Nuclear blast in space could paralyse Britain

LONDON - Detonation of a nuclear weapon in space by North Korea and Iran could paralyse Britain’s power, transport and communication systems, a top official has said.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox told an international conference here Monday that countries became more vulnerable to widespread threat as their technologies grew more complex and interdependent.

“When we are discussing North Korea or Iran, for example, people need to understand there are other risks than the sort of nuclear strike we saw in Nagasaki or Hiroshima,” Fox was quoted as saying by the Daily Express.

“The range of risks out there are manifold and I think we need to make that extremely apparent to the public.”

There is growing concern that electronic systems could be put out in space by natural or man-made explosions.

“If a country acquires nuclear weapons with the aim of stopping our very way of life, then a large nuclear detonation miles above a pre-determined geographical area could have a far greater effect on that way of life than a more traditional targeted nuclear explosion,” he said.