BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union agreed in principle on Tuesday to sanction some 200 Iranian people, companies and organizations, adding to measures imposed by the United States,

UK orders banks to halt Iran business, U.S. move

2011-11-21T13:00:25Z

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Britain ordered its financial institutions on Monday to halt all business with Iranian counterparts, including the central bank, and the United States is also expected to tighten sanctions over

UK orders banks to halt Iran business, U.S. move expected

2011-11-21T10:00:27Z

Iran defiant after U.N. nuclear resolution

2011-11-19T07:00:33Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian media on Saturday described a resolution from the U.N. nuclear watchdog expressing "deep and increasing concern" about the country's atomic program as a victory, celebrating the fact it does not call for new U.N. sanctions.

But Washington has already...

U.S., Russia, China united on Iran: White House

2011-11-18T22:00:09Z

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) - The White House said on Saturday that Iran is facing an unprecedented degree of isolation, with major world powers united in their opposition ...

U.N. nuclear watchdog board rebukes defiant Iran

2011-11-18T18:30:25Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog board censured Iran on Friday over mounting suspicions it is trying to develop nuclear weapons, but Tehran said the move would only strengthen its determination to press on with sensiti...

Exclusive: U.S. to sanction Iran petrochemical industry

2011-11-18T18:00:17Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States plans to sanction Iran's petrochemical industry, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, seeking to raise pressure on Tehran after fresh allegations it may be pursuing nuclear weapon...

Top US lawmakers press Obama on Iran sanctions

2011-11-18T14:30:52Z

Top US lawmakers pressed President Barack Obama in a letter released Friday to pile pressure on Iran to halt its suspect nuclear program by imposing stiff sanctions on its central bank.

"Sanctioning the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) would impose powerful finan...

Top US senator unveils Iran central bank sanctions

2011-11-17T19:30:52Z

Looking to heap economic pressure on Iran over its suspect nuclear program, US senators on Thursday introduced legislation aimed at collapsing the country's central bank with tough new sanctions.

"This, in my judgment, is one of the few remaining actions short of an embargo of Iranian shipping and military intervention to slow or end the Iranian nuclear program," said Republican ...

Strike on Iran could hurt world economy, US says

2011-11-17T18:00:08Z

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he would raise American concerns about the unintended consequences of any military action against Iran during talks with his Israeli counterpart on Fr...

Powers make "progress" on IAEA Iran resolution

2011-11-16T03:30:39Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - World powers are making progress in narrowing their differences on how to respond to a U.N. watchdog report that aired intelligence suggesting Iran has worked on designing a nuclear weapon, Western diplomats said on Wednesday.

They said officials from the six bi...

Analysis: Israelis doubt world will stop Iran's nuclear quest

2011-11-15T08:30:16Z

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The latest report by U.N. inspectors has hardened suspicions that Iran is seeking nuclear arms capability, but Israeli experts have little confidence that international action will deny the Islamic Republic the means t...

Republicans assail Obama on Iran, jab Pakistan

2011-11-13T09:30:21Z

Republican White House hopefuls have slammed President Barack Obama's handling of Iran and vowed a tougher line -- even going to war -- to stop Tehran obtaining nuclear weapons.

"If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon," former Massachusetts governor...

Pentagon weighs cuts to nuclear arsenal

2011-11-11T14:30:42Z

Under pressure to trim the massive US defense budget, the Pentagon is considering cuts to the country's formidable nuclear arsenal, a costly pillar of American military power.

But there is disagreement over how many atomic bombs the United States requires in the post-Cold War era and debate o...

U.S. defense chief warns on Iran strike consequences

2011-11-11T05:32:21Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Military action against Iran could have "unintended consequences" in the region, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday, hours after Tehran warned that an attack against its nuclear sites would be ...

North Korea says new reactor to start soon

2011-11-10T18:30:47Z

North Korea will soon start operating a new home-built nuclear reactor, its official news agency said Thursday in a commentary one year after Pyongyang publicly disclosed the plant.

"The day is near at hand when a light-water reactor entirely based on domestic resources and technology will come into operation in the DPRK (North Korea)," the agency said.

It made the remark i...

Defense chief warns on Iran strike consequences

2011-11-10T16:00:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Military action against Iran could have "unintended consequences" in the region, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday, hours after Tehran warned that an attack against its nuclear sites would be met b...

EU mulls new sanctions against defiant Iran

2011-11-10T10:30:31Z

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union may approve fresh sanctions against Iran within weeks, after a U.N. agency said ...

Iran's Khamenei warns U.S., Israel on atom site attacks

2011-11-10T05:30:31Z

Tehran (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States and Israel on Thursday ...

Khamenei warns U.S., Israel against attack on atom sites

2011-11-10T03:00:09Z

TEHRAN, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader warned the United States and Israel on Thursday not to launch any military action against its nuclear sites, saying it would be met with "i...

Soviet scientist denies helping Iran develop atomic bomb

2011-11-10T00:31:46Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Soviet scientist has denied being the brains behind Iran's nuclear program, despite U.S. media reports that he helped put Tehran on the threshold of making an atomic bomb, a Russian newspaper said on Thursday.

The United States said Wednesday it is looking at ways to put "additional pressure" on Tehran after the United Nations released a report hardening suspicions that Iran is seeking atomic weapons.

"These are very serious allegations, serious charges, and it's incumbent on Iran to at la...

Iran says it is still open to nuclear talks

2011-11-09T07:00:37Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran remains ready to engage in negotiations with world powers concerned about its nuclear program, but only if the other parties show it due respect, its Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

"We have always announced that we are ready for positive and useful negotiations but, as w...

China warns of turmoil over Iran, mute on sanctions

2011-11-09T01:00:05Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China warned on Wednesday against turmoil in the Middle East from action over Iran's nuclear program, but declined to comment on the possibility of new sanctions following a

UN nuclear agency puts Iran on the spot

2011-11-08T20:30:20Z

Iran was under fresh scrutiny Wednesday after the UN atomic watchdog released reams of what it called "credible" intelligence suggesting Tehran had worked on developing nuclear weapons.

With Washington threatening to increase international pressure on Iran and Israel's pr...

U.S. mulls Iran sanctions but not on oil, central bank

2011-11-08T18:00:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States may impose more sanctions on Iran, possibly on commercial banks or front companies, but is unlikely to go after its oil and gas sector or central bank for now, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

The official spoke after the Reuters) - A U.N. nuclear watchdog report due this week is expected to show recent activity in Iran that could help in developing nuclear bombs, including intelligence about computer modeling of such weapons, Western diplomats said on Tuesday.

"There are bits ...

IAEA to say Iran nearing nuclear capability: report

2011-11-07T03:01:54Z

(Reuters) - Intelligence provided to the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency shows that Iran has mastered the critical steps needed to build a nuclear weapon, The Washington Post reported on Sunday...

Iran says U.S. plot suspect is anti-Tehran militant

2011-11-05T15:30:17Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has complained to the United Nations about a U.S. accusation it tried to assassinate a Saudi diplomat, saying one of the alleged plotters Washington calls an TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran marked the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy on Friday with burning flags and chants of "Death to America," escalating its anti-U.S. rhetoric ahead of the release of a pivotal U.N. report on its nuclea...

China urges Iran be flexible on nuclear program

2011-11-04T04:02:07Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged Iran on Friday to show flexibility over its controversial nuclear program and warned that the use of force to resolve the issue was the last thing the Middle East needed at ...

Analysis: "Wounded bear" Iran specter haunts West's planners

2011-11-03T10:31:28Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A military raid on Iran's nuclear facilities would wreak such profound damage on global prosperity and security that other means -- principally a mix of sanctions and sabotage -- must remain the levers of pressure on Tehran.

So says conventional wisdom among opinion-makers in <...

U.S. says IAEA report on Iran next week critical

2011-11-03T10:30:37Z

CANNES, France, NOV 3 -

CANNES, France (Reuters) - A report due next week from the IAEA nuclear watchdog will be an important opportunity for the world to assess whether Iran is meeting international obligations in its nuclear program, the

Analysis: Russia, China may blunt Western pressure on Iran

2011-11-02T06:30:37Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Russian and Chinese reluctance may complicate any Western campaign to parlay a U.N. watchdog report this month into political momentum for tougher sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, diplomats and analysts say.

The report by the

US dismantles last big Cold War nuclear bomb

2011-10-25T19:30:51Z

Technicians in Texas closed a chapter on the Cold War on Tuesday, dismantling the oldest, biggest and most powerful nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, officials said.

The last B-53 bomb -- built in 1962, the year of the Cuban missile crisis -- was dismantled at the Pantex facility in Amarillo, the only place in the

U.S. upbeat after North Korea talks, but no breakthrough

2011-10-25T14:30:25Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States ended two days of meetings with North Korea on Tuesday sounding upbeat about an eventual return to wider talks on ending Pyongyang's atomic programs but saying there was no im...

U.S. dismantles last of powerful bomb class

2011-10-25T13:30:13Z

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (REUTERS) -- The last of a powerful class of nuclear weapons introduced into the U.S. arsenal at the height of the Cold War in 1962 was being dismantled on Tuesday at a nuclear weapons storage facility outside Amarillo,...

U.S. upbeat after North Korea nuclear talks

2011-10-25T09:30:45Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States is optimistic about an eventual return to six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, the chief U.S. negotiator said on Tuesday after two days of meetings with North Korean negotiators.

Reuters) - A second day of scheduled talks between the United States and North Korea on nuclear issues has been delayed at the request of Pyongyang, but will take place later Tuesday, a U.S. ...

N.Korea's Kim calls for nuclear talks, doubts on uranium

2011-10-24T20:00:10Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il told Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang that a moribund 2005 deal should be the basis for fresh talks abo...

U.S. says N. Korea talks positive, issues remain

2011-10-24T14:30:35Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States and North Korea have narrowed differences in a second set of talks since wider negotiations on nuclear disarmament collapsed in 2009, but issues remain, the top U.S. negotiator said on Monday.

Reuters) - The United States is seeking European support for tougher sanctions on Iran in response to an alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington, a senior U.S. official said on Monday.

David...

US-NKorea talks seen heading off 'dangerous' Pyongyang moves

2011-10-23T19:30:21Z

The United States and North Korea will meet in Geneva on Monday for their second round of direct talks aimed at reviving long-stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations.

While analysts expect no breakthrough during the two-day meeting, they see engagement between the two parties as a positive step as we...

Optimism in check as U.S., North Korea set to talk

2011-10-22T22:30:04Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two days of U.S.-North Korea talks opening on Monday in Geneva are aimed more at managing tensions on the tense Korean peninsula than resuming regional talks on ending the North's nuclear programs.

U.S. officials and analysts w...

North Korea and U.S. to meet in Geneva next week: report

2011-10-17T00:30:09Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea and the United States will hold a second round of talks in Geneva next week to discuss ways to restart regional talks on disabling ...

"Strong" IAEA report may pile pressure on Iran

2011-10-14T10:00:17Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog is expected to raise international pressure on Iran with a report next month likely to heighten suspicions about the Islamic state's atomic ambitions, Western diplomats said on Friday.

But they said it was unclear whether t...

U.S. hopes IAEA report clearer on Iran nuclear fears

2011-10-13T13:00:09Z

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The United States hopes the U.N. atomic watchdog will be more detailed about its concerns Iran is covertly developing nuclear missiles in a report due out next month, a senior U.S. diplomat said ...

N.Korea could conduct third nuclear test: Seoul

2011-10-07T09:30:48Z

North Korea could conduct a third nuclear test or another missile launch before next year's US and South Korean presidential elections if disarmament talks fail, a senior Seoul official warned on Friday.

The communist North abandoned six-party nuclear talks in April 2009 and staged its second nuclear test a month later. It now calls for an unconditional resumption of the negotiations, am...

Texas nuclear physics student on trial in Iran

2011-10-04T08:30:20Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian studying nuclear physics in the United States went on trial in Tehran Tuesday for having contact with "hostile countries," his lawyer said.

Amir Kokabi, 28, a United States and North Korea are likely to hold a second round of talks this month to try to revive international nuclear disarmament negotiations, a South Korean report said Sunday.

The meeting may come after a summit between US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart

Ex-envoy casts doubt on N. Korea nuke disarmament

2011-09-28T04:30:34Z

A former diplomat in Pyongyang cast doubt Wednesday on North Korea's willingness to denuclearise, saying its officials believe Libya's regime would have survived had it kept its nuclear weapons.

Diplomatic efforts are under way to revive six-nation talks on the North's nuclear disarmament. SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea and the United States are looking at holding a second round of dialogue early next month as part of renewed efforts to restart talks on disabling the North's nuclear weapons program, South Korean media r...

Two Koreas to hold nuclear talks Wednesday

2011-09-19T04:30:29Z

Top North and South Korean envoys will meet in Beijing on Wednesday for a second round of talks aimed at restarting stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament negotiations, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The ministry gave no further details Monday of the meeting between the South's chief nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-Lac and his North K...

US, EU slam NKorea at UN atomic agency

2011-09-14T17:30:41Z

The United States and the European Union sharply criticised North Korea on Wednesday as the board of the UN atomic agency was briefed on Pyongyang's nuclear activities.

The US President Barack Obama will host talks and lay on the official pageantry of a state dinner for South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on October 13, the White House has said.

The meeting will showcase the solidarity between Washington and Seoul

U.S. expert: North Korea may need more atomic tests

2011-09-09T11:30:07Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - North Korea has "good technical reasons" to carry out at least one more atomic test if it wants to develop a nuclear-armed missile, a prominent U.S. scientist who has often visited the reclusive Asian state said on Friday.

The North tested nuclear devices in 2006 and 2009, but still has not shown it has a working nuclea...

Man charged with theft from nuclear worker health plans

2011-09-08T19:00:16Z

DENVER (Reuters) - A grand jury has indicted a Colorado man for stealing more than $3.5 million from health care programs aimed at compensating injured nuclear industry workers in at least three western states, federal authorities said on Thursday.

Anthony Paul Breaux, 33, of Palisade, Colorado, was accused of money la...

Iran's nuclear advance may add to Western worries

2011-09-05T04:30:07Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran is making headway toward rolling out advanced uranium enrichment machines that could speed up its production of nuclear reactor fuel as well as weapons-grade material if, as the West fears, it ultimately tries to assemble atomic bombs.

But it remains unclear whether Tehran...

U.N. nuclear watchdog visits Iran sites: report

2011-08-23T08:00:21Z

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior United Nations official visited all of Iran's main atomic sites last week, an Iranian news agency reported, as the Islamic Republic looks to restart talks with world powers about its nuclear program.

Herman Nackaerts...

North Korea agrees to U.S. talks on recovering GI remains

2011-08-19T02:00:13Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday it had agreed to talks with the United States on repatriating remains of American service members killed in the 1950-53 Korean War amid a diplomatic push to ease tensions on the peninsula....

N. Korea vows to bolster nuclear deterrent

2011-08-17T09:30:34Z

North Korea vowed Wednesday to bolster its nuclear deterrent, describing an exercise by United States and South Korean troops as preparation for a "war of aggression" against the communist state.

The 10-day drill, which began on Tuesday, showed the US was not committed to dialogue over nuclear disarmament, a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement published by the ...

US must keep Pakistan ties: Panetta

2011-08-16T14:30:36Z

The United States has no choice but to keep up its alliance with Pakistan despite concerns over Islamabad's ties to Islamist militants, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday.

Panetta, speaking to an audience of military officers at the SEOUL (Reuters) - The rival Koreas traded blame on Thursday for a brief military exchange at a tense maritime border as the United States urged Pyongyang to get back to the main business of denuclearization talks.

U.S. talks to North Korea on repatriating remains

2011-08-09T17:30:54Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Tuesday it had reached out to North Korean officials about the possibility of repatriating remains of American service members killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The disclosure came amid an easing of tensions on the peninsula and just over a week after U.S. envoy

Iran not looking to make atomic bomb: Ahmadinejad repeats

2011-08-03T13:30:18Z

PARIS (Reuters) - Iran has no intention of making an atomic bomb and its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a television interview on Wednesday.

"When we say we don't want to build an atomic bomb it means we really do n...

South Korea Koreas Clash

2011-01-05T01:31:08Z

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, right, shakes hands with U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth before their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Jung Yeon-je, Pool)

Hawks Kings Basketball

2011-01-04T22:01:19Z

Sacramento Kings forward Carl Landry, center, goes to the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford, right, as Hawks center Zaza Pachulia, left, of Columbus Blue Jackets' R.J. Umberger (18) scores a goal against Phoenix Coyotes' Ilya Bryzgalov, of Russia, during the second period of an Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger, left, shoots over Iowa forward Andrew Brommer during the first half of an NCAA college basketb...

Archdiocese Bankruptcy

2011-01-04T16:30:52Z

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki answers questions at a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011, in St. Francis, Wis. Listecki said the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee is directing its attorneys to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying that pending sexual-abuse lawsuits have left it w...

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