Iran ready for IAEA visit 'as soon as possible': envoy

2011-12-22T16:30:27Z

Tehran's envoy to the UN atomic agency said Thursday he would meet the watchdog's chief nuclear inspector in Vienna in the first week of January to arrange a visit to Iran as soon as possible.

"As soon as the holidays are over we will sit down with Mr (Herman) Nackaerts and arr...

Siemens fixing cyber bugs in industrial control systems

2011-12-22T11:00:17Z

BOSTON (Reuters) - Siemens said it was working to fix flaws in some industrial controls products that researchers warned could make public utility systems, hospitals and other parts of the critical infrastructure vulnerable to attack by hackers.

The German conglomerate, whose industrial control systems are widely used around the world, said...

Israel's Barak boosts Obama amid U.S. threats on Iran

2011-12-22T04:30:08Z

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's defense minister extolled what he called Barack Obama's resolve and risk-taking on Thursday, remarks likely to help the president's re-election bid after US president Bill Clinton said in a television interview to be shown Wednesday that President Barack Obama should not rule out military action on Iran, but there might be other ways "to skin the cat."

Clinton also said a recent report by

Exclusive: N.Korea military, uncle to share power with Kim heir

2011-12-21T01:30:06Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with...

Iran invites UN nuclear inspectors: diplomats

2011-12-20T18:30:37Z

Iran has invited the UN atomic watchdog to visit the country, but it is unclear whether inspectors would have access to sites where covert nuclear weapons activity is suspected, Western diplomats said Tuesday.

"Our understanding from our conversations with the IAEA is that... Iran has made a sort of general invitation, but there is nothing specific in there," one diplomat to the

Diplomats agree to increase pressure on Iran

2011-12-20T13:30:09Z

ROME (Reuters) - Diplomats from the United States, the European Union and other allies agreed on Tuesday to step up pressure on Iran to force it to resume talks over its nuclear program, an Italian diplo...

Iran says invites U.N. nuclear agency to visit

2011-12-20T08:00:10Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has invited the U.N. nuclear watchdog to visit for talks, an Iranian envoy told Reuters on Tuesday, suggesting Tehran would be prepared to address concerns about its atomic ambitions.

Reuters) - Iran has invited the U.N. nuclear watchdog to visit for talks, a senior Western diplomat said on Tuesday, but it was not clear whether the IAEA would accept without a commitment from Tehran to address suspicions...

IAEA wants to redeploy nuclear inspectors in North Korea: report

2011-12-20T01:00:08Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - The International Atomic Energy Agency must redeploy its inspectors in North Korea to help with the denuclearization of the SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, revered at home by a propaganda machine that turned him into a demi-god and vilified in the West as a temperamental tyrant with a nuclear arsenal, has died, North Korean state television reported Monday.

Kim, who was 69 years old, died early Satur...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dead

2011-12-18T21:00:54Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack while on a train trip, state media reported Monday, sparking immediate concern over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear program.

A tearful television announcer dressed in black said the 69-year old had di...

Rivals pounce on Gingrich at last Iowa debate

2011-12-15T23:00:08Z

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidates pounced on front-runner Newt Gingrich on Thursday to try to blunt his surge at the last debate before Iowa launches the 2012 U.S. election season.

Gingric...

Iran ready to start nuclear work in bunker: sources

2011-12-14T10:30:05Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran could soon begin sensitive atomic activities in an underground facility deep inside a mountain, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday, a move that would up the ante in a stand-off with big powers demanding Tehran curb such work.

Iranian experts have carried out the necessar...

Iran may soon start nuclear work in bunker: sources

2011-12-14T07:00:43Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran could soon launch sensitive atomic activities in an underground facility deep inside a mountain, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday, a development likely to add to tension between Tehran and the West.

Iranian experts have carried out the necessary preparations at Fordow ...

Swiss charge three in nuclear weapons case

2011-12-13T10:30:39Z

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland has charged a father and two sons with involvement in the smuggling ring of Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's atom bomb who sold nuclear secrets to US President Barack Obama on Thursday defended his policy on Iran amid fierce Republican criticism of his effort to halt the Islamic republic's nuclear drive, saying Tehran is under the "toughest sanctions" ever.

"I think it's very important to remember, particularly given some of the political noise out there, that this administration has syst...

'Extremists' within reach of Pakistan nukes: Gingrich

2011-12-08T07:30:39Z

Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich said that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal was at risk of being seized by "extremists" who had probably infiltrated Islamabad's military.

"My guess is that they have well over 100 nuclear weapons and that the Pak...

US Republicans urge covert ops against Iran, Syria

2011-12-08T07:30:35Z

Republican US presidential candidates have redoubled their public calls for "covert" operations against Iran and Syria, including sabotage, assassination and aid to opposition forces.

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who has led the calls for secret war, told a gathering of party activists on Wednesday he would use "covert capab...

Australia expands sanctions on Iran

2011-12-05T19:30:39Z

Australia expanded sanctions against Iran to restrict business with the country's petroleum and financial sectors as concern mounts over Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons programme.

Britain, Canada and the

U.S. official says Iran becoming a pariah state

2011-12-05T16:00:13Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official on Monday said the situation over Iran's nuclear program was becoming increasingly worrying and an urgent diplomatic solution needs to be found.

The United States and Reuters) - Argentina is quietly reaching out to Iran, worrying key Western powers and Israel as they try to tighten Tehran's international isolation over its nuclear program, TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's military said on Sunday it had shot down a U.S. reconnaissance drone aircraft in eastern Iran, a military source told state television.

"Iran...

Australia's ruling party votes to lift India uranium ban

2011-12-03T20:30:27Z

Australia's ruling Labor party voted in favour of lifting its long-standing ban on exporting uranium to India following a passionate debate on nuclear proliferation and environmental fears.

The change, proposed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, was on Sunday agreed by delegates at Labor's national policy summit 206 votes t...

Israel's Barak plays down "shadow war" against Iran

2011-12-03T12:30:20Z

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Defense Minister Ehud Barak played down speculation on Saturday that Israel and U.S.-led allies were waging clandestine war on Iran, saying sanctions and the threat o...

Israel must 'mend fences' to end isolation: US

2011-12-02T18:30:27Z

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged Israel to try and end its increasing regional "isolation" by repairing diplomatic ties with Egypt and Turkey and renewing peace efforts with the Palestinians.

"Unfortunately, over the past year, we've seen Israel's isolation from its traditional security part...

U.N. sanctions on Iran have been "exhausted": Russia

2011-12-02T11:00:30Z

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Moscow believes there is no room for further U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, Russia's ...

No Iran strike 'for the moment': Israel defence minister

2011-12-01T18:30:37Z

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday ruled out a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities "for the moment," in remarks to public radio, but said that the Jewish state would keep all options open.

"We have no intention of acting for the moment... We should not engage in war when it is not necessary, but there may come a time or another when we are forced to face tests," Barak said....

Ukraine Uranium

2010-12-30T22:01:12Z

This undated handout photo provided by the National Nuclear Safety Administration shows a container loaded onto a plane, in Sevastopol, Ukraine. In a secret operation to secure nuclear material, the United States has helped Ukraine send to Russia enough uranium to build two atomic bombs. This week's...

South Korea Koreas Clash

2010-12-29T01:00:13Z

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak delivers a speech during a briefing about next year's foreign policy plans at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010. South Korea's president is calling for urgency in dismantling North Korea's atomic weapons program, ...

US Russia Nuclear

2010-12-23T01:00:15Z

Vice President Joe Biden, center, enters before the vote about the New START Treaty, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010.,(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Switzerland Iran Nuclear Talks

2010-12-06T12:31:24Z

A member of the Iranian opposition demonstrates against the Iranian nuclear program in front the United Nations in Geneva, Monday, Dec. 6, 2010. The delegations of Iran, the European Union, the United States, <...

Nuclear Weapons Information