Bad news today, France agreed to a nuclear deal with Pakistan. France is claiming that the deal will be limited to nuclear safety. They are also claiming that this is the beginning of a civil nuclear partnership, and more could come when French President Sarkozy visits Pakistan at the end of the year. Pakistan is home to Abdul Qadeer Khan, who after building Pakistan’s bomb sold secrets and nuclear bomb making technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya. Read more »

June 10-12 over 500 delegates from about 80 countries gathered at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna for the International Scientific Studies Conference (ISS09). The participants were mainly scientists, many of them world-leaders in their fields, and their purpose was to examine the technologies relevant to the verification regime of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Read more »
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Nuclear weapons proliferation and nuclear terrorism pose a grave threat to the United States and the world. At the Moscow Summit today Russian President Medvedev and President Barack Obama committed to a follow-on agreement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty I (START) to be concluded by December, 2009. This new treaty will reduce U.S and Russian nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles, and will require verification of these reductions. Read more »

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) finally agreed on a new director general, Japanese Ambassador Yukiya Amano. The IAEA is a crucial body in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) regime that ensures that non nuclear weapon states do not use nuclear energy technology for weapons. Read more »

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) finally agreed on a new director general, Japanese Ambassador Yukiya Amano. The IAEA is a crucial body in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) regime that ensures that non nuclear weapon states do not use nuclear energy technology for weapons. Read more »

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) will guest post a few of PSR's Iran entries. The first one is called "Rafsanjani Has Not Caved." Read more »

A leading chemical weapon nonproliferation expert told a Washington crowd how lessons learned on the road to zero by the Chemical Weapon Convention regime could be applied to the nuclear nonproliferation regime. The Washington based Wilson Center hosted Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter June 16, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Read more »

We need to increase the warning time of our nuclear weapons to give the President more decision making time. About one thousands U.S. nuclear weapons are on day-to-day alert, ready to launch in minutes notice. U.S. nuclear strategy still revolves around a Russian threat, but Russia hates the idea of de-alerting our nuclear weapons. Read more »

The most important thing to note at this time is a growing rift between power players in Iran and that violence towards protestors is intensifying. Read more »

Fires, tear gas and blood are flowing in Tehran today (June 20), but the crowds are thinner than expected. The Green Movement (made of reformist supporters in Iran) is being seriously beaten by police. At least 100 people have been seriously injured. European and Australian Embassies have opened up for the injured in Tehran. Read more »

At 12:05 Mecca time Iran’s Supreme Leader spoke to the people. He was with supporters of Ahmadinejad. I will put up an analysis with a shorter summary soon. Here is most of the text translated into English this morning live from my notes, of course it is not perfect, since it went from Farsi/Persian to English: Read more »

Students were stabbed to death Sunday in their dormitory at Tehran University by Basij (an arm of the Revolutionary Guards). The Iranian government is silent on the issue, but it is starting to hit the news. Academics are resigning because of the killings, and Speaker of Parliament, Ali Larijani is calling for an inquiry from the Interior Ministry into the killings. Read more »

On June 18 at 2:50pm an anonymous and reliable twitter from inside Iran gave us a quick translation of Mousavi’s speech to the people: I have come due to concerns of current political and social conditions - to defend the rights of the nation. I have come to improve Iran’s international relations. I have come to tell the world and get back Iran’s pride, our dignity and our future. Read more »
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I know that a few people doubted the possibility I offered on the French position last week in a post. We will soon find out for sure what that position is. The French are sending a high level diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner, to address the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva June 23. Minister Kouchner will speak about the French position on disarmament. Read more »

Horrible News from Iran Iran’s reformist supporters of Presidential Candidate Mousavi took to the streets and were pushed back by Iranian police June 13 (picture at TMP). Seven people were killed. This is getting really sad and extremely frustrating. Read more »

Looks like incumbent President Ahmadinejad is going to be called the winner of Iran’s Presidential race. Ahmadinejad must win over 50% of the votes to declare victory in this first round. If not, he will have to run a second time against reformist candidate Mousavi. Mousavi will have a greater chance to win if there is a second round. Read more »

A bill passed the House of Representatives last night that would add 25 nonproliferation jobs to the State Department, along with a whole host of measures to strengthen U.S. arms control and nonproliferation policy. Read more »

In a former post I mentioned that France at the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) meeting in NYC this past May was “an interesting player” and had not supported the final document of the meeting. I was not implying that France is pushing back a nuclear weapon free world movement. Read more »

Indonesian Foreign Minister Wirajuda said June 8 in Washington at the Carnegie Endowment that Indonesia supported the indefinite extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1995, but “naturally we were dismayed” when nuclear weapon states did not ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Read more »

Jonathan Medalia at the Congressional Research Service just put out a report on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Here is one key point he makes about Congress’ upcoming floor debate/bargain: Read more »