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Nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)

Opinion | US-China tensions risk igniting nuclear arms race in East Asia

The US, China and Russia should work together to contain nuclear weapons proliferation and constrain regional deterrence efforts.

The US, China and Russia should work together to contain nuclear weapons proliferation and constrain regional deterrence efforts

19 Sep 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

‘Deeply troubling’: alarm North Korea may start selling fuel for nuclear bombs

18 Sep 2024 - 3:12PMvideocam

Opinion | Why China’s ‘no first use’ policy requires more nuclear weapons

18 Sep 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

Russian nuclear test chief says Moscow ready to resume testing ‘at any moment’

Russia has not done such tests in over 30 years, but Putin could do so to send a message to the West over long-range missiles for Ukraine.

18 Sep 2024 - 2:41AMvideocam

A model is seen at the museum of the Semipalatinsk Test Site in the town of Kurchatov in Kazakhstan, one of the main locations for nuclear testing in the Soviet Union, in November 2023. Photo: Reuters

Iran successfully launches satellite despite Western missile fears

State-run media reported the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard built the rocket launched on Saturday.

14 Sep 2024 - 5:12PM

North Korea gives rare view of banned uranium enrichment site

Leader Kim Jong-un stressed the need to boost the number of centrifuges so as to ‘exponentially increase’ nuclear weapons.

13 Sep 2024 - 4:34PMvideocam

US, UK formally accuse Iran of supplying missiles to Russia for war in Ukraine

The move to supply missiles to Russia is seen as a significant escalation to the war in Ukraine, with Iran denying any involvement.

10 Sep 2024 - 11:45PM

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken formally accused Iran of supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles for its war in Ukraine, vowing sanctions against those involved. Photo: Pool/AFP

North Korea vows to ‘exponentially’ increase nuclear weapons stockpile

Experts predict that by 2027, North Korea could amass enough nuclear material for 200 warheads, raising alarms about its military ambitions.

10 Sep 2024 - 12:11PMvideocam

Iranian missiles in Russia are a legitimate target: Ukrainian official

US has told allies it believes Iran has sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

10 Sep 2024 - 2:42AMvideocam

India’s new nuclear submarine can’t close gap with China’s naval power

The INS Arighaat and its predecessor, the INS Arihant, mark a leap forward for India but the Chinese navy remains far superior, analysts say.

4 Sep 2024 - 6:59AM

The INS Arighaat, India’s second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. Photo: Handout

My Take | Spiralling US costs require the inflating of China nuclear threat

American firms Bechtel, Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and other merchants of death are behind out-of-control nuclear spending.

28 Aug 2024 - 9:00PM

A ceremony to mark the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to frontline military units, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo: AP

‘It will destroy all of us’: Philippines in cross hairs of brewing nuclear clash

Analysts warn the Philippines faces becoming collateral damage in a potential nuclear showdown between the US and China-Russia-North Korea.

26 Aug 2024 - 10:11AMvideocam

Biden approved secret nuclear strategy focusing on ‘China threat’: New York Times

The highly classified plan for the first time reorients Washington’s deterrent strategy on China’s expansion of its atomic arsenal.

21 Aug 2024 - 11:21PM

Trump says biggest fear is ‘nuclear warming’, with China to pass US capability

In live interview on X by Elon Musk, Republican presidential nominee criticised Kamala Harris’ ability to deal with China’s ‘Chairman Xi’ if elected president.

13 Aug 2024 - 10:36PMvideocam

Former US president Donald Trump points during a campaign rally at Temple University in Philadelphia in June. Photo: The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Iran’s president reappoints UN-sanctioned, US-educated official as nuclear head

Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reappointed Mohammad Eslami, who was sanctioned by the UN in 2008.

10 Aug 2024 - 11:38PMvideocam

President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks after being sworn-in as the new president of Iran. Photo: EPA-EFE

My Take | Could new cold war fears push Japan and South Korea to join the nuclear club?

Nearly eight decades have passed since the US bombing of Hiroshima and momentum for nuclear disarmament appears to be waning.

6 Aug 2024 - 7:35PMvideocam

Japanese city’s VR tour shows devastating aftermath of atomic bomb

In Hiroshima, hit by a US atomic bomb on August 6, 1945 during World War II, a travel company is operating a unique virtual reality tour to offer visitors an immersive window into Japan’s past.

6 Aug 2024 - 4:15PM

North Korea’s Kim oversees delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to border

North Korea said it deployed hundreds of new mobile launchers for ballistic missiles that can deliver strikes on South Korea and US bases in the country.

5 Aug 2024 - 1:40PM

A view of a ceremonial event to mark the delivery of new tactical ballistic missiles to North Korean troops. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

New Iran president Pezeshkian sworn in, vows to remove Western nuclear sanctions

President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered his first major public speech since his election win earlier this month.

31 Jul 2024 - 10:09AM

China takes aim at US-Japan alliance under American nuclear umbrella

Beijing protests again over security meetings between the US and Japanese foreign and defence ministers on the weekend.

30 Jul 2024 - 7:24PMvideocam

Profile | Wei Shijie, noble China nuclear scientist devotes life to country, family

One of China’s most famous nuclear weapons scientists, now 83, who worked on top secret and dangerous projects for nearly 30 years before caring for his sick wife and children.

29 Jul 2024 - 6:07PM

Life has been anything but plain sailing for one of China’s most famous nuclear weapons scientists. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/QQ.com/china.cnr.cn

Putin warns US of Cold War-style missile crisis

Russian and US diplomats say their diplomatic relations are worse even that during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

28 Jul 2024 - 6:43PM

Putin warned that Russia would station similar missiles in striking distance of the West if Washington deployed long-range missiles in Germany. Photo: AFP

China’s third plenum shows it is ‘not in the mood’ to slow down on nuclear arms

Analysts expect speedy boost to ‘quality and quantity’ of China’s nuclear arsenal, as Russian stand shows power of ‘strategic deterrence’.

24 Jul 2024 - 6:10PMvideocam

Opinion | Northeast Asia, with its nuclear dreams and arms race, is a powder keg

Resurgence of military blocs, breakdown in cooperation and nuclear risk threaten global catastrophe, unless a new road map to peace is found.

23 Jul 2024 - 10:19AMvideocam

Iran can produce material for nuclear weapon in ‘1 or 2 weeks’, Blinken says

Though new leader Pezeshkian favours reviving a 2015 nuclear deal, Blinken says Tehran’s atomic activities are ‘actually moving forward’.

20 Jul 2024 - 3:20AM

A worker rides a bike in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran in October 2010. Photo: AP

North Korea threatens ‘unimaginably harsh’ price over US-South nuclear plans

North Korea says it will boost it nuclear capabilities to counter the US and South Korea’s alleged invasion plans.

14 Jul 2024 - 3:14PM

A picture released by North Korean state media shows a military training exercise at an undisclosed location. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

China keeps a watchful eye on Iran’s nuclear reset under its new president

Analysts expect Iran’s reformist president-elect to steer Tehran towards re-engagement with the West, in a boost for its Beijing ties.

13 Jul 2024 - 6:11PM

US to expand scrutiny of property deals near military sites as China concerns grow

The US Treasury Department will expand its scrutiny of foreign investments near military bases to counter suspected security threats from China and other countries.

9 Jul 2024 - 10:38AM

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Nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)

Nuclear weapons continue to be a topic of tension in the modern world, particularly with concerns from the US and its partners over Iran's nuclear development programme, which Iran says is for medical and industrial use only. Such armaments can be delivered by intercontinental ballistic missiles, which have with a range of over 5,500km (3,400 miles).

last updated:

9 September, 2024