Nuclear Weapons

Kim calls for bolstering nuclear weapons after testing 2 types of missiles

North Korea said Thursday that leader Kim Jong Un supervised successful tests of two types of missiles one designed to carry a super-large conventional warhead" and the other likely for a nuclear warhead, as he ordered officials to bolster up his country's military capabilities to repel US-led threats. The tests were apparent references to the multiple missile launches that neighbouring countries said North Korea performed off its east coast on Wednesday, extending its run of weapons display as confrontations with the US and South Korea escalate. The official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim oversaw the launch of the country's newly built Hwasongpho-11-Da-4.5 ballistic missile tipped with a dummy 4.5-ton super-large conventional warhead. It said the test-firing was meant to verify an ability to accurately hit a 320 kilometer (200 mile)-range target, suggesting it's a weapon aimed at striking sites in South Korea. KCNA said Kim also guided the launch of an improved strategic

Explained: How Russia may change its doctrine for nuclear weapon use

The current doctrine was set out by President Vladimir Putin in June 2020 in a six-page decree

Russia slams UN nuclear watchdog after trip to plant close to fighting

Russian state news agency RIA quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying in a radio interview that Moscow wanted the IAEA to speak out more clearly on issues of nuclear security

Iran moving forward on key aspect of developing a nuclear bomb, claims US

Iran is talking more about getting a nuclear bomb and has made strides in developing a key aspect of a weapon since about April, when Israel and its allies overpowered a barrage of Iranian airstrikes targeting Israel, two top Biden administration officials said Friday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking at separate panels during a security forum in Colorado, said the United States was watching closely for any signs that Iran had made a decision to pursue actual weaponization of its nuclear program. However, Sullivan said, I have not seen a decision by Iran to move in a way that signals it has decided to actually develop a nuclear bomb right now. "If they start moving down that road, they'll find a real problem with the United States," Sullivan said at the Aspen Security Forum, which draws U.S. policymakers, journalists and others. Iran resumed progress on its nuclear program after the Trump administration ended US cooperation wit

North Korea claims new ballistic missile capable of carrying huge warhead

North Korea said Tuesday it had test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a huge warhead, as the country is pushing to modernise its weapons arsenal to cope with what it calls US-led threats. The North's official Korean Central News Agency called the weapon Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5 which can carry 4.5 ton-class super-large warhead. It said the test-fire on Monday was meant to verify flight stability and hit accuracy at the maximum range of 500 kilometres (310 miles) and the minimum range of 90 kilometres (55 miles). South Korea's military earlier said that North Korea launched two ballistic missiles from one of its southwestern towns in a northeastern direction on Monday and that the first missile flew 600 kilometres (370 miles) and the second missile 120 kilometres (75 miles). The second missile's flight distance was too short to reach the waters off the North's east coast, a typical landing site for North Korean test missiles. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff

Global spending on nuclear weapons hits record $91 billion in 2023: Report

Global military spending on nuclear arsenals surged by 33% over the past five years, reaching $91 billion in 2023

Nuclear powers set to continue boosting operational warheads, says report

The number of such warheads rose to 3,904 as Russia continues to threaten its adversaries at the same time as China may have put weapons of mass destruction on high operational alert

Russian warships to arrive in Havana, will not carry nukes: Cuban officials

Four Russian ships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, will arrive in Havana next week, Cuban officials said Thursday, citing historically friendly relations between both nations and as tensions escalate over Western military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Cuba's foreign ministry said in a news release that the ships will be in Havana between June 12 and June 17, noting that none of them will carry any nuclear weapons and assuring their presence does not represent a threat to the region. The announcement came a day after U.S. officials said that Washington had been tracking Russian warships and aircraft that were expected to arrive in the Caribbean for a military exercise. They said the exercise would be part of a broader Russian response to the U.S. support for Ukraine. The officials said that the Russian military presence was notable but not concerning. However, it's taking place as Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Moscow could take asymmetrical

Iran's President Raisi took hard line with national protests, nuclear talks

Raisi died when a helicopter carrying him back from a visit to the Azerbaijani border crashed in mountainous terrain, killing all aboard, a senior Iranian official said

Israel should be allowed to nuke Gaza like Hiroshima, Nagasaki: US senator

Lindsey Graham, a Republican Senator and a staunch supporter of Israel, criticised President Joe Biden for pausing the delivery of 3000 heavy bombs to Israel

Belarus launches nuclear drills after Russia announces them amid tensions

Belarus on Tuesday launched drills involving missiles and warplanes capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, which close ally Russia has deployed there amid tensions with the West over Ukraine. The Belarusian maneuvers began a day after Russia announced plans to hold similar drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons in what it cast as a response to statements by Western officials signalling possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine. It was the first time such an exercise had been publicly announced by Moscow. Belarus' Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said a unit of Iskander short-range missiles and a squadron of Su-25 fighter jets will take part in the drills. The maneuvers, held jointly with Russia, began as Russian President Vladimir Putin was inaugurated to a fifth term on Tuesday, vowing to ensure Russia's security. Last year, Russia moved some of its tactical nuclear weapons into Belarus, which also borders Ukraine and NATO members Poland, Latvia and

Russia defends UN veto on space nuke ban, urges ban on all weapons

Russia on Monday defended its veto of a United Nations resolution urging all nations to prevent a nuclear arms race in outer space, challenging the US, Japan and their Western allies to support Moscow's rival resolution calling for a ban on all weapons in space "for all time". Russia's UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said the United States and Japan, which sponsored the vetoed resolution, are guilty of of hypocrisy and double standards. He accused the U.S. and Western nations more broadly of planning for the military exploration of outer space, including the deployment of weapons, in particular strike combat systems. US deputy ambassador Robert Wood countered, telling the U.N. General Assembly: The truth is that Russia currently has several conventional anti-satellite weapons already in orbit, one of which it tested in 2019. He added Russia has threatened to target satellites with weapons, and said there is credible information that Russia is developing a new satellite carrying a ..

Russia prepping to deploy nuclear weapon in space, says US official

US has been unable to convince Russia and China to 'fly a nuclear weapon in space'

China, Russia should clarify nuclear weapons are not controlled by AI: US

As part of normalising military communications, US and Chinese officials resumed nuclear weapons discussions in January, but formal arms control negotiations are not expected any time soon

N Korea's Kim Jong Un leads rocket drills to simulate nuclear counterattack

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised salvo launches of the country's super-large multiple rocket launchers that simulated a nuclear counterattack against enemy targets, state media said Tuesday, adding to tests and threats that have raised tensions in the region. The report by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries detected the North firing what they suspected were multiple short-range ballistic missiles from a region near its capital, Pyongyang, toward its eastern seas. Analysts say North Korea's large-sized artillery rockets blur the boundary between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they can create their own thrust and are guided during delivery. The North has described some of these systems, including the 600mm multiple rocket launchers that were tested Monday, as capable of delivering tactical nuclear warheads. KCNA said Monday's launches represented the first demonstration of the country

Drone attack on Russia's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant increases accident risk

The head of the UN's atomic watchdog agency said Sunday a drone attack on one of six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident." In a statement on the social media platform X, Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed at least three direct hits against ZNPP main reactor containment structures took place. This cannot happen, he said. He said it was the first such attack since November 2022, when he set out five basic principles to avoid a serious nuclear accident with radiological consequences. In a separate statement, the IAEA confirmed physical impact of drone attacks at the plant, including at one of its six reactors. One casualty was reported, it said. "Damage at unit 6 has not compromised nuclear safety, but this is a serious incident with potential to undermine integrity of the reactor's containment system it added. Officials at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant said that

US seeks UN resolution calling on nations to ban nuclear weapons in space

The United States and Japan are sponsoring a UN Security Council resolution calling on all nations not to deploy or develop nuclear weapons in space, the US ambassador has announced. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a UN Security Council meeting on Monday that "any placement of nuclear weapons into orbit around the Earth would be unprecedented, dangerous, and unacceptable". The announcement that the US and Japan had circulated a resolution follows White House confirmation last month that Russia has obtained a "troubling" anti-satellite weapon capability, although such a weapon is not operational yet. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared later that Moscow has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space, claiming that the country has only developed space capabilities similar to those of the US. The Outer Space Treaty ratified by about 114 countries including the United States and Russia prohibits the deployment of "nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass ...

Ship with dual-use consignment for Pak's nuclear programme halted at Mumbai

A Karachi-bound ship from China was stopped by Indian security agencies at Mumbai's Nhava Sheva port on suspicion that it contained a dual-use consignment that could be used for Pakistan's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, officials here said on Saturday. The customs officials, based on an intelligence input, halted a Malta-flagged merchant ship -- CMA CGM Attila -- at the port en route to Karachi on January 23 and inspected the consignment, which included a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine, originally manufactured by an Italian company. CNC machines are basically controlled by a computer and produce a scale of efficiency, consistency and accuracy not possible manually. A team of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) also inspected the consignment and certified that it could be used by the neighbouring country for its nuclear programme. According to the experts, the equipment would be useful in manufacturing critical parts for Pakistan's missile ...

N Korea fired several cruise missiles in provocative weapons tests: S Korea

South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea fired several cruise missiles from waters off an eastern military port, in the country's latest weapons demonstration in the face of deepening tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't immediately say how many missiles were fired or how far they flew. It wasn't immediately clear how the launches were conducted, although the North has previously tested cruise missiles from sea assets. The launches were the North Korea's third-known launch event of 2024, following a previous round of cruise missile tests on Jan. 24 and a Jan. 14 test-firing of the country's first solid-fuel intermediate range ballistic missile. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate his weapons development and issue provocative threats of nuclear conflict with the US and its Asian allies. The US, South Korea and Japan in respons

North Korea says it tested solid-fuel missile tipped with hypersonic weapon

North Korea on Monday said it flight-tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead as it pursues more powerful, harder-to-detect weapons designed to strike remote US targets in the region. The report by North Korea's state media came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries detected the launch from a site near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, in what was the North's first ballistic test of 2024. The launch came two months after North Korea said it successfully tested engines for a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile, which reflected a push to advance its lineup of weapons targeting U.S. military bases in Guam and Japan. The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday's launch was aimed at verifying the reliability of the missile's solid-fuel engines and the maneuverable flight capabilities of the hypersonic warhead. It described the test as a success but didn't provide flight details. KCNA did not mention ..