Tagged: Nuclear Proliferation

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Last weekend's meeting on Iran's controversial nuclear program didn't produce breakthroughs, but the envoys from six world powers and Iran suggested that the talks in Istanbul started a process that could lead to an eventual compromise. But one nation, Israel, was not happy with the results. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports from Jerusalem.

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, BYLINE: While much of the world is relieved that Iran is finally engaged in talks on his suspect nuclear program, Israel is sounding an alarm.

DANNY AYALON: We want to caution from falling into the trap of a good atmosphere.

Less than a week after North Korea's unsuccessful satellite launch, India has managed a "flawless" test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Agni-V was launched from Wheeler Island off India's east coast and hit its target area off the coast of Indonesia about 20 minutes later.

The 55-foot-tall Agni, Sanskrit for "Fire", is said to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and with a range of 3,100 miles and could hit targets inside China. India fought a bitter border war with Beijing in the early 1960s and still considers China — and of course neighbor Pakistan — military rivals.

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Scott Simon is away. I'm Linda Wertheimer. Talks on Iran's nuclear program are taking place today in Istanbul. Negotiators for six world powers are hoping that Iran is prepared to make concessions to back up its claim that it's only interested in nuclear energy and not nuclear weapons. Concern has been growing that Israel might launch a pre-emptive strike in an effort to derail Iran's uranium enrichment program, which is growing closer to weapons-grade levels. NPR's Peter Kenyon is at the site of the talks in Istanbul. Peter, good morning.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE: Morning, Linda.

North Korea's decision to launch a rocket early Friday drew swift and widespread condemnation by the international community. The White House suspended a shipment of 240,000 tons of food aid to North Korea, and the U.N. Security Council, which quickly met, called the launch deplorable and said it violated two council resolutions.

Though the rocket's failure shortly after launch may have revealed serious technical flaws, the fact that the launch took place at all underlined the international community's inability to prevent the country's authoritarian regime from carrying out such acts. And there are now concerns that North Korea could follow up the failed rocket launch with an underground nuclear test.

Iran's suspect nuclear program will again be in the spotlight this weekend when negotiators from Iran and six international powers meet in Istanbul.

Iran was reluctant to have Turkey host the meeting, reflecting Iran's growing unhappiness with Turkish foreign policy moves, especially its call for regime change in Syria, Iran's key ally in the Arab world.

Analyst and columnist Yavuz Baydar says Turkey has stuck its neck out for Iran in the past, defending what it calls Iran's peaceful nuclear energy program and even voting against U.N. sanctions on Iran two years ago.