IAEA Chief Says Iran's Nuclear Enrichment Activity Remains High
Julia Payne | Reuters
Iran continues to enrich uranium well beyond the needs for commercial nuclear use despite U.N. pressure to stop it, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday, adding he wanted to visit Tehran next month for the first time in a year to end the "drifting apart". Speaking to Reuters after he briefed EU foreign ministers on the subject, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said that while the pace of uranium enrichment had slowed slightly since the end of last year, Iran was still enriching at an elevated rate of around 7 kg of uranium per month to 60% purity.
Report: North Korean Missile Fired by Russia Against Ukraine Contained US and European Components
Natasha Bertrand | CNN
A North Korean ballistic missile fired last month by the Russian military in Ukraine contained hundreds of components that trace back to companies in the US and Europe, according to a new report. The findings mark the first public identification of North Korea’s reliance on foreign technology for its missile program and underscore the persistent problem facing the Biden administration as it tries to keep cheap, Western-made microelectronics intended for civilian use from winding up in weapons used by North Korea, Iran and Russia.
India Seeks $26 Billion of Private Nuclear Power Investments
Sarita Chaganti Singh | Reuters
India will invite private firms to invest about $26 billion in its nuclear energy sector to increase the amount of electricity from sources that don't produce carbon dioxide emissions, two government sources told Reuters. This is the first time New Delhi is pursuing private investment in nuclear power, a non-carbon-emitting energy source that contributes less than 2% of India's total electricity generation. The funding would help India to achieve its target of having 50% of its installed electric generation capacity use non-fossil fuels by 2030, up from 42% now.
Russia’s Nuclear Space Weapon a Risk for All, Says German Space Command Chief
JOSHUA POSANER | POLITICO
The worst-case scenario of a nuclear weapon detonation in orbit by Russia would be catastrophic, the commander of Germany's military Space Command, Major General Michael Traut, said late Friday. Speaking at a side event of the Munich Security Conference, Traut was clear that there are "more questions then answers" when it comes to revelations this past week in the United States that Russia is understood to be developing some form of anti-satellite nuclear weapon. "If somebody dares to explode a nuclear weapon in high atmosphere or even space, this would be more or less the end of the usability of that global commons [of orbit]," said Traut.
The War Over Burying Nuclear Waste in America’s Busiest Oil Field
Benoît Morenne | The Wall Street Journal
Holtec International, a Florida-based energy technology company, aims to rail thousands of canisters of spent nuclear fuel to Lea County and store the containers below ground. The site has a 40-year license and could ultimately hold around 170,000 metric tons of used fuel—about twice as much as the U.S. currently holds. It would be the largest such facility in the world, and Holtec says it would further the development of U.S. nuclear energy. Taylor said a nuclear incident in the Permian, which cranks out more oil than Iraq and Libya combined, would have devastating consequences for U.S. energy and the local economy. “I’m not antinuclear,” Taylor said. “We just don’t feel like siting all the nuclear waste in the middle of our biggest oil and gas resource is a good idea.”
How Many Sentinel Missiles Does the United States Need?
Al Mauroni | War on the Rocks
While this review will not necessarily result in the elimination of the program, one might question why the Air Force requires 400 missiles armed with nuclear warheads today. While the Cold War is over, the continued presence of nuclear threats to the United States demands a response. The combination of bilateral arms control agreements, deterrence theory, and presidential direction, along with bipartisan congressional approval, has resulted in the decision to retain 400 land-based missile silos for the purpose of strategic stability between nuclear-weapon states.