March 31, 2015

George Jahn and Matthew Lee, "Officials: Iran nuke talks to continue in new phase" Associated Press / March 31, 2015 Wrapping up six days of marathon nuclear talks with mixed results, Iran and six world powers prepared Tuesday to issue a general statement agreeing to continue talks in a new phase aimed at reaching a final agreement to control Iran's nuclear ambitions by the end of June, officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.... View Source ›

Parisa Hafezi, Louis Charbonneau and John Irish, "U.S. says ready to work past deadline for Iran nuclear deal if needed" Reuters / March 31, 2015 The United States said it was prepared to work past a midnight deadline into Wednesday if progress was being made towards clinching a preliminary nuclear deal between Iran and global powers.... View Source ›

Jaideep A Prabhu, "India's nuclear deal with Australia running into turbulence over fuel safeguards" First Post / March 31, 2015 India and the world's nuclear fuel suppliers have not seen eye-to-eye recently on the issue of nuclear tracking. The suppliers, particularly Australia, Canada, and the United States, have been rebuffed by India on their demand to monitor the passage of the nuclear fuel they sell to us. ... View Source ›

Scott Clement, Peyton M. Craighill and Carol Morello, "Poll: Clear majority supports nuclear deal with Iran" The Washington Post / March 31, 2015 By a nearly 2 to 1 margin, Americans support the notion of striking a deal with Iran that restricts the nation’s nuclear program in exchange for loosening sanctions, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.... View Source ›

March 30, 2015

Parisa Hafezi, John Irish and Louis Charbonneau, "Setbacks and progress as Iran, six powers meet to end nuclear impasse" Reuters / March 30, 2015 The foreign ministers of Iran and six world powers met on Monday in a final push for a preliminary nuclear accord less than two days before their deadline as Tehran showed signs of backing away from previous compromise offers.... View Source ›

David E. Sanger and Michael R. Gordon, "Iran Backs Away From Key Detail in Nuclear Deal" The New York Times / March 30, 2015 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will leave the Iranian nuclear talks in Switzerland on Monday afternoon to return to Moscow, suggesting that a deal on the political outlines of a final nuclear agreement isn’t imminent.... View Source ›

Laurence Norman, "Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Leave Iran Nuclear Talks" The Wall Street Journal / March 30, 2015 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will leave the Iranian nuclear talks in Switzerland on Monday afternoon to return to Moscow, suggesting that a deal on the political outlines of a final nuclear agreement isn’t imminent.... View Source ›

Peroshni Govender, "South African court rejects Westinghouse's challenge to Eskom nuclear contract" Reuters / March 30, 2015 A South African court dismissed on Friday an application by Westinghouse Electric Company to re-open the bidding process for a generator contract awarded to French rival Areva, a court official said.... View Source ›

"UAE applies for first nuclear operating licence" WNN / March 30, 2015 The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has submitted its application for an operating licence for the first two units at the Barakah nuclear power plant.... View Source ›

March 27, 2015

George Jahn and Matthew Lee, "Iran may run centrifuges at fortified site" Reuters / March 27, 2015 The United States is considering letting Tehran run hundreds of centrifuges at a once-secret, fortified underground bunker in exchange for limits on centrifuge work and research and development at other sites, officials have told The Associated Press.... View Source ›

John Irish and Louis Charbonneau, "Iran's Rouhani intervenes as deadline for nuclear deal approaches" Reuters / March 27, 2015 Iran's president spoke with the leaders of France, Britain, China and Russia on Thursday in an apparent effort to break an impasse to a nuclear deal between Tehran and major world powers.... View Source ›

"IAEA urges India to take further action for nuclear regulation" Reuters / March 27, 2015 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) urged India on Friday to further tighten its nuclear safety regulations by assuring the legal independence of its atomic watchdog and allowing more outside inspections... View Source ›

"N. Korea denies involvement in nuke power operator hacking" Yonhap / March 27, 2015 North Korea again denied its involvement in a series of data leaks at South Korea's nuclear power operator and rebutted Seoul's interim probe results that accused the communist regime of conducting the hacking attacks.... View Source ›

Jordain Carney, "Senators endorse Iran sanctions in budget vote" The Hill / March 27, 2015 Senators unanimously approved an amendment Thursday that backs bolstering sanctions against Iran if President Obama can't verify that the country is following a nuclear deal. ... View Source ›

March 26, 2015

Michael R. Gordon, "Iran Nuclear Deal May Be Done by Next Week, U.S. Official Says" The New York Times / March 26, 2015 In the Obama administration’s most hopeful prognosis on its talks with Iran, a senior State Department official said Wednesday that it was possible to conclude a new accord on that nation’s nuclear program by early next week.... View Source ›

Julia Edwards, "Schlumberger pleads guilty to violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, Sudan" Reuters / March 26, 2015 The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday that a subsidiary of Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings had pleaded guilty to violating U.S. sanctions related to Iran and Sudan and would pay a $237.2 million fine.... View Source ›

Jonathan Saul and Florence Tan, "Iran storing 30 million barrels of oil at sea" Reuters / March 26, 2015 Iran is storing at least 30 million barrels of oil on its fleet of supertankers as Western sanctions continue to keep a lid on sales, tanker market sources say.... View Source ›

"Hungary in talks on Russian nuclear fuel supply with Euratom: EU" Reuters / March 26, 2015 Talks are taking place between Hungary and the European Union's Euratom Supply Agency (ESA) to try to settle differences over a plan for Russia to supply nuclear fuel to the Paks power plant, a European Commission spokeswoman said on Wednesday.... View Source ›

March 25, 2015

"Iran to insist all sanctions lifted in any nuclear deal: foreign minister" Reuters / March 25, 2015 Iran will insist that all sanctions against it are lifted as a condition for a nuclear deal, the foreign minister said on Wednesday, showing no sign of compromise on a major sticking point in its talks with world powers set to resume this week.... View Source ›

Amir Vahdat, "Iran says no snap inspections of nuclear sites" Associated Press / March 25, 2015 An Iranian official on Tuesday rebuked the chief of the U.N. atomic agency for demanding snap inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites, saying the request hindered efforts to reach an agreement with world powers, state TV reported.... View Source ›

Erik Wasson, "Senators to Seek Symbolic Vote on U.S. Sanctions on Iran" Bloomberg / March 25, 2015 Republican Senator Mark Kirk said he’ll seek to force a symbolic vote on increased U.S. sanctions against Iran during debate this week on the federal budget.... View Source ›

Suleiman al-Khalidi, "Jordan signs $10 billion nuclear power plant deal with Russia" Reuters / March 25, 2015 Jordan signed an agreement with Russia on Tuesday worth $10 billion that sets the legal basis for building the kingdom's first nuclear power plant with a total capacity of 2,000 megawatt.... View Source ›

Ilya Arkhipov and Alexei Anishchuk, "Russia Tests Nuclear-Forces Communications in Arctic Navy Drills" Bloomberg / March 25, 2015 Russia tested combat communications with its naval nuclear forces in the Arctic as part of large-scale military drills, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told Russian President Vladimir Putin.... View Source ›

March 24, 2015

Adam Entous, "Israel Spied on Iran Nuclear Talks With U.S." The Wall Street Journal / March 24, 2015 Soon after the U.S. and other major powers entered negotiations last year to curtail Iran’s nuclear program, senior White House officials learned Israel was spying on the closed-door talks.... View Source ›

Thomas Erdbrink, "Iran’s Hard-Liners Show Restraint on Nuclear Talks With U.S." The New York Times / March 24, 2015 A coterie of Iran’s hard-line Shiite Muslim clerics and Revolutionary Guards commanders is usually vocal on the subject of the Iranian nuclear program, loudly proclaiming the country’s right to pursue its interests and angrily denouncing the United States.... View Source ›

Mari Yamaguchi, "Japan audit: Millions of dollars wasted in Fukushima cleanup" Associated Press / March 24, 2015 Japanese government auditors say the operator of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant has wasted more than a third of the 190 billion yen ($1.6 billion) in taxpayer money allocated for cleaning up the plant after it was destroyed by a March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.... View Source ›

Matthew Pennington, "Pakistan: Short-range nukes needed to deter India" Associated Press / March 24, 2015 Pakistan needs short-range "tactical" nuclear weapons to deter arch-rival India, a top adviser to its government said Monday, dismissing concerns it could increase the risk of a nuclear war.... View Source ›

Martin Matishak, "Lawmakers look to cut $100 billion from nuclear weapons budget" The Hill / March 24, 2015 A pair of congressional Democrats is spearheading a bill that would cut $100 billion from the U.S. nuclear weapons budget over the next decade.... View Source ›

March 23, 2015

"Iran urges world to find ‘common position’ for nuclear deal" Associated Press / March 23, 2015 A senior Iranian nuclear negotiator has urged world powers to find a “common position” to achieve a “balanced” final nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic as a deadline for negotiations looms.... View Source ›

Indira Lakshmanan, Golnar Motevalli and David Lerman, "Iran Talks Set for Decisive Week as Leaders Say Deal Reachable" Bloomberg / March 23, 2015 Diplomats and leaders seeking an accord on Iran’s nuclear program said a deal is achievable as they prepare to enter a potentially decisive week for the talks.... View Source ›

"Russia threatens to aim nuclear missiles at Denmark ships if it joins NATO shield" Reuters / March 23, 2015 Russia threatened to aim nuclear missiles at Danish warships if Denmark joins NATO's missile defense system, in comments Copenhagen called unacceptable and NATO said would not contribute to peace.... View Source ›

Sam Kim, "U.S. Squares Off With China Over North Korea Missile Defense" Bloomberg / March 23, 2015 The U.S. and China are squaring off over deployment of an anti-missile system in South Korea, the latest source of tension between the world’s two biggest economies as they vie for influence in Asia.... View Source ›

March 20, 2015

"Draft agreement cuts Iran’s nuclear hardware" Associated Press / March 20, 2015 The United States and Iran are drafting elements of a nuclear deal that commits Tehran to a 40 percent cut in the number of machines it could use to make an atomic bomb, officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. In return, the Iranians would get quick relief from some crippling economic sanctions and a partial lift of a U.N. embargo on conventional arms.... View Source ›

John Irish and Lesley Wroughton, "European negotiator says framework accord with Iran unlikely soon" Reuters / March 20, 2015 Six world powers are unlikely to reach a framework agreement with Iran on its nuclear work in the coming days as the sides are still far apart on key issues, a senior European negotiator said on Thursday, blaming Tehran for failing to compromise.... View Source ›

Terry Atlas, "Obama Wants Congress to Vote on Iran Sanctions — in 10 Years" Bloomberg / March 20, 2015 U.S. lawmakers should wait at least a decade before voting on lifting sanctions as part of any nuclear deal with Iran, a top Obama administration official said.... View Source ›

"Japan court denies injunction against MOX nuclear fuel use" Reuters / March 20, 2015 A local district court in southwestern Japan on Friday denied granting an injunction against Kyushu Electric Power Co's use of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel at its Genkai No.3 reactor, the nuclear operator said.... View Source ›

Kris Osborn, "Navy’s Next Generational Nuclear Submarine Fund Has No Money" DoD Buzz / March 20, 2015 The Navy and Congress have yet to find money for a newly created account designed to pay for the services’ fleet of next-generation nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines slated to begin service in 2031 – the Ohio Replacement Program.... View Source ›

March 19, 2015

"US says deal would bar Iran nuclear bomb 'in perpetuity'" AFP / March 19, 2015 The Obama administration insisted before skeptical lawmakers Thursday that any deal with Iran would ensure for "perpetuity" that it could not develop nuclear weapons.... View Source ›

Carol Morello, "Iran’s foreign minister says no nuclear pact this week" The Washington Post / March 19, 2015 Iran’s chief negotiator in nuclear talks played down Wednesday the likelihood of an agreement this week, saying the discussions have not progressed to a point where the presence of all involved parties was needed to formalize a deal.... View Source ›

Andrea Shalal, "U.S. eyes Iran, North Korea missile threats, boosts testing tempo" Reuters / March 19, 2015 The U.S. Missile Defense Agency, citing growing missile threats from North Korea and Iran, said on Wednesday the United States was carrying out increasingly realistic tests of missile defenses while beefing up cyber security.... View Source ›

"Japan inches closer to final approval for nuclear reactor restart" Reuters / March 19, 2015 A reactor in southwestern Japan cleared another regulatory hurdle on Wednesday, another small step in Japan's return to nuclear power after all units were shut down for stringent safety checks following the 2011 Fukushima atomic disaster.... View Source ›

March 17, 2015

Indira Lakshmanan and Kambiz Foroohar, "Any Major Element of Iran Talks Could Be Deal Breaker, U.S. Says" Bloomberg / March 17, 2015 With two weeks to go until an end-of-March deadline to negotiate a political agreement restricting Iran’s nuclear program, any major element in the talks is a potential deal-breaker, a senior Obama administration official said.... View Source ›

Carol Morello, "Iranian negotiators raise concerns about GOP letter in session with Kerry" The Washington Post / March 17, 2015 Iranian negotiators meeting with U.S. officials Monday expressed concern over a letter from Senate Republicans warning that a nuclear deal with President Obama might not outlast his time in office.... View Source ›

Paul Richter, "Top-secret U.S. replica of Iran nuclear sites key to weapons deal" Los Angeles Times / March 17, 2015 Inside a top-security building at a classified U.S. site, government experts intensely monitor rows of tall, cylindrical machines that may offer the Obama administration its best hope for persuading the public to back a nuclear deal with Iran.... View Source ›

Yeganeh Torbati, "Iran nuclear deal may open oil taps in months, not weeks" Reuters / March 17, 2015 A possible deal over Iran's nuclear program that would phase out economic sanctions against Tehran is unlikely to flood world markets with more oil any time soon, despite Iran's declared intention to claw back market share lost because of the curbs.... View Source ›

Ju-min Park and Meeyoung Cho, "South Korea blames North Korea for December hack on nuclear operator" Reuters / March 17, 2015 South Korea on Tuesday blamed North Korea for cyberattacks against the country's nuclear reactor operator last December, based upon investigations into Internet addresses used in the hacking, but Pyongyang denied any involvement.... View Source ›