... at this particular moment. Iran has been one of Washington's key and consistent adversaries for over forty years. Iran's relations with Israel, a key US ally in the region, are even more acrimonious. The two allies assume that Iran has been pursuing nuclear weapons for many years. The successful example of North Korea, which has become a de facto nuclear power, is an important example for Iran. On the other hand, there are numerous negative examples of non-nuclear countries being attacked, and their ...
... February 2023, and on-site inspections stopped back in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without inspections or data exchanges, the treaty was effectively reduced to good-faith commitments not to exceed the agreed numerical limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons, at least for the duration of the treaty.
However, the end of the central Russia–U.S. strategic arms reduction agreement with no successor in the works is indeed an extraordinary development for the relations between Moscow and Washington,...
... of the North Korean leader can be considered a peculiar symbol here. Kidnapping or assassinating the leader of the DPRK would prove to be a difficult task for any adversary.
Given emerging experience (including Greenland), the rationale for acquiring nuclear weapons is emerging for both US adversaries and allies. Among these adversaries, Iran is the most obvious candidate. US and Israeli special operations may have set back the nuclear programme. The country's political system is under pressure from ...
...
Burevestnik
nuclear-powered cruise missile and the
Poseidon
nuclear-powered torpedo, as well as the planned deployment of the new
Sarmat
ICBM. Meanwhile, the U.S. was given an ambiguous
directive
from Donald Trump on October 30 “to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.” Yet despite the scale of both the exercises and the announcements, these developments amount to little more than routine measures aimed at maintaining nuclear deterrence.
Since Ukraine launched its first major counteroffensives ...
... missile can travel long distances, remain airborne for extended periods, and is capable of active maneuvering. It does not fly particularly fast, but it also does not leave detectable radioactive signatures.
The idea of creating a delivery system for nuclear weapons powered by a nuclear propulsion unit is not new. Similar projects were pursued during the previous Cold War. However, testing and the routine operations of such systems were judged to be excessively complex, costly, and simply too dangerous ...
... instances of intense tension and several serious crises, the system maintained an underlying stability that prevented direct great-power conflict.
Zhao Huasheng, Andrey Kortunov:
The World in 2035: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The emergence of nuclear weapons was a significant milestone in post-World War II. It changed the perception of war and had a revolutionary impact on international security. With their immense destructive power, nuclear weapons put human existence in danger. Nuclear war ...
... observed in southern regions as well. Although some US sources have
suggested
that the DF-17 could potentially carry a nuclear warhead, there is no reliable evidence to confirm this.
In addition, China is also notably expanding its arsenal of land-based nuclear weapons. In 2021, a group of US analysts led by M. Korda, studying commercial satellite images, discovered two positional areas of silo-based ballistic missiles in Gansu Province and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. A third positional silo ...
... material base that could be used in its nuclear programme. Precise information here is also lacking. However, Iran is a large country, and with the political will, its intellectual, scientific, and industrial resources could be sufficient to acquire nuclear weapons in the future.
In pursuing this course, Tehran may well look to the experience of the DPRK. Pyongyang found itself under the harshest UN Security Council sanctions, compounded by unilateral measures introduced by the US and other Western ...
... was an essential part of the previous world order, which is now transforming under the pressure of profound economic, political and technological change.
The system, comprising dozens of international treaties and agreements, neither rid the world of nuclear weapons nor removed the nuclear threat (as an instrument of deterrence) from international relations. Nonetheless, it significantly reduced the likelihood of nuclear use, imparted a measure of stability and predictability to strategic relations ...
... intermediate- and shorter-range missiles that have already entered or will soon enter the arsenals of South Korea and Japan. Berlin intends to acquire U.S. Typhon launchers as a stopgap measure until ELSA is ready.
What will happen in Russia
Ivan Timofeev:
Can Nuclear Weapons Help Avert a Russia-NATO War?
By the end of 2025, new rocket regiments and/or brigades with appropriate weapons are likely to be formed and then deployed (probably in limited numbers) with an eye to deterring threats from both the West ...
