U.N. Nuclear Chief Announces New Talks With Iran

The top United Nations nuclear official announced new talks with Iran on Monday aimed at gaining access to restricted sites, and he expressed concern about satellite images taken last month that showed the Iranians had demolished buildings at one site that inspectors have been especially pressing to visit.

IAEA says Foreign Expertise has Brought Iran to Threshold of Nuclear Capability

Intelligence provided to U.N. nuclear officials shows that Iran’s government has mastered the critical steps needed to build a nuclear weapon, receiving assistance from foreign scientists to overcome key technical hurdles, according to Western diplomats and nuclear experts briefed on the findings.

Missing Libya Missiles: UN Calls On Libya, Neighbors to Find Weapons

A resolution calling on Libya and its neighbors to secure unguarded Libyan weapons stockpiles and prevent terrorists from acquiring them was unanimously adopted Monday by the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council.

Russia Proposes UN-Led Missile, Space Defense, Kommersant Says

Russia may propose a global system to guard against missile attacks and threats from space under the control of the United Nations,Kommersant reported, citing unnamed diplomats.

North Korea predicts new nuclear arms race

North Korea’s U.N. ambassador says U.S. modernization of its nuclear weapons and missile defense systems will eventually spark a new nuclear arms race.

US to weigh NKorea’s seriousness at talks

U.S. officials will be looking for clear signs that North Korea is serious about giving up its nuclear weapon programs in exchange for improved relations with Washington during two days of talks beginning Thursday.

Russia, NATO differ on missile defense, Libya at Sochi talks

Russia and NATO admitted Monday that they remain at odds on missile defense and Libya, the two dominant issues at their bilateral talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Sharp Emphasizes Need for U.S.-South Korea Alliance

Army Gen. Walter “Skip” Sharp, Commander UNC/CFC/USFK

While the U.S.-South Korean troop alliance works to secure and stabilize Northeast Asia, it still faces threats from North Korea, the U.S. Forces Korea commander said today.

The United States maintains forces on the Korean peninsula to deter North Korean provocations and aggressions, and if deterrence fails, to fight and win, Army Gen. Walter “Skip” Sharp told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

As evidence of North Korea’s recent brutality, Sharp pointed to the North’s unprovoked attacks that sank the South Korean ship Cheonon and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. The 2010 attacks killed 50 South Koreans.

World Powers Press Iran to Cooperate with IAEA

World powers urged Iran to cooperate with the UN atomic watchdog Wednesday, otherwise it could soon face further censure for blocking the investigation into its controversial nuclear drive.

“We call on Iran to cooperate fully with the (International Atomic Energy) Agency,” the so-caled P5+1 grouping said in their first joint statement to the IAEA’s board of governors in two years.

US, S. Korea Discuss N. Korea Nuclear Program

South Korea’s top nuclear negotiator met Thursday with US special envoy for North Korea Stephen Bosworth to discuss Pyongyang’s uranium enrichment program, officials said.

Envoy Wi Sung-Lac’s visit came a day after the North’s main ally China blocked publication of a UN report criticising the program, which was disclosed last November and could offer a new route to nuclear weapons.