http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/proliferation/ en-us Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:38:37 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140470/posts US, India face Pak blackmail on terror 1 Dec 2008, 0054 hrs IST, Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN WASHINGTON: The United States and India face tactics bordering on blackmail from a militarized Pakistan - where civilian control is still very dodgy - as they coordinate efforts to eliminate terrorism in the region, according to analysts and officials on both sides. In what is turning out to be an elaborate chess game in the region, Islamabad on Saturday made its "Afghan move" to counter the US-India pincer, telling Washington that it will have to withdraw some 100,000 Pakistani troops posted on its western... The Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140470/posts#comment Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:38:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140131/posts The United States is in deep trouble in the Middle East. Despite Barack Obama's promises to withdraw from Iraq, the debacle there shows no sign of ending soon. Hamas rules in Gaza; Iran is quickly moving to acquire a nuclear deterrent. We need a radically different strategy for the region. Fortunately, there is a strategy that has proved effective in the past and could serve again today: "offshore balancing." It's less ambitious than President Bush's grand plan to spread democracy throughout the Middle East, but is would be much better at protecting actual U.S. interests. The United States would station... Newsweek http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140131/posts#comment Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:10:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139608/posts The United States accused Syria on Friday of adopting tactics "honed by Iran" to impede a U.N. watchdog probe into alleged covert nuclear activity. A November 19 International Atomic Energy Agency report said a Syrian building bombed to rubble by Israel in 2007 had markings resembling those of a nuclear reactor. Traces of uranium, or nuclear fuel, were found by inspectors at the site in June. reuteurs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139608/posts#comment Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:59:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139215/posts CARACAS, Venezuela — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to help start a nuclear energy program in Venezuela and said Moscow is willing to participate in a socialist trade bloc in Latin America led by President Hugo Chavez. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139215/posts#comment Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:38:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139212/posts Russia says it is in contact with the Obama administration in a bid to convince it to normalize ties with Iran and solve the nuclear issue. He said US President-elect Barack Obama would have to normalize ties with Iran to reach a solution to the nuclear dispute. "We are doing it [bypassing the Bush administration and reach Obama's team] through our embassy in Washington D.C. and our contacts with people who are around Barack Obama," Ryabkov added. Iran Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139212/posts#comment Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:24:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139199/posts Russian President Dmitry Medvedev opened his visit in Venezuela with a nuclear cooperation agreement, a deal that could irk Washington. Medvedev and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also signed accords on oil and gas explorations, industrial cooperation, and relaxing of visa requirements for citizens of each countries. The Russian president's visit also highlights military cooperation in his talks with Chavez. The militaries of both countries are scheduled to conduct a joint naval war games starting December 1. Russia has been trying to revitalize its influence in the region, particularly in leftist countries that were once its allies at the height of... All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139199/posts#comment Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:59:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139196/posts Russia to help Venezuela develop nuclear energy By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer Christopher Toothaker, Associated Press Writer 1 min ago LA GUAIRA, Venezuela – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to help start a nuclear energy program in Venezuela and said Moscow is willing to participate in a socialist trade bloc in Latin America led by President Hugo Chavez. Medvedev used his visit to Venezuela — the first by a Russian president — to extend Moscow's reach into Latin America and deepen trade and military ties. Chavez denied trying to provoke the United States, but he welcomed Russia's growing presence... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139196/posts#comment Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:56:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138985/posts (CNN) -- Iran has 5,000 "running centrifuges" in its main nuclear site at Natanz, according to Iranian news reports quoting a top official. The United States and other Western nations have been pressing Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, believing Tehran wants to develop nuclear weapons. Iran insists it wants to use the technology to produce electricity. Reza Aqazadeh, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his tour of the Exclusive Exhibition on Nuclear Industry Achievements in Tehran. "Suspension of nuclear enrichment is meaningless and it is not found... cnn.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138985/posts#comment Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:39:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138784/posts Israel's prime minister says Washington has not rejected a request by Tel Aviv to take any action it deems "necessary" against Iran. Ehud Olmert, the outgoing premier, said Tuesday that he had extensively discussed Iran and its nuclear program with "Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the (US) president". "There is a basic, deep understanding about the Iranian threat and the need to act in order to remove the threat," Olmert told reporters. Press TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138784/posts#comment Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:55:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137213/posts Although President George W. Bush has accomplished more in the way of missile defense than his predecessors -- including Ronald Reagan -- he will leave office with only a rudimentary system designed to stop a handful of North Korean missiles launched at our West Coast. Barack Obama will become commander in chief of a country essentially undefended against Russian, Chinese, Iranian or ship-launched terrorist missiles. This is not acceptable. Consider Iran. For the past decade, Iran -- with the assistance of Russia, China and North Korea -- has been developing missile technology. Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani announced in 2004... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137213/posts#comment Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:39:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2136976/posts Adressing a meeting to mark the start of the Week of Basij (mobilization of volunteer forces), lieutenant commander of the General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Gholam-Ali Rasheed said that US President George Bush has established the infrastructures required in the region for posing a threat to Iran. "The United States threats have now found a structural form. They have done the planning for reaching the necessary preparedness to wage a war against Iran through setting up military bases, holding security pacts, etc.," he said. The General viewed "northwestern and southeastern Iran as well as the southwestern province... Pak Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2136976/posts#comment Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:16:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2136818/posts A defense establishment paper recommends making contingency plans to attack Iran, reaching an agreement with Syria that includes leaving the Golan Heights and preventing new elections in the Palestinian Authority, even if this means a confrontation with the United States. The paper will be presented to the cabinet next month as part of the National Security Council's annual situation assessment. The document warns that in 2009, Israel may find itself facing a nuclear Iran virtually alone, following a rapprochement between the U.S., Iran and the Arab world that would also undermine Israel's military superiority. Additionally, it warns of a possible... Haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2136818/posts#comment Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:10:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135687/posts WASHINGTON (AFP) — The use of nuclear weapons will grow increasingly likely by 2025, US intelligence warned Thursday in a report on global trends that forecasts a tense, unstable world shadowed by war. "The world of the near future will be subject to an increased likelihood of conflict over scarce resources, including food and water, and will be haunted by the persistence of rogue states and terrorist groups with greater access to nuclear weapons," said the report. "Widening gaps in birth rates and wealth-to-poverty ratios, and the uneven impact of climate change, could further exacerbate tensions." Called "Global Trends 2025... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135687/posts#comment Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:59:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135428/posts Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors. The figures detailing Iran's progress were contained in a routine update on Wednesday from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has been conducting inspections of the country's main nuclear plant at Natanz. The report concluded that as of early this month, Iran had made 630 kilograms, or about 1,390 pounds, of low-enriched uranium. Several experts said that was enough for a bomb, but they cautioned that the milestone was mostly symbolic,... IHT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135428/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:32:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135409/posts Iran Makes Nuclear Headway, IAEA Says Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 Defying the U.N. Security Council, Iran has continued to both enrich uranium and expand its capacity to process even more material, the International Atomic Energy Agency disclosed today (see GSN, Nov. 18). (Nov. 19) - Iran has plans to begin operating its long-delayed Bushehr nuclear power plant sometime next year (Behrouz Mehri/Getty Images). The nation's uranium enrichment centrifuges at Natanz have so far manufactured 630 kilograms of low-enriched uranium, and work is under way to assemble significantly more centrifuge "cascades," according to a report by agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei that... Global Security Newswire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135409/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:13:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134177/posts "We are ready to do whatever is demanded of us" in order to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, IAF commander Maj. -Gen. Ido Nehushtan told German magazine Der Spiegel in an interview published Tuesday. Nehushtan told the magazine that whether a military strike is eventually decided upon is a political question and not an issue of Israel's military capabilities. A strike against Iran's nuclkear facilities "is a political decision," the IAF commabder said, "but if I understand it correctly, all options are on the table… The Air Force is a very robust and flexible force. We are ready... The Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134177/posts#comment Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:38:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134154/posts Iran’s bank of rapidly spinning centrifuges has produced a stockpile of low-enriched uranium, ideal for fueling nuclear reactors, but able also to fuel nuclear weapons if re-circulated through the centrifuges. The re-circulation raises the concentration of the uranium isotope U-235, which fissions in nuclear weapons such as the one dropped on Hiroshima. Based on the amount of low-enriched uranium Iran has stockpiled, and the amount it is believed to be producing each month, the Wisconsin Project estimates that by inauguration day, Iran could have enough U-235 to fuel one bomb quickly. "Quickly," in this context, means two to three months... Iran Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134154/posts#comment Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:17:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133240/posts PM tells 'General Assembly' of Jewish leaders Islamic Republic 'has not terminated its pursuit of nuclear weapons; free world must do whatever it can to prevent nuclear Iran' YNET NEWS.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133240/posts#comment Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:16:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132835/posts According to reports, Iran has apparently test-fired a new generation of surface-to-surface missile on November 12, 2008. The Iranians claimed the missile called 'Sejil' represents a new generation of surface-to-surface missiles developed by the country's missile industry. defense update http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132835/posts#comment Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:53:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132190/posts Israel will not tolerate a nuclear Iran, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau, has stressed to The Jerusalem Post in an unusually hard-hitting interview. For now, Israel is backing diplomatic and economic efforts to thwart the Iranians, Gilad added, but it doubts these will work and it is keeping all options open. Asked about the complexities of any resort to military action, particularly since Iran has built its facilities to withstand a repeat of the IAF's 1981 destruction of Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor at Osirak, Gilad replied, tellingly, that domestic critics 27 years ago... Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132190/posts#comment Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:40:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2131738/posts Note: The following text is a quote: For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary November 11, 2008 Notice: Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Iran White House News On November 14, 1979, by Executive Order 12170, the President declared a national emergency with respect to Iran pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706), to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by the situation in Iran. Because our relations with Iran have not yet returned to normal, and the process... WHITEHOUSE.GOV - News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2131738/posts#comment Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:50:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2131148/posts TEHRAN, Iran – Iran said it successfully test-fired a new generation of long range surface-to-surface missile on Wednesday — one that could easily strike as far away as southeastern Europe with greater precision than earlier models. The Sajjil is a solid fuel high-speed missile with a range of about 1,200 miles, Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammed Najjar said on state television. At that range, it could easily strike Iran's arch-foe Israel and go as far as southeastern Europe. Solid-fuel missiles are more accurate than the liquid fuel missiles of similar range currently possessed by Iran. The country has had a solid-fuel... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2131148/posts#comment Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:42:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130107/posts The United States abandoned a nuclear weapon beneath the ice in northern Greenland following a crash in 1968, a BBC investigation has found. Its unique vantage point - perched at the top of the world - has meant that Thule Air Base has been of immense strategic importance to the US since it was built in the early 1950s, allowing a radar to scan the skies for missiles coming over the North Pole. The Pentagon believed the Soviet Union would take out the base as a prelude to a nuclear strike against the US and so in 1960 began flying... bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130107/posts#comment Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:55:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130045/posts TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has test-fired a new type of missile during war games near the Iraqi border, state television said Tuesday, after warning the United States it would respond to any violation of Iranian airspace. The English-language Press TV said the Iranian-made missile, named as the Samen, was successfully tested Monday by the elite Revolutionary Guards in the western border city of Marivan. They also tested artillery and rocket launchers, Press TV said on its website. Iran's armed forces have staged frequent maneuvers in recent months, coinciding with speculation of possible U.S. or Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130045/posts#comment Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:40:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129682/posts JERUSALEM, Israel — The U.S. is providing Israel with high-powered X-band radar capable of detecting missile launches up to 1,500 miles away — and sensitive enough to detect small- and medium-range missiles being fired from Iran and Syria. Israel will not have direct access to the intelligence the radar collects. American satellites will be used with the radar, and only Americans will have access to the technology and the information. About 120 American technicians and security guards will be stationed in Israel's southern Negev Desert to oversee the operation, the first time in the country's 60-year history that they've... FOX News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129682/posts#comment Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:31:10 GMT