Edition

Proliferation News 4/24/25

IN THIS ISSUE: Carnegie Corporation Launches New Funding Consortium to Advance Nuclear Security, U.S. Offers Iran Civilian Nuclear Program in Possible Compromise With Tehran, Scoop: Iran raised possible interim nuclear deal with U.S., sources say, French Rafale Fighters Project Power Forward To Sweden, Iran Says US Talks on ‘Right Track’ and ‘Good Deal’ Is Possible, China backs Iran's nuclear talks with US, opposes 'illegal' sanctions

Published on April 24, 2025

Martha Ramirez | Inside Philanthropy

Alongside climate change, nuclear weapons represent one of the biggest existential threats facing humanity, and indeed, life on the planet. Although nuclear weapons have existed for 80 years, given current geopolitics, the risks of nuclear proliferation are arguably higher now than they’ve been in the recent past… y. During the 2025 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, which was hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s president, Dame Louise Richardson, announced the launch of a consortium that has pledged up to $10.2 million over two years to fund efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear war.

Michael R. Gordon, Benoit Faucon and Laurence Norman | The Wall Street Journal

The Trump administration is prepared to allow Iran to have a civil nuclear program that relies exclusively on imported nuclear fuel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, outlining a possible compromise with Tehran aimed at preventing it from building a nuclear weapon. Rubio’s comments, which came in a podcast earlier this week with The Free Press, provides a window into the details of the Trump administration’s stance since closed-door nuclear talks with Tehran started earlier this month.

Barak Ravid | Axios

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told White House envoy Steve Witkoff during nuclear talks on Saturday that it might not be possible to reach a final nuclear accord on President Trump's proposed timetable and asked whether the sides should first negotiate an interim deal, two sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios.

Thomas Newdick | The War Zone

French Air and Space Force Rafale fighters are among the aircraft taking part in a power-projection exercise including operations over Sweden, which joined NATO a little over a year ago. The latest edition of the Pégase (Pegasus) drill comes as European NATO members look at bolstering their deterrence capabilities independent of the United States, with France very much at the center of these discussions. Notably, the maneuvers are also being accompanied by an exercise in which French military aircraft have been rapidly dispersed to alternative airfields, something that would be required in a large-scale conflict with Russia, for example.

Arsalan Shahla | Bloomberg

Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said negotiations with the US are on the “right track” and a nuclear agreement could be within reach if the Trump administration doesn’t make “unrealistic demands,” the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Araghchi was speaking during a visit to China, which is involved in a parallel diplomatic effort to resolve a years-long standoff between Iran and the US over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Reuters

China supports Iran holding talks on its nuclear program with the United States and opposes the use of force and "illegal" unilateral sanctions to try to resolve the issue, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday. Beijing is willing to deepen coordination and cooperation with Tehran on international and regional affairs, Wang told Iran's Abbas Araqchi during talks in the Chinese capital, according to a ministry statement.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.