Nuclear Weapons Policy

India reaffirms commitment to prevent proliferation of destruction weapons

India has consistently supported UN Security Council Resolution 1540, which aims to prevent non-state actors from acquiring WMDs

Kim Jong Un again threatens to use nuclear weapons against South Korea, US

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned again that he could use nuclear weapons in potential conflicts with South Korea and the United States, as he accused them of provoking North Korea and raising animosities on the Korean Peninsula, state media reported on Tuesday. Kim has issued similar threats to use nuclear weapons preemptively numerous times, but his latest warning came as outside experts say North Korea could ramp up hostilities ahead of next month's US presidential election. In a Monday speech at a university named after him, Kim Jong Un University of National Defence, he said that North Korea "will without hesitation use all its attack capabilities against its enemies if they attempt to use armed forces against North Korea, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency. The use of nuclear weapons is not ruled out in this case, he said. Kim said North Korea's nuclear response posture must be fully enhanced because South Korea and the United States are pushing

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

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

India vs Pakistan: Who has more nuclear bombs and what is China up to?

The nine nuclear-armed nations of the world, including the US, Russia, France, China, India and Pakistan, continued to modernise their nuclear arsenals in 2023, says a recent SIPRI report

Nuclear-armed nations deepening reliance on their nuclear weapons

The world's nine nuclear-armed states continue to modernise their nuclear weapons as the countries deepened their reliance on such deterrence in 2023, a Swedish think tank said on Monday. We have not seen nuclear weapons playing such a prominent role in international relations since the Cold War, said Wilfred Wan, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's weapons of mass destruction programme. Earlier this month, Russia and its ally Belarus launched a second stage of drills intended to train their troops in tactical nuclear weapons, part of the Kremlin's efforts to discourage the West from ramping up support for Ukraine. In a separate report, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN, said the nine nuclear-armed states spent a combined total of USD 91.4 billion on their arsenals in 2023 equivalent to USD 2,898 per second. The Geneva-based coalition of disarmament activists won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. The group said that figures sh

India to get next-gen nuclear fuel this summer, says Russian official

A full-scale discussion took place on the perspective areas of the Russian-Indian cooperation in the nuclear field

Russia feared to be 'inspecting' US spy satellite with new space weapon

US intelligence officials believe Russia's Cosmos 2576 'inspector' spacecraft is capable of inspecting and attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit

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

Russia to practice tactical nuclear weapon scenario in its military drills

The ministry said the exercise was ordered by President Vladimir Putin and would test the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to perform combat missions

India, Japan discuss on disarmament, non-proliferation, export control

The Indian delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs

$3 bn deal with UK gets Oz closer to having nuclear-powered submarines

Australia is set to provide 4.6 billion Australian dollars (USD 3 billion) to British industry to support the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and ensure its new fleet arrives on time, the two countries said Friday. The announcement came a day after the two countries signed a defense and security pact to better meet challenges such as China's increased activity in the South China Sea and South Pacific. UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps said the submarine program was expensive but necessary. Nuclear-powered submarines are not cheap, but we live in a much more dangerous world where we are seeing a much more assertive region with China, a much more dangerous world all around with what's happening in the Middle East and Europe, Shapps told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Countries need to invest in making sure that adversaries see we are serious about our security, defending freedom of navigation, for example. The 10-year deal announced at an annual ministers' gather

Russia ready to use nuclear weapons if sovereignty threatened, says Putin

President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to its statehood, sovereignty or independence, voicing hope that the US would refrain from actions that could trigger a nuclear conflict. Putin's statement was another blunt warning to the West ahead of a presidential vote this week in which he's all but certain to win another six-year term. In an interview with Russian state television released early Wednesday, Putin described U.S. President Joe Biden as a veteran politician who fully understands possible dangers of escalation, and said that he doesn't think that the world is heading to a nuclear war. At the same time, he emphasized that Russia's nuclear forces are in full readiness and from the military-technical viewpoint, we're prepared. Putin said that in line with the country's security doctrine, Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons in case of a threat to the existence of the Russian state, our sovereignty and independence. The .

Kim Jong Un calls for war readiness, inspects construction of warships

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reiterated his focus on strengthening his naval forces as he inspected the construction of new warships at an eastern shipyard, calling such projects crucial to the country's war preparations, state media said Friday. His visit to the shipyard in Nampho followed a series of weapons demonstrations in January that furthered increased tensions with rivals, including tests of new cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines. Kim in recent months has been emphasizing his goals of building a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he portrays as growing external threats posed by the United States, South Korea and Japan, which have stepped up their military cooperation to cope with Kim's nuclear weapons and missile program. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency did not specify when Kim visited Nampho. It paraphrased Kim as saying that the strengthening of his naval force "presents itself as the most important issue in reliably defending the

Japan launches an intelligence satellite to watch for N Korean missiles

Japan launched a rocket carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite Friday on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and improve responses to natural disasters. The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the optical satellite as part of Tokyo's reconnaissance effort to rapidly buildup its military capability. The satellite can capture images even in severe weather. Japan began the intelligence-gathering satellite program after a North Korean missile flew over Japan in 1988 and it aims to set up a network of 10 satellites to spot and provide early warning for possible missile launches. Kishida's government, under its national security strategy adopted in 2022, is pushing to deploy long-range U.S.-made Tomahawk and other cruise missiles as early as next year to build up more strike capability, breaking from the country's exclusively self-defense-only postwa

Kim threatens use of nukes, praises troops for long-range missile launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country has a policy of not hesitating to launch a nuclear strike on a rival if provoked, as he praised troops involved in its recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, state media reported Thursday. Since adopting an escalatory nuclear doctrine last year, Kim has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons preemptively. But many foreign experts say North Korea has yet to obtain functioning nuclear missiles and is also unlikely to use its nukes first because it's outgunned by U.S. and its allied forces. North Korea Monday conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile tests in five months, calling it the drill a warning over confrontational U.S. and South Korean moves. North Korea cited a recent U.S.-South Korean meeting on boosting their nuclear deterrence plans. The North's Korean Central News Agency said Kim met troops at the General Missile Bureau on Wednesday to congratulate them on their work on the launch of the ...

North Korean art sells in China despite UN sanctions over nuclear programme

For sale at a recent Beijing art exposition was a painting with an asking price of $2,460 that depicted the snow-capped Mount Paektu, the mythical birthplace of the Korean people. A portrait of a prim young lady in bright brushstrokes was being sold for $5,190. For buyers on a budget, there were colourful landscapes being offered for less than $100. The dealer hawking the art made no effort to disguise who produced the pieces, despite stiff UN sanctions prohibiting the sale of such goods: They were painted over there," the dealer said, in North Korea. The dealer, who had salt-and-pepper hair and refused to divulge his name, was a representative of an art gallery that trumpets itself as China's premier seller of North Korean art. The gallery, The Paintings Say Arirang, also operates a studio for North Korean artists in the outskirts of Beijing. Housed in a fenced and heavily surveilled compound, the North Koreans paint glorified, idyllic visions of life back home. For the right pric

Kim urges greater nuclear weapons production in response to new Cold War

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an exponential increase in production of nuclear weapons and for his country to play a larger role in a coalition of nations confronting the United States in a new Cold War, state media said Thursday. The Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the comments during a two-day session of the country's rubber-stamp parliament which amended the constitution to include his policy of expanding the country's nuclear weapons programme. The Supreme People's Assembly's session on Tuesday and Wednesday came after Kim traveled to Russia's Far East this month to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and visit military and technology sites. The trip sparked Western concerns about a possible arms alliance in which North Korea would supply Putin with badly needed munitions to fuel his war on Ukraine in exchange for economic aid and advanced Russian technologies to enhance North Korea's nuclear and missile systems. As North Korea slowly ends its pande

Global distrust, improving nukes are 'recipe for annihilation': UN Chief

An alarming rise in global distrust and division coupled with efforts by countries to improve the accuracy and destructive power of nuclear weapons is "a recipe for annihilation," the United Nations chief warned Tuesday. In a statement marking the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that with nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons stockpiled around the world, "a legally binding prohibition on nuclear tests is a fundamental step in our quest for a world free of nuclear weapons." The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty has 196 member states 186 have signed it and 178 have ratified it, including eight in the last 18 months. But the pact has taken effect because it needs ratification by the eight nations that had nuclear power reactors or research reactors when the UN General Assembly adopted the treaty in 1996. At a high-level meeting of the 193-member assembly to observe the day there was no indication that those eight countries the United State

S Korea pushes for action against North's nuclear ambitions at Nato summit

South Korea's president says it's time to clearly demonstrate strong international resolve to deter North Korea's nuclear ambitions, and plans to discuss how to cope with the North's expanding weapons arsenal with NATO leaders this week. Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the annual NATO summit being held this year in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a two-nation trip that includes a stop in Poland. "Now is the time to clearly demonstrate that the international community's determination to deter North Korea's nuclear weapons program is stronger than North Korea's desire to develop nuclear weapons," he said. It's the second consecutive year that Yoon will take part in the summit, underscoring his push to deepen ties with the world's biggest military alliance. South Korea faces a mix of security challenges, including North Korea's nuclear program and the U.S.-China strategic rivalry. Last year, he became the first South Korean leader to attend a NATO summit when he took