Nuclear Strategy

Securing loose nukes

The administration will renew its push for a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty banning production of highly enriched uranium and plutonium, officials said. Progress on the treaty stalled due to opposition from Pakistan.

Iran

Small Scale Conversion

Iran has resumed converting small amounts of 20 percent enriched uranium into reactor fuel, diplomats say. The conversion, which slows the growth of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, could lengthen the window for a negotiated solution.

Kerry on Iran

“The international community is ready to respond if Iran comes prepared to talk real substance and to address the concerns, which could not be more clear, about their nuclear program,” Secretary of State John Kerry said at a news conference.

North Korea

China voices concerns

While the status of a third North Korean nuclear test remains uncertain, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry made it clear that China is opposed to any nuclear test. At the same time, the Chinese newspaper Global Times calls for harsh sanctions against North Korea if it were to go through with testing.