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4 days ago | 
flipboard.com | Rakesh Sood
Iran is learning the hard way that being a nuclear threshold state isn’t safe anymoreIran’s nuclear journey has been long and tortuous. It began under the Shah’s regime in the 1950s to become a symbol of scientific progress and a …
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4 days ago | 
theprint.in | Rakesh Sood
Iran’s nuclear journey has been long and tortuous. It began under the Shah’s regime in the 1950s with a civil nuclear cooperation agreement signed with the US, and the first research reactor went critical in 1967. Since then, the nuclear programme has been seen as a symbol of scientific progress and a source of nationalist pride.
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5 days ago | 
timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Rakesh Sood
When Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran on June 13, Netanyahu knew he was taking a calculated gamble. But the stakes were high. If he succeeded in taking out the nuclear and missile threats that he called “existential”, his political future would be secure but to achieve that, he had to bring US into the war. Only US had the bunker buster bombs (GBU-57) and the B-2 heavy bombers, necessary to take out Fordow, the underground enrichment facility near Qom.
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6 days ago | 
timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Rakesh Sood
With the losses it has incurred, both material and human, Iran will have to review its strategy but it will need breathing room for it, only possible by concluding a deal with Trump
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1 month ago | 
almendron.com | Rakesh Sood
Operation Sindoor is on ‘pause’ and though the ceasefire began somewhat shakily on Saturday evening (May 10, 2025), it seems to be holding. On May 12, 2025, the two Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) — India and Pakistan — had a follow-up conversation and discussed further de-escalatory measures to reduce troop presence in the forward areas that had seen a buildup in recent weeks.
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1 month ago | 
thehindu.com | Rakesh Sood
Operation Sindoor is on ‘pause’ and though the ceasefire began somewhat shakily on Saturday evening (May 10), it seems to be holding. On May 12, the two Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) — India and Pakistan — had a follow-up conversation and discussed further de-escalatory measures to reduce troop presence in the forward areas that had seen a buildup in recent weeks.
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Mar 7, 2025 | 
theprint.in | Rakesh Sood
Political leaders make use of media, including social media, for signalling to different audiences, both at home and abroad. But there is a good reason why diplomatic discussions and negotiations are conducted in camera. It permits the parties concerned to protect the image of the leaders, allow diplomatic summitry to maintain the aura of gravitas, and control the narrative. The Trump-Zelenskyy encounter is an example of how both sides lost control of the plot.
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Oct 4, 2024 | 
thediplomat.com | Rakesh Sood
The beginning of the nuclear age in 1945 generated two conflicting emotions among scientists, superbly captured in the film “Oppenheimer.” One was a sense of achievement at unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and the other was apprehension at having created a bomb so destructive that it could destroy humanity.
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Oct 3, 2024 | 
tribunecontentagency.com | Rakesh Sood
The beginning of the nuclear age in 1945 generated two conflicting emotions among scientists, superbly captured in the film “Oppenheimer.” One was a sense of achievement at unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and the other was apprehension at having created a bomb so destructive that it could destroy humanity.
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Jun 29, 2024 | 
orfonline.org | Rakesh Sood
The Doomsday Clock was set up in Chicago in 1947 by a group of scientists associated with the US project to make the first nuclear bomb. Now, an international group of eminent scientists re-calibrates it annually after assessing the dangers posed to humanity from unrestrained scientific and technological advances. In 1991, as the Cold War ended, it was moved to 17 minutes to midnight, the farthest it has ever been from doomsday.
