Iran's Rouhani: No Nuclear Weapons on Korean Peninsula
Elizabeth Shim | UPI
The leaders of Iran and South Korea condemned North Korea's nuclear weapons program during President Park Geun-hye's historic visit to Tehran on Monday. Park is the first South Korean president to visit Iran since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1962, Newsis reported Monday. The statement is significant. North Korea has long been friendly with Iran and reportedly provided military assistance to the Iranian government during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.
U.S. Defense Secretary: Russia is "Nuclear Saber-Rattling"
Robert Burns | Associated Press
Defense Secretary Ash Carter used a U.S. military changing-of-the-guard ceremony Tuesday to blast Russian aggression in Europe, saying Moscow is "going backward in time" with warlike actions that compel a U.S. military buildup on NATO's eastern flank. "We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot war with Russia," Carter said. "We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake, we will defend our allies, the rules-based international order, and the positive future it affords us."
Russia Defends Intercept of U.S. Reconnaissance Plane Over Baltic
Lidia Kelly | Reuters
Russia said on Saturday it had sent a fighter plane on Friday to intercept a U.S. aircraft approaching its border over the Baltic Sea because the American plane had turned off its transponder, which is needed for identification. The Pentagon said the U.S. Air Force RC-135 plane had been flying a routine route in international airspace and that the Russian SU-27 fighter had intercepted it in an "unsafe and unprofessional" way.
North Korea Seventh Congress: Pyongyang Likely To Conduct Fifth Nuclear Test Around Party Meeting
Vishakha Sonawane | International Business Times
North Korea will likely conduct its fifth nuclear test around the key meeting of its ruling Workers’ Party later this week, South Korean defense ministry said Monday. Seoul warned last month of its neighbor’s ambitions to carry out the fifth test and an underground nuclear warhead test. Pyongyang’s seventh congress will begin on May 6, the first in over three decades, triggering speculation over the reason behind the meeting. The reclusive state’s leader Kim Jong Un will head the congress.
Iran Parliament Urges Ballistic Missile Improvements
Straits Times
Iran's outgoing parliament approved a motion on Sunday (May 1) to increase the capabilities of the country's ballistic missiles, a military programme that has been ruled dangerous by the United Nations. Teheran considers the missile programme an essential deterrent, citing the unprovoked attacks on its cities by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the nations' 1980-1988 war.
Frequent Military Mishaps in Japan Indicate Nuclear-Dependent Posture
Masakatsu Ota | Kyodo News
Declassified U.S. military records obtained by Kyodo News revealed Friday that nuclear-related mishaps have frequently taken place at U.S. Air Force bases in Japan from 2009 to 2013. Of the minor accidents associated with nuclear weapons, nuclear materials and supporting systems -- dubbed "Dull Sword" incidents by the U.S. military -- five occurred at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa and 12 at Misawa Air Base in Aomori, according to the documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.