weapons and war « nuclear-news

Middle East- a nuclear weapon-free zone or allout nuclear arms race?

AP Interview: Saudi warns of Mideast nuclear race, Google News, By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press 26 Jan 12, DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — An influential member of the Saudi royal family warned Wednesday that unless the Middle East becomes a nuclear weapon-free zone, a nuclear arms race is inevitable and could include his own country, Iraq, Egypt and even Turkey.
Prince Turki Al Faisal said the five permanent U.N. Security Council members should guarantee a nuclear security umbrella for Mideast countries that join a nuclear-free zone — and impose “military sanctions” against countries seen to be developing nuclear weapons. “I think that’s a better way of going at this issue of nuclear enrichment of uranium, or preventing Iran from acquiring weapons of mass destruction,” the former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador Continue reading →

January 26, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Saudi Arabia, weapons and war | Leave a comment

There is a diplomatic avenue that would prevent war with Iran

Now, the West is all but isolated. Most non-Westerners would prefer to see Iran treated like other treaty parties – allowed to enrich uranium in return for intrusive monitoring by IAEA inspectors.

this gathering crisis could be avoided by a deal along the following lines – Iran would accept top-notch IAEA safeguards in return for being allowed to continue enriching uranium. In addition, Iran would volunteer some confidence-building measures to show it has no intention of making nuclear weapons.

Iran deal would allow West to make U-turn on highway to war, The Age, January 25, 2012 There is little realism behind the demand that Tehran give up its capacity to enrich uranium, writes Peter Jenkins.

The Iranian nuclear controversy is reaching a critical juncture. On Monday, the European Union agreed on an oil embargo as part of sanctions against the country. On Sunday, Britain, the US and France sent warships through the Strait of Hormuz. Recent months have seen a big rise in the twin risks of military action and grave damage to the world economy. This is the consequence of what I believe to be a great diplomatic overbid – the West’s demand that Iran surrender its capacity to enrich uranium. Continue reading →

January 25, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Pakistan causing an impasse at UN nuclear disarmament talks

The UN chief lamented that the practice of deciding by consensus “is currently used as a de facto veto power to stall every attempt to break the impasse.”

Pakistan’s stonewalling could sink UN nuclear disarmament talks: Ban Ki-moon National Post, Agence France-Presse Jan 24, 2012 GENEVA — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned Tuesday that the UN Conference on Disarmament could fail because of a three-year stalemate over Pakistan’s reluctance to discuss nuclear power. Continue reading →

January 25, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Pakistan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

A bunker buster bomb on Iran’s nuclear site – not the answer

military action against Iran’s nuclear work would be their last and worst option. Not only would this risk civilian casualties, but Iran would seek to retaliate against Western targets in the region, raising the risk of a regional war and risking global economic turmoil.

A strike, furthermore, would only delay, not destroy, an Iranian nuclear program whose known sites are widely dispersed and fortified against attack….

Iran nuclear sites may be beyond reach of “bunker busters”, LONDON Jan 12, 2012 (Reuters) – With its nuclear program beset as never before by sanctions, sabotage and assassination, Iran must now make a new addition to its list of concerns:

One of the biggest conventional bombs ever built. Boeing’s 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), an ultra-large bunker buster for use on underground targets, with Iran routinely mentioned as its most likely intended destination, is a key element in the implicit U.S. threat to use force as a last resort against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The behemoth, carrying more than 5,300 pounds of explosive, was delivered with minimal fanfare to Whiteman U.S. Air Force Base, Missouri in September. It is designed for delivery by B-2 Stealth bombers. Continue reading →

January 13, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nicaragua’s President urges Israel to foster peace, destroy nuclear weapons

Nicaragua’s Ortega urges Israel to destroy nuclear arms By Dave Graham, MANAGUA | Wed Jan 11, 2012 (Reuters) – Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega on Tuesday urged Israel to destroy its nuclear weapons to foster peace in the Middle East as he hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is touring Latin America. Continue reading →

January 12, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | SOUTH AMERICA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Attack on Iran’s nuclear plant likely to radioactively pollute Kuwait

Kuwait faces more risk than any other country in the region….. This gives Kuwait the right to request that the United States refrain from any military action that would put the Iranian plant at risk, the experts believe.

Bushehr plant damage risks 90% radiation in Kuwait KUWAIT TIMES, 11 Jan 12, : Kuwait is not prepared for any negative impact from military action against the Bushehr nuclear power plant, experts say. “A radiation leak from the Bushehr Plant puts at least 90 percent of Kuwait’s population at risk of being affected by the worst kinds of cancer that affect the brain and kidney”, according to studies mentioned recently by experts from inside and outside Kuwait who are following the development of Iran’s nuclear projects.
The expert, quoted in an Al-Dar daily report published yesterday, indicated that Kuwait is not prepared to thwart risks of a radiation leak that could happen as a result of a military strike or natural disaster affecting the plant.

The report quotes the experts as saying that an environmental organization assigned to monitor radiation levels is not equipped to give accurate readings regarding hazardous radiation leaks and spread levels. Continue reading →

January 11, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nuclear Doomsday Clock now at 5 minutes to midnight

Doomsday clock warning of nuclear power danger closer to midnight L.A. Times, January 10, 2012 | The time on the Doomsday clock has moved, and it’s in the wrong direction. On Tuesday, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that the metaphorical doomsday clock is now at five minutes to midnight, putting humanity one figurative minute closer to catastrophic destruction than it was just two years ago.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in the 1940s by members of the Manhattan Project as a way to educate the public about the dangers of nuclear power. The group debuted the idea of the doomsday clock in 1947, when the time on the clock was set at seven minutes to midnight. They have met every couple of years ever since to discuss the state and fate of the world, and to reset the clock.

This year the board, which includes nuclear and environmental scientists as well as national security experts, cited the failure to act on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by leaders in the United States, China, Iran, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel and North Korea as chief among its reasons for moving the minute hand of the clock closer to doomsday.

“The world still has approximately 19,500 nuclear weapons, enough power to destroy the Earth’s inhabitants several times over,” the board wrote in a joint statement.

The board also found the disaster in Fukushima, Japan, particularly alarming. “Safer nuclear reactor designs need to be developed and built, and more stringent oversight, training, and attention are needed to prevent future disasters,” the members wrote.

And finally, the board expressed grave concern about climate change, writing, “In fact, the global community may be near a point of no return in efforts to prevent catastrophe from changes in Earth’s atmosphere.”…. atimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2012/01/and-the-new-time-on-the-doomsday-clock-is.html

January 11, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | 1 Comment

Dr Mohamed El Baradei on nuclear power and nuclear weapons

27,000 nuclear warheads remain in the arsenals of nine countries. Strategic reliance on these weapons by these countries and their allies undoubtedly motivates others to emulate them. And of course, plans to replenish and modernize these weapons creates a pervasive sense of cynicism among many non-nuclear-weapon States — who perceive a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude.” (5)

“Why, some ask, should the nuclear-weapon States be trusted, but not others – and who is qualified to make that judgment?

Quotes about safeguards and proliferation, Friends of the Earth, Jim Green 11 Jan 2012,

1. Quotes from former IAEA Director-General Dr Mohamed El Baradei

“The IAEA’s Illicit Trafficking Database has, in the past decade, recorded more than 650 cases that involve efforts to smuggle such [nuclear and radioactive] materials.” (1)

“Today, out of the 189 countries that are party to the NPT, 118 still do not have additional protocols in force.” (1)

“IAEA verification today operates on an annual budget of about $100 million – a budget comparable to that of a local police department. With these resources, we oversee approximately 900 nuclear facilities in 71 countries. When you consider our growing responsibilities – as well as the need to stay ahead of the game – we are clearly operating on a shoestring budget.” (1)

“… we are only as effective as we are allowed to be.” (1) Continue reading →

January 11, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Israel to close its unsafe Dimona nuclear reactor, in fear of war with Iran

Iranian war fears spark closure of Israel reactor THE AUSTRALIAN, January 09, 2012 ISRAEL is preparing to shut its nuclear reactor at Dimona, where it makes nuclear weapons, because of the site’s vulnerability in a war with Iran. Continue reading →

January 10, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

War games – all about Iran’s nuclear ambitions

Face-off in the Gulf as U.S., Israel and Iran all launch war games in show of force over nuclear plans and key oil route UK warns that it is prepared to use force to stop Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz By DAILY MAIL REPORTER 6th January 2012 The U.S. and Israel are planning a massive military exercise in the Persian Gulf in an attempt to face down Iran over its sabre-rattling in the region.
But the Islamic Republic is also preparing war games in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic oil route which the country has threatened to block off in a move which could seriously restrict energy supplies. Britain’s Defence Secretary yesterday said that the UK would take military action to prevent Iran – which is believed to be developing secret nuclear weapons – from cutting off the strait.
Iran announced last night that an annual naval exercise known as ‘The Great Prophet’ would take place in the strait next month…….
Last month, the head of the British armed forces said the biggest strategic risk facing the UK was economic rather than military. General Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said ‘no country can defend itself if bankrupt’.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082961/Face-Gulf-U-S–Israel-Iran-launch-war-games-force-nuclear-plans-key-oil-route.html#ixzz1inkW205N

January 7, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Depleted uranium has wreaked havoc on health in Iraq

The US and UK militaries have sent mixed signals about the effects of depleted uranium, but Iraqi doctors like Alwachi and Alani, and along with researchers, blame the increasing cancer and birth defect rates on the weapon.

Abdulhaq Al-Ani, author of Uranium in Iraq, has been researching the effects of depleted uranium on Iraqis since 1991. He told Al Jazeera he personally measured radiation levels in the city of Kerbala, as well as in Basra, and his Geiger counter was “screaming” because “the indicator went beyond the range”.

Fallujah babies: Under a new kind of siege, Doctors and residents blame US weapons for catastrophic levels of birth defects in Fallujah’s newborns, Al Jazeera, Dahr Jamail 06 Jan 2012 Fallujah, Iraq – While the US military has formally withdrawn from Iraq, doctors and residents of Fallujah are blaming weapons like depleted uranium and white phosphorous used during two devastating US attacks on Fallujah in 2004 for what are being described as “catastrophic” levels of birth defects and abnormalities.

Dr Samira Alani, a paediatric specialist at Fallujah General Hospital, has taken a personal interest in investigating an explosion of congenital abnormalities that have mushroomed in the wake of the US sieges since 2005. ”We have all kinds of defects now, ranging from congenital heart disease to severe physical abnormalities, both in numbers you cannot imagine,” Alani told Al Jazeera at her office in the hospital, while showing countless photos of shocking birth defects.

As of December 21, Alani, who has worked at the hospital since 1997, told Al Jazeera she had personally logged 677 cases of birth defects since October 2009. Just eight days later when Al Jazeera visited the city on December 29, that number had already risen to 699. Continue reading →

January 7, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | depleted uranium, Iraq, Uranium | Leave a comment

USA ‘s cautious move to reduce nuclear weapons

Pentagon cuts: What will the new US military look like? BBC News, By Heather Hurlburt, Executive Director, National Security Network, 6 Jan 12,“…..The president’s 2009 Prague pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in US strategy, and move toward their elimination, will begin to have practical force.

Stephen Young of the Union of Concerned Scientists describes the future of the nuclear weapons complex as “cautious but suggestive”. The strategy review document maintains a nuclear arsenal but hints at reductions, saying “it is possible our deterrence goals can be achieved with a smaller nuclear force”.

What might this mean in practice? In the near-term, disappointment for those on the US right who have advocated aggressive investment in new nuclear bombs and even a return to testing. In the longer-term, many Pentagon generals, especially those not in submarine, missile or nuclear bomber commands, are willing to consider shrinking the nuclear “triad”. There is also a raft of influential players in the nuclear sphere who have been eager to retire the weapons…..” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16433138

January 7, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Israel’s nuclear threat to world peace

It should be emphasised that the European Jewish Congress (EJC),does not represent all Europe’s Jews, despite how it purports to do so.

Iran may be less than candid about its nuclear ambitions but it has signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel has not.

Forget Iran – Israel is bigger threat to world peace New Europe, by David Cronin, JANUARY 4, 2012 Is a war with Iran inevitable? I don’t have the answer to that question. But I do feel a
sense of déjà-vu when I scan the headlines. Iran is capable of assembling a bomb within a year, Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, told CBS News recently. Though not as outlandish, his “warning” carried a chilling reminder of Tony Blair’s claim that Iraq could deploy weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes.

One especially unsavoury aspect of the debate around Iran is how it is being driven by ‘public relations’ professionals, who try to dress up their bloodlust in respectable clothing. Without exception, these “opinion-formers” are supporters of Israel, Continue reading →

January 6, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

North Korea talking tough on nuclear weapons

N. Korea Vows to Reinforce Nuclear Program After South’s Offer , By Sangwon Yoon, Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) — North Korea responded to South Korean President Lee Myung Bak’s offer of “a window of opportunity” for inter-Korean dialog with a vow to “further reinforce” its status as a nuclear-weapons state……
“As long as the enemy is persistent in his moves for aggression, the DPRK will further reinforce the position of the nuclear-weapons state to protect its dignity and sovereignty,” it said. DPRK as an acronym of North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea.
The committee responded to Lee’s New Year message, which expressed the possibility of a “new era” in inter-Korean relations if the North shows sincerity in denuclearizing.

The committee statement was the North’s first message on the status of the North’s nuclear weapons program since Kim Jong Il died and his son Kim Jong Un was installed as leader……
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-05/n-korea-vows-to-reinforce-nuclear-program-after-south-s-offer.html

January 6, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Pakistan, India, exchange nuclear site information and hold peace talks

Pakistan, India swap nuclear lists Courier Mail, AFP January 02, PAKISTAN and India have exchanged lists of their nuclear sites. The two countries did so under an accord which prohibits both sides from attacking these locations, the foreign ministry in Islamabad said
yesterday.

Under the 1988 agreement, the nuclear-armed neighbours are required to submit the lists of all their respective nuclear installations and facilities – civilian and military – on January 1 every year.

“In accordance with the aforesaid agreement, a list of requisite facilities in Pakistan was given to the Indian high commission official at the foreign office today,” a statement from Pakistan’s
foreign ministry said.

The Indian side also handed over its list to the Pakistan high commission official at the ministry of external affairs in New Delhi, it added…… As part of the resumed dialogue process, experts from the two countries recently held peace talks in Islamabad on nuclear
confidence-building measures… http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/pakistan-india-swap-nuclear-lists/story-fn6ck55c-1226234513906

January 2, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, Pakistan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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