When is a Nuclear Program Not a Nuclear Program? (UPDATE)
It should come as no surprise that, when dealing with a topic like nuclear weapons and Iran, there’s just a lot of wrong information out there. For example: take this Council on Foreign Relations overview of the Feb 18, 2010 IAEA report on Iran’s safeguards. These IAEA reports are pretty routine, and CFR is a […]
One Overlooked Aspect of the Secret Gates Memo
The New York Times on Sunday reported on a secret memo written by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in January warning that the US has no long-term strategy for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has warned in a secret three-page memorandum to top White House officials that the United States does […]
Bizarre fearmongering on Iran
[vodpod id=Groupvideo.2012574&w=425&h=350&fv=width%3D400%26height%3D360%26displayheight%3D300%26overstretch%3Dfit%26shownavigation%3Dtrue%26autostart%3Dfalse%26volume%3D80%26repeat%3Dlist%26backcolor%3D0xFFFFFF%26frontcolor%3D0x000000%26largecontrols%3Dfalse%26wmode%3Dwindow%26shuffle%3Dfalse%26file%3D%2Fnodefense3.flv] This video comes from a site called ShieldAmerica.org, which is a project of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (better known as Frank Gaffney’s partners in the dilapidated push for Iran divestment). The leaders of the project and other fringe activists are on a campaign to raise public concerns about the threat of […]
Should the US extend its nuclear umbrella to Israel?
In a much-publicized report this week, the Brookings Institution recommends that the United States extend to Israel a nuclear “shield” that would guarantee US nuclear retaliation in the event of a nuclear attack on its ally Israel. Most everyone I’ve talked to agrees that this argument makes little or no sense, which is surprising coming […]
Has Iran reached a nuclear breakout capacity?
Has Iran Achieved a Nuclear Weapons Breakout Capability? Not Yet, But Soon. From ISIS, David Albright, Jacqueline Shire, and Paul Brannan shine some much-needed light on what Iran’s low-enriched uranium (LEU) stockpile actually means for a supposed “breakout capability.” In essence, Iran’s stockpile of 630 kg of enriched uranium hexafluoride cited in numerous media accounts […]