Munir Ahmed and Jon Gambrell | AP News
Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a mutual defense pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both — a key accord in the wake of Israel’s strike on Qatar last week… Analysts — and Pakistani diplomats in at least one case — have suggested over the years that Saudi Arabia could be included under Islamabad’s nuclear umbrella, particularly as tensions have risen over Iran’s atomic program… Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia did not respond to questions from The Associated Press on Thursday on whether the pact extended to Islamabad’s nuclear weapons arsenal.
John Irish and Parisa Hafezi | Reuters/ Yahoo
Iranian and European ministers made little progress in talks on Wednesday aimed at preventing international sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme being reimposed at the end of this month, two European and one Iranian diplomats said. Britain, France and Germany, the so-called E3, launched a 30-day process at the end of August to reimpose U.N. sanctions. They set conditions for Tehran to meet during September to convince them to delay the "snapback mechanism".
Park Chan-kyong | South China Morning Post
South Korea is investigating reports that Russia has supplied North Korea with nuclear submarine reactor modules, a move analysts see as highly plausible and one that could mark a breakthrough in Pyongyang’s decades-long push for a nuclear-powered navy… At the 8th Party Congress in January 2021, North Korea declared five core defence goals, including the development of nuclear-powered submarines and submarine-launched strategic nuclear weapons.
Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali | Reuters/Yahoo
The Pentagon on Tuesday confirmed that U.S. military officials observed joint war games between Russia and Belarus on Monday, accepting an invitation for the first time since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine… The presence of the U.S. officers, less than a week after neighboring Poland shot down Russian drones that crossed into its airspace, is the latest sign that Washington is seeking to warm ties with Belarus.
Joon Ha Park | NK News
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said he is open to limited sanctions relief for North Korea in return for halting its nuclear and missile programs, calling for “middle ground” engagement with Pyongyang in an interview released Thursday… The South Korean president said he supported negotiations to “partially ease or lift sanctions” as part of a three-step process of halting, reducing and ultimately eliminating Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal, adding that he believes U.S. President Donald Trump “will be on the same page.”
Brian Spegele | The Wall Street Journal
China played down its rapidly rising military might for years. In the past few weeks, Beijing has broadcast a steady drumbeat of firepower displays and muscular rhetoric, carrying an unmistakable warning for the U.S… Part of China’s confidence stems from the rapid growth of its firepower. The Pentagon estimates that China’s stockpile of nuclear warheads has more than doubled since 2020, alongside a growing array of options to launch those weapons, from mobile ground-launch systems to increasingly stealthy submarines.