[…] The Iranian regime’s refusal to provide a full disclosure of its nuclear development program to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will leave the international community no choice but to pursue further, deeper economic sanctions, U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies said March 3. The IAEA 35-nation board of governors is holding a weeklong meeting in Vienna, and the major topic has been Iran and its nuclear development program.

[…] I also want to tell everyone how honored I am to share the podium with Ambassador Kislyak of the Russia Federation. We get to spend a lot of time together. We do it for two reasons. One because we need to because we are working on so many critical issues. But more importantly, Ambassador Kislyak has the best chef in Washington. So it’s always wonderful to be invited to the Ambassador’s residence.

[…] Thank you and good afternoon. I’m going to speak to you a little bit about the Quadrennial Defense Review and then I’ll turn it over to Dr. DeBiaso to speak a little bit about the Ballistic Missile Defense Review, and then we’ll be open to your questions. As you may know, on Monday, the Secretary of Defense provided the reports of both of these important documents to Congress.

[…] The Romanian Supreme Defense Council’s agreement February 4 to host a Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) interceptor marks a “first step” in implementing the Obama administration’s revised missile defense plan to protect against short- and medium-range missiles that could be launched from Iran. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley said February 4 that Romania’s decision extends the area of missile defense coverage into southern Europe.

The United States and its allies are trying to keep talks with Iranian officials over its nuclear development program open and moving forward, but additional pressure and sanctions may be appropriate, says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “We remain committed to working with our international partners on addressing the serious concerns we have regarding Iran’s nuclear program,” Clinton said January 4.

[…] Iran must live up to its nuclear responsibilities or face new pressure from the international community, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters, adding that the December 31 deadline for its response to a proposed agreement that would allow it to receive enriched uranium for medical use is “very real.”

[…] Speaking at the State Department December 16, Bosworth said his December 8-9 talks in Pyongyang, the first senior-level encounter between the two countries since President Obama took office in January, were “quite positive” and forward-focused, and established areas where the two countries could find agreement. “In particular, they accepted the importance of the six-party process, and they accepted the critical role of the joint statement of principles of September 2005.

[…] U.S. officials have arrived in North Korea for the first time in more than a year to ascertain whether Pyongyang is willing to return to multilateral talks over its nuclear activities and to reaffirm its 2005 commitment to abandon nuclear weapons. Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea policy, arrived in Pyongyang December 8 and is expected to hold “high-level, authoritative interactions” with officials from Kim Jung Il’s government before returning to South Korea on December 10, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley told reporters December 8.

[…] The United States and Russia have agreed to maintain a critical nuclear arms control agreement past its expiration date until a new agreement is reached, saying that strategic stability is very important.

In April, when President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held their first face-to-face meeting in London, the two leaders pledged to work for a world free of nuclear arms, and said every effort would be made before the end of this year to reduce their nuclear arsenals with the long-term goal of reducing global nuclear tensions.

[…] Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT): Bans nuclear explosions in all environments for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1996 but cannot enter into force until ratified by 44 designated countries. Of these 44, India, Pakistan, and North Korea have not signed, and China, the United States, Israel, Egypt, Iran and Indonesia have not ratified it.

[…] Clinton said she is looking forward to Russia’s leadership in the Global Nuclear Security Summit next April, and that the global initiative to secure vulnerable nuclear materials is another important joint endeavor.
Lavrov agreed that the technical negotiating teams working on the successor agreement to START I have shown “considerable progress.”