Can a Credible Nuclear Breakout Time With Iran Be Restored?
Ariel (Eli) Levite | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Several developments since the landmark nuclear agreement with Iran was signed in 2015 cast doubt about its ability to hold Iran back from approaching the nuclear threshold. Can the goals of the original deal still be attained?
Hardening Stances by Iran and U.S. Complicate Negotiations to Revive Nuclear Deal
Kareem Fahim and Karen DeYoung | Washington Post
Iran’s parliament speaker said Sunday that Tehran would never share with the U.N. nuclear watchdog recorded footage of activity at some of its nuclear sites, in a sign of the hardening rhetoric by both Iran and the United States during the prolonged and increasingly tense negotiations aimed at reviving a 2015 nuclear accord. The comments by the parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, came days after the expiration of a separate agreement between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, that allows the U.N. agency to temporarily monitor Iran’s nuclear activity. The deal was struck in February and renewed for a month in May.
Nuclear Posture Review, National Defense Strategy Will Be Thoroughly Integrated
C. Todd Lopez | DOD News
The Nuclear Posture Review, or NPR, will come on the coattails of the NDS and will be fully nested within it, said Colin H. Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, Wednesday during a virtual discussion at the 2021 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference. “We want to make sure that the nuclear posture review does not stand on its own in its own silo, no pun intended, but is rather integrated into the analysis of the NDS.”
S. Korea to Develop ‘Iron Dome’-Style Defence System to Counter North’s Artillery
Josh Smith | Reuters
South Korea approved plans on Monday to pursue a $2.6-billion artillery interception system, similar to Israel’s “Iron Dome,” designed to protect against North Korea’s arsenal of long-range guns and rockets, the defence acquisition agency said. A large part of the area surrounding Seoul, the capital, is home to about half the population of 52 million, and lies within range of the neighbour’s long-range guns and multiple rocket launchers.
US Officials Double Down on Push for Nuclear Modernization
Susan Montoya Bryan | Associated Press
A top U.S. nuclear security official and the leaders of three key national laboratories doubled down Friday on the push to modernize the country’s nuclear arsenal and the science and technology that back it up. During a virtual forum, the officials acknowledged global pressures that include more investment by Russia and China in nuclear weapons and advanced laser capabilities. They said the United States is at a “tipping point” when it comes to maintaining its own arsenal and that boosting production capabilities cannot be put off.
DRDO Successfully Tests New Generation Nuclear Capable Missile Agni-P
Dinakar Peri | The Hindu
A new generation nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-P (Prime) was successfully test-fired by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday. “Agni-P is a new generation advanced variant of Agni class of missiles. It is a canisterised missile with range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km,” a DRDO statement said. The test was conducted from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha, Balasore, at 10.55 a.m.