IRAN
Iran keeps nuclear in check before vote
Big News Network – April 2, 2013
Iran has decided to keep its nuclear program within Israeli-demanded limits to avoid an Iranian election-year crisis, U.S., European and Israeli officials said.
Iran Atomic Deal Before June Unlikely, Ex-Obama Adviser Says
Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg News – April 2, 2013
Iran and world powers are unlikely to strike a deal this week that would lift international sanctions in exchange for a cut in the Persian Gulf nation’s nuclear activities, said a former White House adviser.
Japan Offers Iran Help in Things Nuclear
Richard Johnson, In Depth News – April 1, 2013
As western powers debate unabatedly Tehran’s real intentions behind harnessing energy from the atom, Japan is willing to provide Iran technical advice, equipment support and vast experience of abiding by nonproliferation safeguards so that it may practice its right to peacefully use nuclear power, says a Japanese government official serving as research fellow at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
NORTH KOREA
North Korea To Restart Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor
Steve Herman, Eurasia Review – April 2, 2013
North Korea says it is restarting nuclear operations at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, adding to already heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. ??According to North Korean state media, a spokesman for the country’s atomic energy department says it will begin, without delay, work to restart the uranium enrichment plant and the five megawatt graphite moderated reactor.
North Korean War Threats Spotlight Its Untested Dictator
Terry Atlas, Bloomberg News – April 2, 2013
Threats of conflict coming from North Korea have increased international scrutiny of untested young dictator Kim Jong Un, as the isolated nation announced today that it will restart a facility capable of expanding the regime’s nuclear arsenal.
North Korea’s parliament meets amid nuclear tension
Associated Press, Purdue Exponent – April 2, 2013
After weeks of war-like rhetoric, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gathered legislators Monday for an annual spring parliamentary session taking place one day after top party officials adopted a statement declaring building nuclear weapons and the economy the nation’s top priorities.
Opinion: Calm in Korea is only a phone call away
Kishore Mahbubani, Financial Times – April 2, 2013
In announcing that it will restart its nuclear facilities, North Korea seems to many people to be behaving strangely. In fact, North Korea is behaving predictably: it is issuing belligerent statements, cutting off hotlines and taking ever more threatening postures. The big question is: should the response of the world be equally predictable?
North Korean leader dials down hostile rhetoric
Jack Kim and David Chance, The Chicago Tribune – April 1, 2013
North Korea’s leader appeared to tamp down hostile rhetoric that had threatened impending war with the United States and South Korea in a key speech published on Tuesday that implied the isolated country was shifting its focus to development.
MISSILE DEFENSE
U.S. Moves Missile Destroyers Near Korea
Barnes, Nam, and Jun, The Wall Street Journal – April 1, 2013
The U.S. positioned a ship capable of shooting down ballistic missiles near the Korean peninsula, defense officials said, as South Korea President Park Geun-hye called for “strong retaliation” against any provocations from North Korea.
