The NPT RevCon is being held later this month. Since 1970, the NPT has been the cornerstone of a nuclear order that limits the spread of nuclear weapons, facilitates reductions in nuclear warheads, and establishes the framework for the expansion of peaceful use of nuclear energy. Since the expiration of the New START Treaty in February, inspections and verification that once provided transparency, predictability and mutual confidence have ceased.
The U.S.-Iran ceasefire is on the cusp of ending and negotiations appear to have stalled. Ankit Panda and Katie Putz are hosts of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast. They take stock of the current state of affairs and discuss the Iran crisis from the perspectives of the US allies in Asia and Central Asia's oil exporters.
North Korea claims to have launched KN-23/Hwasong-11A and HS-11D short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) on April 8 and 19. The launches follow through on the mandate of the February 2026 Ninth Party Congress to reinforce SRBM deployments against South Korea.
Donald Trump threatens to destroy Iran's bridges and power plants unless Tehran accepts Washington's terms and reopens the Strait of Hormuz. China and Russia are worried about the impact of the US-Israeli war on the world economy. Jeffrey Sachs calls the war a blatant aggression by the US and Israel. Brics can help rescue the UN Charter from American unilateralism.
Sergey Lavrov supports the current negotiations between Iran and the U.S. to reach an agreement similar to the 2015 nuclear deal. President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018. The IAEA declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations in June 2025. Israel and the United States launched airstrikes against Iran’s illicit nuclear program.
The US military may not have enough missiles for a future conflict, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The US military has depleted its stockpiles of critical missiles during the seven-week war on Iran, creating a "near-term risk" that could leave it vulnerable in any future conflict. The Pentagon maintains it has enough firepower to continue operations in the Middle East, but CSIS warns that the drawdown has undercut America's ability to fight a major war elsewhere.
U.S. Air Force personnel studying for service tests exposed secret information in online flash cards. The information included the precise locations of nuclear weapons and other important data. The data exposure is a serious security blunder, but it wouldn't have allowed someone to steal and actually detonate a nuke.
China's People's Liberation Army expanded the number of intermediate-range missiles in its arsenal last year to 3,450 missiles of all types. 50 new DF-26 intermediate-distance ballistic missiles were added in 2025 for a total of 550 of these missiles. The Pentagon’s annual report on the Chinese military calls the DF- 26 “highly precise theater weapons” for low-yield nuclear attacks.