US Demands Iran Dismantle Nuclear Sites as Part of Rejected 15-Point Plan 

Dan Williams, Salma El Wardany, Donato Paolo Mancini, and Josh Wingrove | Bloomberg 

US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war with Iran stipulates that the Islamic Republic dismantle its main nuclear facilities and use a reduced missile arsenal in self-defense only, according to several people familiar with the matter. Washington has compiled a list of a dozen demands — alongside three points Iran would get in return — that have been delivered to Tehran by mediators in Pakistan, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public. ... Iran has rejected the proposal, calling the demands illogical, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday, citing sources it didn’t identify.  

US unlikely to convince China to join new nuclear arms control agreement, experts say 

Xinmei Shen | South China Morning Post 

There is little chance the US could bring China to the table on any nuclear arms control agreements in the short term, despite upcoming leaders’ meetings this year, experts said on Tuesday, as the Trump administration pushes for a trilateral deal including China after the previous US-Russia treaty expired last month. ... After [the expiration of New START], Trump floated an “improved” deal involving China. ... Beijing has little incentive to heed Washington’s requests, as international pressure on China declines with Trump’s recent aggression towards Venezuela, Iran and Greenland, Tong Zhao, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said at the Tuesday briefing. 

The Iran War Is Pushing Europe Back to Nuclear Energy 

Anchal Vohra | Foreign Policy  

As Iran attacks energy-rich Gulf nations in retaliation for missile strikes by the United States and Israel, and imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz—the key waterway through which a fifth of global oil and gas tankers pass—oil prices have climbed past $100 a barrel and global energy markets have been shaken. Among the most-affected regions by spiraling prices is Europe. ... The urge to become energy independent has acquired new urgency across the continent. And policymakers are now making a renewed case for the return of nuclear energy as an unavoidable part of Europe’s total energy mix. 

Southeast Asia turns to nuclear as Iran war disrupts energy supplies 

The Associated Press/NPR 

Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. 

IAEA calls for ‘restraint’ as Iran reports strike near Bushehr nuclear plant 

Sarah Davis | The Hill 

The head of an intergovernmental nuclear safety agency is raising the alarm after Iran reported a strike near its Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on Tuesday. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi called for “maximum restraint to avoid nuclear safety risks during conflict” in a post on the social platform X. ... Iran’s nuclear power plant was not damaged during the attack, nor were any of the plant’s employees, according to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization. The country said the U.S. and Israel launched the strikes around Bushehr. 

NASA races to have the first moon base and nuclear-propulsion spacecraft 

Nikk Ogasa and Lisa Grossman | ScienceNews 

NASA is hitting the accelerator on space missions and moon trips in the hopes of achieving some big firsts — a permanent moon base and an interplanetary spacecraft harnessing nuclear propulsion. Over the next seven years, the agency is planning to launch dozens of mostly robotic missions to the moon at an estimated cost of $20 billion, with the goal of establishing a permanent moon base, NASA officials announced March 24. They also unveiled plans to launch the first nuclear propulsion interplanetary spacecraft in 2028, called the Space Reactor-1 Freedom. The spacecraft will fly to Mars and deliver three or so autonomous rotorcraft akin to NASA’s now-defunct Ingenuity helicopter.