Iran
Iran will retaliate if attacked, but how?
Ben Bimbaum, Washington Times – April 2, 2012
Middle East analysts are certain that Iran would retaliate if Israel strikes its nuclear facilities, though the size, nature and targets of the counterattack remain mysteries.
Iran vows to stick to nuclear ‘path’
Marc Burleigh, Agence France-Presse – April 2n 2012
Iran declared on Monday it will not be swayed from its nuclear “path” by sanctions, a week before talks with world powers that are increasingly seen as a last chance for diplomacy in its showdown with the West.
Korean Peninsula
N.Korea ‘Building Even Bigger Missile’
Chosun News – April 3, 2012
North Korea is building a missile that is even bigger than the long-range missile it is preparing to launch this month, sources claimed Monday. South Korean and U.S. officials believe the North will unveil the missile at a military parade on April 15, nation founder Kim Il-sung’s centenary, or on April 25, which marks the founding day of the North’s Army.
SDF prepares for N. Korean missile launch
Tetsuya Mizuno, The Daily Yomiuri – April 3, 2012
The Self-Defense Forces have begun deploying units after receiving an order from Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka to intercept a North Korean ballistic missile if necessary, with the aim of preventing the missile or its fragments from falling within Japanese territory. To do so, the SDF will carefully detect and track the missile, which North Korea calls a satellite.
Afghanistan
NATO denies accelerating Afghanistan troop withdrawal
Agence France-Presse – April 3, 2012
The head of NATO, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has denied reports that NATO plans to withdraw combat troops from Afghanistan ahead of the already-set withdrawal date of 2014, AFP reported, stating that there has been confusion between the targeted date of when Afghan forces should assume security control off all provinces and the date to pullout NATO forces.
U.S. to amend Afghan plane bid terms, no full re-do
Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters – April 2, 2012
The U.S. Air Force said on Monday it would amend, rather than re-do, the terms of a potential $1 billion competition to supply light attack planes to Afghanistan.
