Nuclear Weapons
Vietnam Relinquishes Final Highly Enriched Uranium
Global Security Newswire – July 2, 2013
A top Obama administration official this week said Vietnam had relinquished all its remaining bomb-usable highly enriched uranium, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Israel’s Secret Uranium Buy
William Burr and Avner Cohen, Foreign Policy – July 1, 2013
Israel’s nuclear program presents a sort of paradox to historians. While it may be the world’s worst-kept secret, it is also the world’s most opaque nuclear program.
North Korea
North Korea Calls 2005 Denuclearization Pact ‘Outdated’
Global Security Newswire – July 2, 2013
A senior North Korean foreign policy official on Tuesday said a September 2005 joint statement that commits his country to verifiable denuclearization had become “outdated,” the Yonhap News Agency reported.
North Korean nuclear negotiator due in Moscow
AFP, Fox News – July 3, 2013
A high-ranking North Korean official with long experience in nuclear talks was due in Moscow for a series of meetings aimed at reviving the stalled six-party process after months of tensions.
North Korea Vexes China’s Diplomatic Push in Asian Meeting
Natasha Brereton-Fukui, Wall Street Journal – July 2, 2013
China has made some progress in its efforts to improve diplomatic ties at high-level Asian meetings here, but it didn’t appear to succeed much in swaying its petulant protégé North Korea from backing off its nuclear ambitions.
Missile Defense
U.S. to Attempt First Missile Intercept Test Since 2008
Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg – July 2, 2013
The Pentagon plans on July 5 to attempt the first successful interception in more than four years of a surrogate missile incoming toward the U.S.
Iran
Rouhani tells Iran’s powerful clergy it needs to regain citizens’ trust
Jason Rezaian, Washington Post – July 3, 2013
Iran’s president-elect, the moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani, on Wednesday said the Islamic Republic’s powerful clergy needs to do more to address the needs of Iranian citizens and regain their trust.
Chinese firms drop Iran as latest U.S. sanctions bite
Jonathan Saul, Reuters – July 1, 2013
Two top Chinese shipping lines severed ties with Iran as tough new U.S. sanctions over the country’s disputed nuclear programme came into effect on Monday, leaving the country increasingly dependent on front companies and overland routes.
