North Korea's Kim Oversees ICBM Test, Vows More Nuclear Weapons
Hyonhee Shin | Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to counter U.S. nuclear threats with nuclear weapons as he inspected a test of the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state media KCNA said on Saturday. The isolated country tested the Hwasong-17 ICBM on Friday a day after warning of "fiercer military responses" to Washington beefing up its regional security presence including nuclear assets. Attending the site with his daughter for the first time, Kim said threats from the United States and its allies pursing a hostile policy prompted his country to "substantially accelerate the bolstering of its overwhelming nuclear deterrence." "Kim Jong Un solemnly declared that if the enemies continue to pose threats ... our party and government will resolutely react to nukes with nuclear weapons and to total confrontation with all-out confrontation," the official KCNA news agency said.
Iran Says Uranium Enrichment Ramped up to Near Weapons-Grade at a Second Facility
CBS News
Iran has begun producing uranium enriched to 60 percent at its Fordo plant, official media reported Tuesday about the underground facility that reopened three years ago amid the breakdown of its nuclear deal with major powers. The move was part of Iran's response to the United Nations nuclear watchdog's adoption last week of a censure motion drafted by Western governments accusing it of non-cooperation. "Iran has started producing uranium enriched to 60 percent at the Fordo plant for the first time," Iran's ISNA news agency reported. While 60 percent enriched uranium still isn't technically weapons-grade (weapons require uranium enriched to 90 percent or higher), having a significant stockpile of it could reduce the time Iran would need to make a bomb.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Could Start a Race for Nukes, Austin Says
PAUL MCLEARY and ALEXANDER WARD | POLITICO
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could entice autocrats around the world to race to develop nuclear weapons, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday, potentially sparking a dangerous era of nuclear proliferation…“They could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own. And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation,” the secretary said at the Halifax International Security Forum. Austin further warned that “Putin may resort again to profoundly irresponsible nuclear saber-rattling” as the war drags on and if Ukrainian forces continue their gains against Russian troops.
Top Russian Official Warns of Possible Nuclear Accident at Zaporizhzhia
Reuters
The head of Russia's state-run atomic energy agency, Rosatom, warned on Monday there was a risk of a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, following renewed shelling over the weekend…"The plant is at risk of a nuclear accident. We were in negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) all night," Interfax quoted Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev as saying. Rosatom has controlled the facility through a subsidiary since President Vladimir Putin in October ordered Russia to formally seize the plant and transfer Ukrainian staff to a Russian entity. Kyiv says the transfer of assets amounts to theft.
US and Russia to Meet in Egypt to Discuss Key Nuclear Arms Control Agreement Later this Month
Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood and Anna Chernova | CNN
Officials from the United States and Russia will meet in Egypt from November 29 to December 6 to discuss a key nuclear arms control agreement. The meetings on the New START Treaty – the only agreement left regulating the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals – come in the wake of Moscow’s nuclear saber-rattling toward Ukraine and following complications around inspections related to the treaty. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Thursday confirmed the dates and location of the meeting to discuss the New START agreement.
South Korea, Japan Test New Interceptors After North Korean Missile Tests
Jeongmin Kim | NK News
South Korea and Japan successfully tested new missile interceptor systems in separate tests in recent days, following a series of North Korean weapons tests that have sent missiles over or near its neighbors’ territory and waters. In South Korea, the military recently conducted a successful missile interception test using its long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) for the first time recently, NK News confirmed. L-SAM is under development as part of the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), the second pillar of Seoul’s Three Axis defense system against North Korean missile threats. Top South Korean military officials also attended and observed the test, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing military authorities.