Iran’s supreme leader vows to protect nuclear and missile capabilities

Jon Gambrell | Associated Press

Iran’s supreme leader said Thursday that the Islamic Republic will protect its “nuclear and missile capabilities” as a national asset, likely seeking to draw a hard line as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a wider deal to cement the war’s shaky three-week ceasefire… Pakistan on Thursday said it was still facilitating indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran aimed at easing tensions, but Islamabad would also welcome direct communication between the two sides, even by phone.

Exclusive: Trump rejects Iran's offer, says blockade stays until nuclear deal

Barak Ravid | Axios

President Trump told Axios he's going to keep Iran under a naval blockade until the regime agrees to a deal that addresses U.S. concerns about its nuclear program… He claimed that Iran wants to reach a deal in order to lift the blockade. "They want to settle. They don't want me to keep the blockade. I don't want to [lift the blockade], because I don't want them to have a nuclear weapon," Trump added.

US Seeks to Deploy Hypersonic Missile for the First Time Against Iran

Gerry Doyle | Bloomberg

US Central Command has asked to send the Army’s long-delayed Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran, seeking a longer-range system to hit ballistic-missile launchers deep inside the country. If approved, it would mark the first time the US will have deployed its hypersonic missile, which is running far behind schedule and hasn’t been declared fully operational even as Russia and China have deployed their own versions.

Iran’s highly enriched uranium likely is still at the Isfahan site, UN nuclear chief tells AP

Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press

The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely still at its Isfahan nuclear complex, which was bombarded by airstrikes last year and faced less intense attacks in this year’s U.S.-Israeli war, the U.N. nuclear agency’s leader told The Associated Press. Rafael Grossi said in an interview Tuesday that the International Atomic Energy Agency has satellite images showing the effects of the latest U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran and that “we continue to get information.”

In a first, fusion company applies for US grid connection

Christa Marshall | E&E News

Commonwealth Fusion Systems said Tuesday that it is the first developer of nuclear fusion to request a connection to a regional grid, a move aiming to boost prospects for a landmark power plant. The application to PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest power market, is a notable milestone for a technology that envisions creating low-carbon electricity using the same reaction fueling the sun and stars.

Inside China’s plans to fight in space

Katherin Hille, Sam Learner, Sam Joiner, Irene de la Torre Arenas, and Dan Clark | The Financial Times

Combat in Earth’s orbit is no longer the stuff of fiction. Textbooks for Chinese military officers and nearly 100 papers by scholars linked to the People’s Liberation Army reviewed by the FT reveal how the force thinks it would fight a space war. From capturing satellites and striking targets on Earth to overtaking Starlink, the material provides the clearest view yet of China’s strategy for conflict in orbit.