UN Chief Warns World is One Step From ‘Nuclear Annihilation’
Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press
The United Nations chief warned Monday that “humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation,” citing the war in Ukraine, nuclear threats in Asia and the Middle East and many other factors. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gave the dire warning at the opening of the long-delayed high-level meeting to review the landmark 50-year-old treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and eventually achieving a nuclear-free world.
Biden, Putin Strike Conciliatory Tones as Nuclear Arms Talks Start at U.N.
Michelle Nichols | Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday he is ready to pursue a new nuclear arms deal with Russia and called on Moscow to act in good faith as his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said there could be no winners in any nuclear war. Both leaders issued written statements as diplomats gathered for a month-long U.N. conference to review the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It was supposed to have taken place in 2020, but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Eyes Sanctions Against Global Network It Believes Is Shipping Iranian Oil
Ian Talley | Wall Street Journal
The U.S. is considering sanctions that would target a United Arab Emirates-based businessman and a network of companies suspected of helping export Iran’s oil, part of a broader effort to escalate diplomatic pressure on Tehran as U.S. officials push to reach a deal on Iran’s nuclear program. The firms and individuals under scrutiny have been using ship-to-ship transfers of oil in waters that lie between Iraq and Iran and then forging documents to hide the origin of the cargo, according to corporate documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, shipping data and people familiar with the matter. By passing off the blended oil as Iraqi, those involved can avoid Western sanctions targeting Iranian oil. Yet within the administration, there isn’t consensus on plans to target these sorts of suspected sanctions-evading operations.
U.S., S. Korea Agree to Expand Military Exercise, Resume Extended Deterrence Dialogue
Byun Duk-kun | Yonhap News Agency
The top defense officials of South Korea and the United States agreed Friday to expand the countries’ upcoming joint military exercise and to restart their strategic dialogue on extended deterrence at an early date. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also reaffirmed U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea in his bilateral meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup here, according to the South Korean defense ministry. The decision to expand the military exercise comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un lashed out at the allied countries for holding such drills.
Northrop Wins $3 Billion Contract to Manage US Homeland Missile Defense Systems
Jen Judson | Defense News
The Missile Defense Agency awarded Northrop Grumman a contract potentially worth more than $3 billion to integrate and manage weapon systems within the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system designed to defend the U.S. homeland from intercontinental ballistic missiles from North Korea and Iran. Northrop will provide design, development, verification, deployment and sustainment support of new capabilities for the GMD Weapon System Program, the company said in an Aug. 1 statement.
Russia’s Nuclear Power Swagger Unruffled by War as Summit Nears
Jonathan Tirone | Bloomberg
US efforts to weaken the Kremlin’s grip on global atomic power markets in punishment for its war in Ukraine are foundering, with Russia’s nuclear energy giant mobilizing for a key role at a top industry gathering. Since February, when Moscow began its invasion, Russia’s Rosatom Corp. has begun work on Egypt’s first power reactor, advanced projects in Hungary and Turkey, and started new business from Myanmar to Uganda, deals worth billions of dollars. And to underline Russia’s clout, officials from Rosatom, the world’s biggest exporter of nuclear fuel and reactors, are set to headline sessions when energy ministers and company executives gather for a quadrennial meeting in October in Washington.