Leader of Belarus Says He Wouldn’t Hesitate to Use Russian Nuclear Weapons to Repel Aggression
Associated Press
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that he wouldn’t hesitate to order the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons that are set to be deployed to Belarus if his country faces an aggression…“God forbid I have to make a decision to use those weapons today, but there would be no hesitation if we face an aggression,” Lukashenko, known for his blustery statements, said in comments released by his office.
US Confirms Talks with Iran, Denies Interim Nuclear Deal on Table
Times of Israel
A US official confirmed that Washington was in contact with Iran regarding moribund nuclear deal talks late Monday, but denied that discussions on an interim agreement were taking place.The comments, reported by Reuters, came hours after Iran appeared to acknowledge reports that talks were taking place, with the country’s Foreign Ministry thanking Oman for its role as mediator between the rivals. The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington had communicated with Iran to warn it regarding what measures could be met with belligerence or conversely, help facilitate more productive negotiations.
How North Korea’s Hacker Army Stole $3 Billion in Crypto, Funding Nuclear Program
Robert McMillan and Dustin Volz | The Wall Street Journal
International experts have long said that North Korea has been developing a digital bank-robbing army to evade harsh sanctions and support its ambitions to project geopolitical power through nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles…Pyongyang has been showing more audacity with social engineering, its hackers are getting more technically sophisticated. The skill of North Korea’s cybercrime over the past year has impressed U.S. officials and researchers, and some said they have seen the country’s hackers pull off elaborate maneuvers that haven’t been observed anywhere else.
A Ukrainian Nuclear Plant is Facing a Water Shortage
Geoff Brumfiel | NPR
Workers at a Ukrainian nuclear power plant are in a race to secure water for the plant's safe operation. Following the destruction of a critical dam in Ukraine, water levels at a large reservoir used by the power plant are dropping fast. Workers have slurped up as much of it as they can. They've filled up ponds, canals and a small artificial lake next to the plant. The situation is not an immediate crisis, says Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental group. Still, Lyman believes the loss of an important water supply is putting more strain on the already beleaguered nuclear plant – which has been under Russian occupation for over a year.
As Blinken Visits, Top Saudi Diplomat Says Kingdom Seeks US Nuclear Aid but ‘Others’ Also Bidding
Associated Press
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said after meeting with the visiting U.S. secretary of state on Thursday that while the kingdom would welcome U.S. aid in building its civilian nuclear program, “there are others that are bidding.”...“It’s no secret that we are developing our domestic civilian nuclear program and we would very much prefer to be able to have the U.S. as one of the bidders,” he said. “Obviously we would like to build our program with the best technology in the world.”
America’s Nuclear Rules Still Allow Another Hiroshima
Adam Mount | Foreign Policy
The United States has never had a similar moral awakening on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Biden, then a candidate for president, wrote that “the scenes of death and destruction … still horrify us.” For too long, U.S. presidents have used passive language to refer to the bombings, evading responsibility for the act. White House spokesman John Kirby continued this tradition when he said that Biden would “pay his respects to the lives of the innocents who were killed in the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.” The language helps Americans think of the bombings as something that happened to cities rather than as something their government did to people.