nuclear weapons

A U.S. website that monitors North Korea says satellite imagery shows a high level of activity at the isolated nation's nuclear test site.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the military's failure to maintain its focus on the nation's nuclear forces led them to be mismanaged and to "slowly back down the hill." He vowed to invest in and bolster the force, saying there is no problem on this issue the Pentagon can't fix.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In an escalation of tensions, the Obama administration accused Russia on Monday of conducting tests in violation of a 1987 nuclear missile treaty, calling the breach "a very serious matter" and going public with allegations that have simmered for some time.

Current and former U.S. officials say the Obama administration is edging toward decisions that would further shrink the U.S. nuclear arsenal, possibly to between 1,000 and 1,100 deployed warheads.

An influential panel is calling for an 80 percent reduction of U.S. nuclear weapons and an elimination of all nuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.

A prominent Iranian lawmaker says Iran has the knowledge and scientific capability to produce nuclear weapons but will never do so.

The U.N. nuclear agency says its experts have again failed to dent Iran's refusal to cooperate in probing allegations that Tehran covertly worked on an atomic arms program.

Iran says it is ready to resume talks with world powers over its disputed nuclear program.

The Associated Press has learned that the Obama administration is weighing sharp new cuts to the U.S. nuclear force, including a possible 80 percent reduction in the number of deployed weapons.