At Exhibition Showing Off Nuclear Arms, N. Korea Displays Apparent New Weapon
Michelle Ye Hee Lee | Washington Post
North Korea showcased its latest nuclear and military weaponry during a “self-defense” exhibition on Monday, including a version of the “hypersonic” weapon that Pyongyang said it tested last month. Officials displayed a variety of weapons at the event, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and a new long-range cruise missile, according to state media photos released Tuesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a speech that the country was building up its self-defense capabilities according to its military plan and “not discussing war with anyone,” state media reported.
FBI Sting Operation Nets Couple Accused of Trying to Sell US Nuclear Secrets
Matthew Hoye and Marshall Cohen | CNN
Following a year-long operation by undercover FBI agents, a Maryland couple has been arrested and charged with attempting to sell US nuclear secrets to another country in exchange for cryptocurrency. US Navy nuclear engineer Jonathan Toebbe, who held a top-secret security clearance, and his wife Diana were arrested Saturday in West Virginia by the FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service after the couple allegedly sold information concerning the design of nuclear-powered US warships “to a person they believed was a representative of a foreign power but was actually an undercover FBI agent,” according to a Department of Justice statement.
Nuclear Negotiators Close in on Date to Restart Iran Talks
Ben Bartenstein | Bloomberg
A top European official is expected to fly to Tehran as soon as this week to seek an agreement to restart nuclear talks between Iran and world powers after months of delays, officials with knowledge of the meetings said. Any pick-up of negotiations, aimed at reining in the Islamic Republic’s atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief, is being closely monitored by energy markets. Western nations including the U.S. and Germany have repeatedly warned they’re not willing to wait forever for a new round of talks to begin after the last one stalled in June.
Pakistani Scientist A.Q. Khan, Who Secretly Sold Nuclear-Weapons Technology, Dies at 85
Saeed Shah | Wall Street Journal
Abdul Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani scientist who shared nuclear-weapons technology and know-how with countries the U.S. regards as rogue states after helping his country build its first atomic bomb, died Sunday. He was 85 years old. At home, Dr. Khan was widely seen as a hero for making Pakistan the only nuclear-armed country in the Islamic world and giving it a deterrent against its rival, India, which also has atomic weapons. Abroad, he ran a clandestine network selling nuclear-weapons technology. Libya, Iran and North Korea, all hostile to the U.S., were beneficiaries of his expertise.
Russia Developing Su-57-Launched Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile
Inder Singh Bisht | Defense Post
Russia is developing a hypersonic anti-ship missile to be fitted onto the Su-57 stealth aircraft, Izvestia revealed. The missile, called the Larchinka-MD, is being developed to replace the Kh-31 supersonic anti-ship missile, which the service started using in 1988. The Tactical Missile Armament Corporation (KTRV)-developed missile has a “Product 70” ramjet engine — which is the same as the one being used in “Gremlin,” another hypersonic missile Russia is developing — and is at its prototyping stage of development, the outlet added citing documents.
The Iron Dome Air Defense System is Heading to Guam
Joseph Trevithick | The Drive
The U.S. Army is deploying one of two air defense batteries equipped with the Israeli-made Iron Dome system to Guam. The decision to send Iron Dome systems comes as the U.S. military continues to explore options to expand its air and missile defenses on this highly strategic island in the Pacific as part of broader efforts to deter China in the Indo-Pacific region. The latest versions of the Iron Dome system, which was originally designed to intercept incoming rockets and other artillery rounds, also have a demonstrated ability to shoot down small drones and low-flying cruise missiles.