Israel’s Race Against Iranian Nukes Has Become a Marathon
Ariel (Eli) Levite | Haaretz
For more than 20 years now, Israel has tried to block Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons – and the time has come to draw conclusions from these efforts. Iran apparently has not abandoned this ambition to acquire nuclear weapons, but at the same time sees no urgency in achieving this aim, while also seeking to minimize the risks entailed pursuing it. Therefore, Israel’s intelligence assessments on the timing of Iran’s nuclearization have consistently proven wrong. Even at present Iran has not set a concrete goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. It is enriching uranium in abundance, but has been leery of resuming the production of components for a nuclear bomb. It would be wise, then, to recognize that we are running a marathon against it, not a sprint, and weigh our steps accordingly.
US Intel and Satellite Images Show Saudi Arabia Is Now Building Its Own Ballistic Missiles With Help of China
Zachary Cohen | CNN
US intelligence agencies have assessed that Saudi Arabia is now actively manufacturing its own ballistic missiles with the help of China, CNN has learned, a development that could have significant ripple effects across the Middle East and complicate the Biden administration’s efforts to restrain the nuclear ambitions of Iran, the Saudis’ top regional rival. Saudi Arabia is known to have purchased ballistic missiles from China in the past but has never been able to build its own—until now, according to three sources familiar with the latest intelligence.
Iran Nuclear Talks to Restart After ‘Disappointing’ Pause
Celine Alkhadi | CNN
Talks to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will restart on Monday after a brief and “disappointing” pause. Chief European negotiator Enrique Mora said the next round of negotiations, the eighth so far, will see diplomats “meet to discuss and define the way ahead.” The seventh round of talks ended last week with after Iran’s chief negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, decided to return to Tehran for consultations. Bagheri Kani said that the talks will resume in a “few days” according to Iranian state media.
‘Pralay’, India’s First Conventional Ballistic Missile, Test-Fired Again
Shishir Gupta | Hindustan Times
India conducted the second trial of ‘Pralay’ conventional ballistic missile off the APJ Abdul Kalam island in Odisha on Thursday morning. The developmental trial of the missile was successful with the platform reaching a range of 500 kilometres. ‘Pralay’ is India’s first conventional ballistic missile and is an answer to any conventional missile attack from northern or western borders. The missile development is significant as India had no conventionally armed ballistic missile and was hampered by ‘No First Use’ nuclear policy. It is also the first time in history that two tests of conventional ballistic missiles were done successfully on consecutive days.
Belgium to Close All Current Nuclear Reactors by 2025
France 24
Belgium will shut down all seven of its nuclear reactors by 2025 but will not close the door on new-generation nuclear technology, according to a deal reached Thursday by the coalition government. A government source told AFP the all-night negotiations included an agreement of “investments of around 100 million euros ($ 1.1 million) on small modular reactors.” A press conference is due to take place at the prime minister’s office headquarters at 1000 GMT to present the details. Progressively phasing out nuclear power has been enshrined in Belgian law since 2003.
“Do You Hear What I Hear” Was Actually About the Cuban Missile Crisis
Reba A. Wissner | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
We often take Christmas carols at face value. But at least one holiday favorite, “Do You Hear What I Hear,” contains more than what first meets the ear. Written during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the song contains references to the fear of a nuclear attack. Many of the phrases it contains, such as “a star, dancing in the night, with a tail as big as a kite” can be interpreted in two ways: as the bright star of Bethlehem that leads the Magi to the baby Jesus—or as the sight of a nuclear missile in flight. “The star was meant to be a bomb,” the composer’s daughter, Gabrielle Regney, explained to GBH News, the magazine of the Boston public radio station, in 2019.