Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairperson of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, declared on Sunday that Iran has enough uranium to make a nuclear weapon. Mullen's comment was in response to a question regarding a recent study by the Institute for Science and International Security, based in Washington. The think-tank assessed findings from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and their verdict was that Iran has reached "nuclear weapons breakout capability".
The toD verdict: Admiral Mullen's broadcast was more explicit than any statements previously released by US officials regarding Iranian nuclear capabilities. However, shortly after Mullen's interview, the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates refuted the idea that Iran was on the brink of becoming a nuclear power, saying such a development will take time. An unidentified IAEA official has also warned against extreme reactions to the recent report, agreeing that it will take time for Iran to secure nuclear weapons capabilities because the country's stock of low-enriched uranium will have to be enriched in a long and drawn-out process.
The history of Iran's nuclear programme extends back to the 1960s, but it really started to worry the US government in the 1990s when research into nuclear capabilities gained momentum. Iran's claim that it has adhered to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was contested by documents uncovered in 2002 which revealed a secret programme. Despite concessions by Mohammad Khatami's moderate government, such as allowing more inspections by the IAEA, his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once more stepped up work on the nuclear programme.
Under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is not technically prohibited from enriching uranium; indeed, this is needed for use in nuclear power plants. However Shannon Kile, a nuclear non-proliferation expert at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, has said that the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and others like it, are not the issue at hand: the international community continues to fear that Iran remains committted to developing a nuclear programme in secret.
Iranian officials maintain that their nuclear work is peaceful and meant for the sole aim of generating electrical power. The Bushehr power plant, which is to open in September, was tested for the first time last Wednesday. Monday sees the start of meetings between the IAEA and Iranian officials.
While it is unlikely that Iran will pull out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty due to the fear of international responses from such powers as the US and Israel, it remains to be seen how effective US President Barack Obama's intentions to open dialogue with Tehran will be in curbing the prospect of a nuclear weaponised Iran.
One thousand criminal charges after military mutiny
A two-day mutiny in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, resulted in around 70 deaths, with a similar number of people still missing. Over one thousand border guards have been charged with murder; the majority of those killed on Wednesday and Thursday were army officers but civilians were also harmed. The riot broke out due to grievances over soldiers' pay, and demands were also put forward regarding a change in structure of the command of the paramilitary force. On Friday, inspection of the headquarters of the mutinous troops revealed a mass grave of around 30 officers, thought to have been taken hostage before the insurgency was quelled. A 24-hour ultimatum has been given to troops involved in the uprising, with the offer of an amnesty for those who turn themselves in, with the exception of those directly responsible.
Obama sets up timetable for withdrawal from Iraq
US president Barack Obama set a date for the complete withdrawal of American troops from Iraq last Friday, saying that they will have left the country by 31 August 2010. He recognised, during his speech at Camp Lejeune, that the situation in Iraq was still not entirely stable but said that his government's concerns now lay primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This withdrawal date, longer than Obama's intended 16-month deadline, is still open to review by his administration if the need arises. Meanwhile, in Iraq itself two soldiers were killed and 12 others wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad on Thursday.
Pakistan top foreign policy concern for US
At least seven people died and three were injured on Sunday as a result of suspected US drone attacks in the South Waziristan tribal region of northwestern Pakistan. This form of attack, used extensively by the Bush administration, has clearly not been abandoned by the new US government despite critics' claims that it undermines Pakistani sovereignty. It has been affirmed by Robert Gates that the tribal regions of Pakistan, which border Afghanistan, are now the top foreign policy concern for the US in terms of the "war on terror". This drone attack comes in the midst of concessions by the government in Islamabad to rebels in the Swat valley that have allowed the introduction of elements of Sharia law in the region. The US has expressed its disapproval of these negotiations.
"Independence day" in Bosnia-Herzegovina overshadowed by ethnic divides
Celebrations of Independence day in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Sunday was marred by lingering ethnic divides between Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Serbs. The US-negotiated Dayton accords of 1995 are under threat as Bosnian-Serb officials are now demanding independence from the country - which is divided into a Muslim-Croat Federation and a Serb Republic - and considering withdrawing themselves from involvement in state institutions. The economic crisis is said to have distracted western European nations from their responsibilities in the area; in particular, the United Nations and European Union envoy to Bosnia, Miroslav Lajcak, shift to the Slovakian foreign ministry has left a power vacuum.
Ceasefire negotiations fail in Somalia
A report released last Thursday has revealed that 17,000 Somalians have fled their homes as a result of renewed violence between rebels and pro-government forces. Recent fighting killed around 50 civilians in the capital, Mogadishu, injuring scores more. Large parts of Somalia, particularly southern regions, are controlled by the Islamist al-Shabab group and, as in Pakistan, the Somali government's negotiations include the implementation of Sharia law in the legal system. However, so far ceasefire negotiations seem to be in vain and Hizbul Islam, a coalition of Islamist group, has rejected the truce offer extended to them by Somalia's new president on Sunday. The rebel groups say that fighting will only cease when African Union troops have left the country.
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