IRAN
Obama and Netanyahu Meet In Israel Over Iran Uranium Enrichment
Jessica Yellin and Tom Cohen (CNN), SpyGhana – March 21, 2013
President Barack Obama held “close consultations” on Iran’s nuclear program during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday during Obama’s first visit to Israel as president.Obama said there was still time for a diplomatic resolution to the situation, but added that each country has to make “the awesome decision to engage in any kind of military action” for itself.
Iran Leader Says Tel Aviv at Risk If Israel Makes Mistake
Yeganeh Salehi and Caroline Alexander, Bloomberg Businessweek – March 21, 2013
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa if Israel makes “any mistake,” after President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met to discuss the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
NORTH KOREA
N.K. threatens U.S. bases in Japan, Guam
The Korea Herald – March 21, 2013
The North Korean army on Thursday threatened a possible strike against U.S. military bases in Japan, in response to the use of nuclear-armed US B-52 bombers in joint military drills with South Korea. The threat came a day after Pyongyang condemned the B-52 flights as an “unpardonable provocation” and threatened military action if they continue.
U.S. Lawmaker: North Korea nukes could spark Asia arms race
AP, Asahi Shimbun – March 21, 2013
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce said South Korea, Japan and Taiwan might seek nuclear weapons if Pyongyang realizes its ambition to miniaturize nuclear warhead it can mount on a missile. He said this was likely weighing heavily on the mind of China, which was losing patience with its North Korean ally after it ignored warnings not to conduct its latest nuclear test.
INDIA
Nuclear states divided on India joining export control group
Fredrik Dahl, The Wall Street Journal – March 21, 2013
The United States and three other big powers this week argued for allowing nuclear-armed India into an atomic export control group, but China and several European states appeared doubtful about the move, diplomats said on Wednesday. They said the divisions were in evidence during closed-door talks of the 46-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on the sensitive issue of whether India could join and become the NSG’s only member that is outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
MISSILE DEFENSE
Russia tones down criticism of new U.S. missile plans
Steve Gutterman, Reuters – March 21, 2013
Russia signaled on Thursday that a change in U.S. plans for a European anti-missile shield could help the two sides make progress towards resolving a dispute that has severely strained ties between them.
Weapons Experts Raise Doubts About Israel’s Antimissile System
William J. Broad, The New York Times – March 21, 2013
A growing chorus of weapons experts in the United States and in Israel say their studies — based largely on analyses of hits and misses captured on video — suggest that Iron Dome destroyed no more than 40 percent of incoming warheads and perhaps far fewer. Many rockets, they argue, were simply crippled or deflected — failures that often let intact or dying rockets fall on populated areas.
