China’s Strategic Arsenal: Worldview, Doctrine, and Systems
Tong Zhao | Arms Control Today
Many op-eds have been written this year as more revelations emerged about the surprising speed and scale of China’s nuclear expansion. The reported construction of more than 200 new missile silos and the testing of an orbital hypersonic glider drew most of the international attention, but there may be more than meets the eye. Given that Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed the People’s Liberation Army in March to “accelerate the construction of high-level strategic deterrent” systems, more details about China’s comprehensive efforts to rapidly develop its nuclear triad capabilities will likely emerge.
Iran Makes Nuclear Advance Despite Talks to Salvage 2015 Deal
Francois Murphy and Parisa Hafezi | Reuters
Iran has started producing enriched uranium with more efficient advanced centrifuges at its Fordow plant dug into a mountain, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Wednesday, further eroding the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during talks with the West on saving it. The announcement appeared to undercut indirect talks between Iran and the United States on bringing both fully back into the battered deal that resumed this week after a five-month break prompted by the election of hardline President Ebrahim Raisi. Western negotiators fear Iran is creating facts on the ground to gain leverage in the talks.
S. Korea, U.S. to Update War Plans to Deter Evolving N.K. Nuke, Missile Threats
Song Sang-ho and Kang Yoon-seung | Yonhap News Agency
South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to update their joint wartime contingency plans to deter North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats, the two sides said, in a sign of their stepped-up cooperation to reinforce deterrence against the recalcitrant regime. Defense Minister Suh Wook and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, approved the “Strategic Planning Guidance,” a document to set the tone for updated wartime operation plans (OPLANs), during the allies’ annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).
U.S. and Iran Voice Pessimism About Reviving Nuclear Deal
Parisa Hafezi and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters
The United States and Iran both sounded pessimistic on Thursday about the chances of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, with Washington saying it had little cause for optimism and Tehran questioning the determination of U.S. and European negotiators. “I have to tell you, recent moves, recent rhetoric, don't give us a lot of cause for ... optimism,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Stockholm, saying he could judge in a day or so if Iran would engage in good faith. Blinken made the comments after Iran provided the European powers who are shuttling between U.S. and Iranian officials in Vienna with drafts on sanctions removal and nuclear commitments, as world powers and Tehran seek to reinstate the tattered pact.
Belarus President Offers to Host Russian Nuclear Weapons
Vladimir Isachenkov | Associated Press
The longtime president of Belarus said Tuesday that his country would be ready to host Russian nuclear weapons if NATO moves U.S. atomic bombs from Germany to Eastern Europe. In an interview, President Alexander Lukashenko also said for the first time that he recognizes the Crimean Peninsula as part of Russia and plans to visit it soon. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that the West regards as illegal. Lukashenko made the remarks as he moves to cement ties with Russia, his main ally and sponsor, amid tensions with the West over his disputed reelection last year and his government’s brutal crackdown on dissent in Belarus.
Europe Revisits Nuclear Power as Climate Deadlines Loom
Liz Alderman and Stanley Reed | New York Times
European countries desperate for a long-term and reliable source of energy to help reach ambitious climate goals are turning to an answer that caused earlier generations to shudder: nuclear power. Poland wants a fleet of smaller nuclear power stations to help end its reliance on coal. Britain is betting on Rolls-Royce to produce cheap modular reactors to complement wind and solar energy. And in France, President Emmanuel Macron plans to build on the nation’s huge nuclear program. As world leaders pledge to avert a climate catastrophe, the nuclear industry sees an opportunity for a revival.