AUKUS as a Nonproliferation Standard?
Toby Dalton and Ariel Levite | Arms Control Today
Eighteen months on, however, the official release in March 2023 of the AUKUS implementation plan makes clear that the arrangements do not meet the high nonproliferation bar that the parties have set for themselves.2 Recognizing the serious concerns raised by the unprecedented transfer of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines, a new class referenced as the SSN AUKUS, from two nuclear-weapon states to a nonnuclear-weapon state, the three parties have gone some distance to reassure the international community about their intentions.
Russia Blocks U.N. Inspectors at Occupied Nuclear Plant
Laurence Norman | The Wall Street Journal
The United Nations atomic agency said Russia had prevented its inspectors from accessing all parts of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine to investigate Kyiv’s claims that Moscow is planning to sabotage the plant…In a new statement Friday, the agency said its inspectors had received additional access to certain areas of the plant, including the large cooling pond used to lower heat from the reactors and ponds storing spent fuel. The agency said it has so far not observed any indications of mines or explosives at the site. However, Grossi said his inspectors hadn’t received access to the rooftops of the two reactors or to parts of the turbine halls. He said he was hopeful access would be granted soon.
Iran Boosting Nuclear Capabilities, but not Pursuing Bomb: US Intelligence
LAUREN SFORZA | The Hill
A new assessment released by U.S. intelligence Monday revealed that Iran is boosting its nuclear capabilities but is not pursuing the development of nuclear weapons. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s assessment said Iran has “undertaken research and development activities that would bring it closer to producing the fissile material needed” to produce a nuclear weapon. However, the report noted that while Iran has accelerated its nuclear program since 2020, it is still not yet capable of producing a weapon.
Lukashenko: I Have Veto Over use of Russian Nuclear Weapons in Belarus
Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that he would have a veto over any use of the tactical nuclear weapons that Russia is stationing on his territory, and goaded the West's spies for missing the transport of the warheads…"Control is carried out perfectly, jointly by Belarusians and Russians," Lukashenko said. "If Russia ever decided to use nuclear weapons, I am sure that it would consult with its closest ally - with us." "If I or our people or our state does not want something - then it means it will not happen."
US Senators Seek Expanded Compensation for Those Exposed to Nuclear Fallout
SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN | Associated Press
U.S. senators from New Mexico and Idaho are making another push to expand the federal government’s compensation program for people exposed to radiation following uranium mining and nuclear testing carried out during the Cold War…The legislation would amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include eligible residents in areas affected by fallout in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and the territory of Guam.
Wagner Fighters Neared Russian Nuclear Base During Revolt
Reuters
As rebellious Wagner forces drove north toward Moscow on June 24, a contingent of military vehicles diverted east on a highway in the direction of a fortified Russian army base that holds nuclear weapons, according to videos posted online and interviews with local residents. Once the Wagner fighters reach more rural regions, the surveillance trail goes cold – about 100 km from the nuclear base, Voronezh-45. Reuters could not confirm what happened next, and Western officials have repeatedly said that Russia's nuclear stockpile was never in danger during the uprising, which ended quickly and mysteriously later that day.