GSN: IAEA Barred From Iranian Atomic Site, Scientist

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Daily News on Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Weapons, Terrorism and Related Issues Friday, February 3, 2012

TOP STORIES 2/3/2012 IAEA BARRED FROM IRANIAN ATOMIC SITE, SCIENTIST A high-level International Atomic Energy Agency delegation this week requested unsuccessfully to visit Iran's Parchin military site and interview a scientist thought to be overseeing nuclear bomb-related studies, further decreasing prospects for a deal to end tensions over the nation's atomic efforts, the Wall Street Journal on Friday quoted diplomatic officials as saying. DESTROYED IRANIAN SITE WORKED ON ICBMS: ISRAEL An Iranian installation wiped out in a blast late last year had been working on creating missiles capable of hitting the United States, Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Thursday. U.S. TACTICAL NUKES IN EUROPE NOT WORTH THE COST, WATCHDOG SAYS The increasing cost of maintaining an aging force of U.S. tactical nuclear bombs in Europe is not matched by the defense value the weapons provide, particularly in light of the United States' massive budget problems, a government watchdog said in a Wednesday letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. NUCLEAR WEAPONS 2/3/2012 SOUTH KOREA HOPEFUL NORTH CAN BE INDUCED TO RETURN TO NUKE TALKS South Korea's senior nuclear negotiator is hopeful that delivery of assistance can induce North Korea to return to long-dormant negotiations aimed at its permanent denuclearization, Bloomberg reported on Friday. RUSSIA DISCLOSES NUCLEAR SUBMARINE WAS ARMED DURING FIRE A senior Russian official acknowledged on Thursday that weapons were still loaded on a ballistic-missile submarine that caught fire while docked for maintenance in December, ITAR-Tass reported. Earlier reports said the vessel was unarmed at the time. DELIVERY SYSTEMS 2/3/2012 NATO SEES PRELIMINARY BALLISTIC MISSILE SHIELD CAPABILITY BY MAY NATO is expected to announce in May a preliminary capacity to protect Europe from feared ballistic missile attacks, Wired magazine reported on Thursday. BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS 2/3/2012 BIODEFENSE PANEL BEGINS 2012 WORK A senior U.S. Health and Human Services Department official on Thursday requested that the National Biodefense Science Board begin preparing an update to the U.S. program for developing the strongest possible stockpile of vaccines and other medical treatments for WMD materials, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported. INDIA TO OPEN HIGH-SECURITY DISEASE RESEARCH LAB India intends in a matter of months to begin operations at a high-security laboratory that would work with anthrax bacteria, the Ebola virus and other lethal disease agents that could be used in acts of biological terrorism, the Indian Express reported on Thursday. TERRORISM 2/3/2012 IRAN SEEN EASING RESTRICTIONS ON AL-QAEDA OPERATIVES Iran is suspected by some U.S. officials of relaxing restrictions on the movement al-Qaeda members who have been in custody in the country for years and might have delivered tangible support to the terrorist organization, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I think (there) is a war-fevered hysteria that is going on now. A lot of this stuff is really flimsy and is really questionable." Hillary Leverett, Former Clinton and Bush White House national security official, calling for caution in considering indications that Iran might be offering material support to al-Qaeda.

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