ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Click to see full-size image On April 1 st ,  the US officially stopped the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey  over the purchase of S-400 from Russia. “The United States has been clear that Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 is unacceptable,” said acting Pentagon spokesman Charles Summers Jr. “Until they forgo delivery of the S-400, the United States has suspended deliveries and activities associated with the stand-up of Turkey’s F-35 operational capability. Should Turkey procure the S-400, their continued participation in the F-35 program is at risk.” Earlier, during a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in February, US Army General Curtis Scaparrotti, European Command commander and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said that he would recommend that the US should not sell the F-35 to Turkey if it acquired the S-400. “My best military advice would be that we don’t then follow through with the F-35, flying it or working with an ally that’s working with Rus

Saudi Arabia is nearing completion on its first nuclear reactor, according to newly surfaced satellite imagery,  Bloomberg reported. Google Earth images show Saudi Arabia’s first nuclear reactor is almost ready to be commissioned. Click to see full-size image The top image shows just a bare patch of land in April 2017. The middle image is of April 2018, the site is lined with construction vehicles and the outlines of a foundation are already apparent. The most recent pictures show that work on Saudi Arabia’s first reactor is well advanced with the containment vessel already in place. The spotted reactor was sold to the Kingdom from Argentina’s state-owned INVAP SE. The Steel vessel is about 10 meters (33 feet) high with a 2.7-meter diameter which matches other similar sized reactors.  Rafael Mariano Grossi , Argentina’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reminded Saudi Arabia they need to sign onto the comprehensive safeguards agreement with subsidiary ar