Michelle Nichols | Reuters
Britain, France and Germany have told the United Nations Security Council that they are ready - if necessary - to trigger a so-called "snap back" of all international sanctions on Iran to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon. They will lose the ability to take such action on Oct. 18 next year when a 2015 U.N. resolution expires. The resolution enshrines Iran's deal with Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Russia and China that lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
AAMER MADHANI, LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP | Associated Press
Russia could launch its lethal new intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine again soon, the Pentagon said Wednesday, as both sides wrestle for a battlefield advantage that will give them leverage in any negotiations to end the nearly 3-year war. Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters in a briefing that an attack could be carried out “in the coming days.” She added that the U.S. does not consider this missile — called the Oreshnik — a game changer on the battlefield, but that the Russians are “trying to use every weapon that they have in their arsenal to intimidate Ukraine.”
Associated Press
Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday his country is hosting dozens of Russian nuclear weapons and will prepare facilities for the planned deployment of Moscow’s newest hypersonic ballistic missile. His remarks came after he and President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty last week that gave security guarantees to Belarus, Moscow’s closest ally, including the possible use of Russian nuclear weapons to help repel any aggression…“I have warned all my enemies, ‘friends’ and adversaries: If you step on the border, the answer will be momentary,” Lukashenko said.
Ryan Chan | Newsweek
China hosted a meeting last week with four other major nuclear-armed countries, saying this can avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation amid rising tensions in Europe. China convened an expert-level P5 meeting in the United Arab Emirates' city of Dubai on Wednesday December 4, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday…Representatives from these countries attended the meeting and had a candid discussion on nuclear doctrines, the Chinese spokesperson added
The Economist
Russian missiles have knocked out roughly half of Ukraine’s pre-war electricity-generation capacity. But because Russia has refrained from blowing up nuclear reactors, nearly 60% of Ukraine’s electricity production is currently nuclear—even though the country’s (and Europe’s) biggest plant, in Zaporizhia, was occupied by Russia in 2022 and is now shut down. Without nuclear reactors, says German Galushchenko, the energy minister, Ukraine’s grid “would not survive”. In what would be a first for a country under assault, Ukraine now aims to install more of them.
Jen Judson | Defense News
The Missile Defense Agency intercepted an incoming ballistic missile threat target in a test from Guam, according to a Tuesday agency announcement. The test is the “first ballistic missile defense event executed from Guam,” the statement notes…As the Pentagon works to build an integrated air and missile defense architecture on Guam, this is the first test of a portion of the future capability designed to protect the key strategic island from emerging and evolving threats.