U.S. Says Russia Has Violated Nuclear-Arms Treaty by Blocking Inspections
Michael R. Gordon | The Wall Street Journal
Russia has violated the New START treaty cutting long-range nuclear arms by refusing to allow on-site inspections and rebuffing Washington’s requests to meet to discuss its compliance concerns, the U.S. State Department said in a report sent to Congress on Tuesday. The State Department’s finding that Moscow is in “noncompliance” with the accord marks the first time that the U.S. has accused Russia of violating the treaty, which entered into force in 2011. The lack of inspections has also made it harder to verify the number of warheads Russia has deployed under the accord, the State Department added.
U.S. and South Korea to Hold 'Tabletop' Exercises on Nuclear Threats Next Month
JESSE JOHNSON | Japan Times
The United States and South Korea will boost nuclear deterrence planning, the allies’ defense chiefs said Tuesday in Seoul, pledging to hold tabletop exercises focused on the growing North Korean threat next month. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held talks with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup, in a bid to reassure Seoul of Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to defending its ally. The visit came amid rising public support for Seoul developing its own nuclear weapons after North Korea’s record-breaking flurry of missile tests last year – including weapons believed capable of striking the United States.
Russia Warns United States: The End of Nuclear Arms Control May be Nigh
Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters
Russia told the United States on Monday that the last remaining pillar of bilateral nuclear arms control could expire in 2026 without a replacement due to what it said were U.S. efforts to inflict "strategic defeat" on Moscow in Ukraine…What comes after Feb. 4, 2026, however, is unclear, though Washington has indicated it wants to reach a follow-on agreement with Russia. Asked if Moscow could envisage there being no nuclear arms control treaty after 2026, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA state new agency: "This is quite a possible scenario."
Blasts Near Ukraine Nuclear Plant, Says UN Watchdog; Russia Calls it Provocation
Reuters
The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog on Thursday reported powerful explosions near Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station and renewed calls for a security zone around the plant. A Russian official dismissed the comments by Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying they suggested Moscow could not uphold nuclear safety. Russian forces seized the plant in early March, soon after invading neighbouring Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of firing around it near the front lines, prompting the IAEA to place experts at all of Ukraine's five nuclear stations.
Iran Has Enough Enriched Uranium to Build ‘Several’ Nuclear Weapons, UN Say
Jon Gambrell | PBS
Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to build “several” nuclear weapons if it chooses, the United Nations’ top nuclear official is now warning. But diplomatic efforts aimed at again limiting its atomic program seem more unlikely than ever before as Tehran arms Russia in its war on Ukraine and as unrest shakes the Islamic Republic. The warning from Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in response to questions from European lawmakers this week, shows just how high the stakes have become over Iran’s nuclear program. Even at the height of previous tensions between the West and Iran under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran never enriched uranium as high as it does now.
Australian Nuclear Agency Joins Hunt for Lost Radioactive Capsule
Al Jazeera
Australia’s nuclear safety agency has joined the hunt for a tiny radioactive capsule missing somewhere in the outback, sending a team with specialised car-mounted and portable detection equipment. The loss of the radioactive capsule, which is believed to have fallen from a truck that travelled some 1,400km (870 miles) across Western Australia, has triggered a weeklong search and a radiation alert for large parts of the state