuclear program.... View Source ›

"Chinese, U.S. Envoys Engage on North Korea Security" Global Security Newswire / January 28, 2014 enior U.S. and Chinese officials on Monday assessed the security climate in North Korea amid reports of ongoing purges and executions by Pyongyang.... View Source ›

"Twice As Many U.S. Missileers Now Implicated in Cheating Probe" Global Security Newswire / January 28, 2014 The number of U.S. nuclear missile-launch officers caught up in a probe into cheating on proficiency exams has roughly doubled in size, the Associated Press reports... View Source ›

"Experimental Uranium Tech Receives $62 Million Boost from U.S." Global Security Newswire / January 28, 2014 A cash-strapped U.S. effort to develop new uranium-enrichment technology is receiving $62 million in federal assistance, the New York Times reports.... View Source ›

January 28, 2014

Lara Jakes and Jennifer Agiesta, "AP-GfK Poll: Skeptics Eye Nuclear Deal With Iran" Associated Press / January 28, 2014 A majority of Americans support an agreement by the U.S. and five other world powers to limit Iran's disputed nuclear program, but fewer believe it will keep the Islamic republic from building a nuclear bomb.... View Source ›

Jay Solomon and Laurence Norman, "Iran Nuclear Talks Shift to New York in Mid-February" The Wall Street Journal / January 27, 2014 Iran and global powers will begin negotiations on a comprehensive agreement to end the decadelong dispute over Tehran's nuclear program in mid-February in New York, Western and Iranian officials said on Monday.... View Source ›

"North Korea Warns Against Nuclear Platforms in South's Military Drills" Global Security Newswire / January 27, 2014 A North Korean diplomat on Friday warned there could be terrible consequences if U.S. nuclear forces participate in upcoming military exercises with the South.... View Source ›

"Japan Yields to U.S. on Demand for Plutonium" Global Security Newswire / January 27, 2014 Japan has agreed to send the United States 730 pounds of plutonium, yielding to a years-old demand by the Obama administration, Kyodo News reports.... View Source ›

Ramsey Cox, "Senate passes bill allowing extension of Korean nuclear agreement" The Hill / January 27, 2014 The Senate passed a bill Monday that would allow President Obama to extend a nuclear energy deal with South Korea for more than two years.... View Source ›

January 27, 2014

Michael R. Gordon, "Kerry Presses Iranians to Prove Nuclear Work Is for Peaceful Purposes" The New York Times / January 24, 2014 One day after Iran’s president took the stage here seeking to assure the world that his country did not aspire to develop nuclear weapons, Secretary of State John Kerry pushed back on Friday, challenging him to demonstrate that the Iranian nuclear program was peaceful.... View Source ›

George Jahn, "UN Nuclear Agency Board Endorses Iran Deal" Associated Press / January 24, 2014 Leading nations of the U.N. atomic agency on Friday unanimously endorsed the agency's role as the organization monitoring Iran's compliance with a landmark nuclear deal, and its head said he was encouraged by their readiness to fund the operation.... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "U.N. nuclear chief says still 'long way to go' on Iran" Reuters / January 24, 2014 The U.N. nuclear chief said on Friday there was "still a long way to go" to resolve a decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear program, a note of caution days after Tehran curbed its atomic activity under an interim deal with world powers.... View Source ›

"No actual signatures on Iran deal has a top Republican worried" CNN / January 24, 2014 The interim nuclear deal with Iran and six other world powers was never signed by the representatives who brokered the agreement last November, leading one top Republican House leader to complain it allows Iranian leaders to ignore parts of the agreement, though the Obama administration said concern is unfounded.... View Source ›

"Questions and answers on Hagel’s nuke force probe" Associated Press / January 27, 2014 The Pentagon’s decision to look into what ails the Air Force group responsible for nuclear missiles was hardly a bolt from the blue.... View Source ›

January 24, 2014

Fredrik Dahl, "U.N. agency seeks funds to verify Iran nuclear deal" Reuters / January 24, 2014 The U.N. atomic agency asked member countries on Friday for more money to fund its work checking Iran complies with a deal aimed at easing a decade-long stand-off over its nuclear activities.... View Source ›

Bradley Klapper and Julie Pace, "Talks with Iran over nuclear program face dilemma" Associated Press / January 24, 2014 Vast differences between Iran and the six-nation coalition seeking to dismantle the Islamic republic's nuclear program may lead to another short-term deal — and that could renew criticism that Iran is stalling and energize the push in Congress for tougher sanctions even if they endanger negotiations.... View Source ›

Rick Gladstone, "U.S. Warns Against Business With Iran" The New York Times / January 23, 2014 The Obama administration intensified efforts on Thursday to counter what officials called a misimpression that the six-month nuclear agreement with Iran had opened the door to new economic opportunities with the country, emphasizing that nearly all sanctions remained in force and warning businesses not to engage in any deals still pending after the accord’s July 20 expiration.... View Source ›

Jason Miks, "Hassan Rouhani: Sanctions against Iran are illegal" CNN / January 23, 2014 Sanctions against Iran are illegal and are undermining international law, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria.... View Source ›

Giles Hewitt , "N. Korea pushes South on military drills" AFP / January 24, 2014 North Korea on Friday urged a sceptical South Korea to respond to a recent series of trust-building gestures and again called on Seoul to cancel upcoming military drills with the United States.... View Source ›

Robert Burns, "Hagel Vows to Get to Bottom of Nuke Missile Ills" Associated Press / January 23, 2014 It began with his brief mention last fall of "troubling lapses" in the nuclear force. Weeks later Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel turned up the heat a notch by paying a rare visit to a nuclear missile base. And on Thursday he dropped his bombshell: a demand for quick answers to what ails this most sensitive of military missions.... View Source ›

January 23, 2014

Tom Cohen, "Iranian official on nuke deal: 'We did not agree to dismantle anything'" CNN / January 23, 2014 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted Wednesday that the Obama administration mischaracterizes concessions by his side in the six-month nuclear deal with Iran, telling CNN in an exclusive interview that "we did not agree to dismantle anything."... View Source ›

Bradley Klapper, "AP Sources: Iran Nuke Talks to Restart Next Month" Associated Press / January 23, 2014 The Obama administration expects negotiations on a final nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran to begin by mid-February.... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "Iran's nuclear stockpile may rise for now despite deal with powers" Reuters / January 22, 2014 An apparent delay in Iran's building of a nuclear conversion plant suggests its stockpile of low-enriched uranium (LEU) gas will grow for a while longer, despite Tehran's deal with world powers to curb its disputed atomic activity.... View Source ›

Michael Adler, "IAEA Blesses Iran Nuke Actions So Far; Access To Military Sites Key Issue" Breaking Defense / January 22, 2014 Iran’s decision to accept and implement the nuclear deal struck in November has undercut the US Congress’s drive for new sanctions designed to increase the pressure on the Islamic Republic. President Barack Obama said the deal should be given a chance to work and that sanctions could alienate Iran and torpedo the diplomacy. Congress, so far, is listening.... View Source ›

"In Possible Signal, China Releases Photos of Missile Test Launch" Global Security Newswire / January 23, 2014 The Chinese military on Tuesday published photos of the recent launch of one of its ICBMs, a move possibly intended as a deterrence signal to the United States.... View Source ›

"Jordanian Nuclear-Energy Effort a 'Strategic Option': Official" Global Security Newswire / January 22, 2014 A senior Jordanian official said his nation would consider developing a "peaceful" nuclear-energy program as a "strategic option," the Jerusalem Post reports.... View Source ›

January 22, 2014

Julian Pecquet, "House to probe Iran deal" The Hill / January 21, 2014 Two House panels will examine the details of the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran next week amid pressure from Congress to slap new sanctions on the country.... View Source ›

Adam Schreck, "Nuclear Progress Won't End Tensions for Iran, West" Associated Press / January 21, 2014 The U.N. decision to revoke Iran's invitation to this week's Syrian peace talks almost as quickly as it came was a reminder that the path to reconciliation between Tehran and the West is hardly a smooth one. Progress on the issue of Iran's nuclear program is no guarantee of an easing of tensions in the multiple disputes between the two sides.... View Source ›

John Davison, "Iran's military nuclear bid 'will be stopped': Israel" AFP / January 21, 2014 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Iran's atomic drive "will be stopped", a day after an interim agreement bringing sanctions relief for Tehran took effect.... View Source ›

"Pentagon Insists ICBM Launch Code Was Never '00000000'" Global Security Newswire / January 21, 2014 The Pentagon has denied to Congress that it ever established a nuclear missile launch code of "00000000," despite earlier reports, according to Foreign Policy.... View Source ›

"Japan Urges Asian States to Adopt Stricter Nuclear Export Rules" Global Security Newswire / January 21, 2014 Japan on Monday urged its Asian neighbors to adopt stricter rules on the export of sensitive nuclear items, Kyodo News reported.... View Source ›

January 17, 2014

"U.N. inspectors to visit Iran uranium mine on January 29: Iran TV" Reuters / January 17, 2014 U.N. nuclear inspectors will soon visit an Iranian uranium mine for the first time since 2005 as part of Tehran's agreement to open its disputed nuclear program to greater scrutiny, state television reported on Friday.... View Source ›

Jay Solomon, "White House Releases Details of Iran Nuclear Deal" The Wall Street Journal / January 16, 2014 Bowing to congressional pressure, the White House released Thursday a summary of the technical details of the agreement reached last weekend between Iran and world powers aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program.... View Source ›

Julian Pecquet, "House shelves plans for vote on Iran sanctions" The Hill / January 16, 2014 House Republicans are moving away from a proposal to adopt new Iran sanctions.... View Source ›

Josh Rogin, "Iran Top Nuke Negotiator: Deal Reversible In One Day" The Daily Beast / January 16, 2014 In an interview with Iranian television, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator says Tehran can resume enriching uranium to 20 percent levels within one day if it so desires.... View Source ›

Rachel Oswald, "U.S. Bill Would Deny Funds to Close Underground Missile Silos" Global Security Newswire / January 16, 2014 The draft House-Senate spending bill that Congress is close to approving would deny the Pentagon any monies to begin eliminating underground ICBM silos.... View Source ›

Diane Barnes, "Pentagon Advisers Press for Nuclear-Monitoring Revamp" Global Security Newswire / January 16, 2014 A Pentagon task force is pressing Washington to close critical "gaps" in how it tracks nuclear-arms efforts by countries around the world.... View Source ›

January 16, 2014

Josh Lederman, "Obama urges Senate Dems to put off Iran sanctions" Associated Press / January 15, 2014 President Barack Obama implored Democratic senators Wednesday to put off new sanctions against Iran that he warned could derail delicate nuclear talks.... View Source ›

"S. Korea rejects North's warning over military drills" AFP / January 16, 2014 South Korea on Thursday rejected North Korean warnings to call off scheduled joint military exercises with the United States and vowed "severe" retaliation to any provocation from Pyongyang.... View Source ›

"U.S. Drops B-61 Bomb Exterior in Earth-Penetration Test" Global Security Newswire / January 15, 2014 The United States on Tuesday said it dropped a B-61 nuclear-bomb exterior in a test that rammed the unarmed weapon through the earth's surface.... View Source ›

"U.S. Nuclear Agency to Gauge Radiation in Baltimore Flyovers" Global Security Newswire / January 15, 2014 U.S. nuclear officials this week are studying background radiation levels in Baltimore as part of an effort to improve aerial-measurement capabilities.... View Source ›

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