Nuclear Weapons Watch Thread

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caltrek
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Rehearsal for 'Armageddon' Underway as NATO and Russia Hold Nuclear Exercises
by Brett Wilkins
October 17, 2022

Introduction:
(Common Dreams) As NATO on Monday began its annual rehearsal for nuclear war in Europe and Russia prepared to conduct its own nuclear drill amid Cold War-like tensions inflamed by the invasion of Ukraine, peace advocates underscored the imperative for de-escalation in order to avert catastrophe.

"All nuclear exercises imply willingness to mass murder civilians, wipe out entire cities, and risk all-out nuclear war," the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) warned ahead of the NATO drill. "They also risk accidents and escalation, and will legitimize Russia's dangerous nuclear rhetoric."

NATO said the exercise—operation name Steadfast Noon—involves up to 60 warplanes from 14 members of the alliance, and is being carried out from Kleine Brogel air base in northeastern Belgium.

The U.S. military stockpiles dozens of B61-12 tactical nuclear warheads at Kleine Brogel, each up to 30 times as powerful as the atomic bomb that the United States dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945, killing over 100,000 people.
Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022 ... exercises
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Putin Says Russia May Add Nuclear First Strike to Strategy

9 December 2022 at 15:02 GMT

Vladimir Putin said Russia may consider formally adding the possibility of a preventive nuclear first strike to disarm an opponent to its military doctrine, just days after warning that the risk of atomic war is rising. “We’re thinking about this,” the Russian president told reporters after a summit in Kyrgyzstan. “If we are talking about a disarming strike, perhaps we should think about using the approaches of our American partners,” he said, citing what he called US strategies to use high-accuracy missiles for a preventive strike.

The comments were Putin’s second on the nuclear issue this week. On Wednesday, he said the risk of atomic warfare is rising and called Russia’s arsenal “a deterrent factor” in conflicts. Russia’s doctrine currently envisions using nuclear weapons as a last resort in the event of a threat to the state’s existence.

The US and its allies have denounced Putin for what they call nuclear saber-rattling over his invasion of Ukraine. Russia blames the West for raising the issue first, although Kremlin officials began the threats.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... o-strategy
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caltrek
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I hesitate to post this article as it seems to be stating the obvious. However, nowadays nothing seems to be taken as being obvious on the internet.


International Group of Scientists Warns Nuclear Radiation Has Devastating Impacts on Ecosystems
February 6, 2023

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened the use of “tactical” nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, but nuclear weapons of any kind would cause widespread devastation, according to a new position paper by a group of renowned scientists from around the world. They want to make policymakers and the public aware of the ecosystem impacts and long-lasting consequences of nuclear radiation.

The authors are members of the International Biodiversity Network, an organization of globally recognized experts in biodiversity, climate change, ecosystem health and ecosystem services, including A. Alonso Aguirre, dean of Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources.
Any release of nuclear radiation – including accidental leaks – would be detrimental to all life on Earth, the authors representing 10 countries conclude.

“Even a ‘tactical nuclear war’ could alter all life on planet Earth,” said Cristian Bonacic, lead author and a professor of ecosystems and the environment at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. “Food production and chain effects with migratory movements would be on a scale never before seen, ending the current Anthropocene era. As scientists, we want to call the attention of all decision-makers to the risks associated with radiation.”

Radiation doesn’t stay where it’s released and triggers cascading effects as it spreads through air and water. Contamination can last hundreds or even thousands of years and could alter how the biosphere functions.

High levels of radiation cause death and disease and could lead to extinction of local animals and plants that are already endangered. Some ecosystems might be pushed beyond their limits for mitigation or adaptation, the scientists warn.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/978862
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Putin just announced that Russia is suspending its participation in the New Start nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US.
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wjfox wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 12:35 pm Putin just announced that Russia is suspending its participation in the New Start nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US.
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Insane. Of course Putin is insane so this doesn't come as much of a shock.
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CIA director: Iran's nuclear program advancing at "worrisome pace"

February 26, 2023 / 10:10 AM / CBS News

Iran's nuclear enrichment program is more advanced than previously known and "if they chose to cross that line," Tehran would only need a "matter of weeks" to enrich uranium capable of powering a nuclear weapon, CIA director William Burns told CBS News in an exclusive interview with "Face the Nation" that aired Sunday.

"To the best of our knowledge, we don't believe that the Supreme Leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program that we judge that they suspended or stopped at the end of 2003," Burns told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan. "But the other two legs of the stool, meaning enrichment programs, they've obviously advanced very far."

Burns noted that Tehran has also been advancing its missile systems, and is now nearing the threshold of being a nuclear state, though it has not resumed weaponization.

U.S. intelligence analysts believed Iran paused working on nuclear weapons in 2003, but that they have continued to develop nuclear technology and expertise, including improved abilities to enrich uranium which can be used as nuclear fuel. Uranium enriched to 90% purity can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Iran possesses uranium at 84% purity.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was aware of the reports and would discuss with Iran the results of recent verification activities that the UN nuclear watchdog had performed.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-bu ... interview/
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wjfox wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:24 pm CIA director: Iran's nuclear program advancing at "worrisome pace"
I predict there'll be an explosion or two in Iran's nuclear facilities in the near term. :?
To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
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wjfox wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:24 pm CIA director: Iran's nuclear program advancing at "worrisome pace"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-bu ... interview/
Putin?
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UN nuclear watchdog: 2.5 tons of uranium missing in Libya
Source: AP

By JON GAMBRELL today

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Some 2.5 tons of natural uranium stored in a site in war-torn Libya have gone missing, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Thursday, raising safety and proliferation concerns.

Natural uranium can’t immediately be used for energy production or bomb fuel, as the enrichment process typically requires the metal to be converted into a gas, then later spun in centrifuges to reach the levels needed.

However, each ton of natural uranium — if obtained by a group with the technological means and resources — can be refined to 5.6 kilograms (12 pounds) of weapons-grade material over time, experts say. That makes finding the missing metal important for nonproliferation experts.

In a statement, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, informed member states Wednesday about the missing uranium.


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/libya-missin ... 3a262a5241
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