Trump says he paused attack on Iran, signals a nuclear deal may be possible

Steve Holland, Parisa Hafezi and Ariba Shahid | Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned attack against Iran after Tehran sent a peace proposal to Washington, and that there was now a "very good chance" of ‌reaching a deal limiting Iran's nuclear program. After Iran sent the U.S. a new peace proposal, Trump said he had instructed the U.S. military that "we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached."

Experts Confirm the Fast16 Malware Was Sabotaging Nuclear Weapons Tests, Likely in Iran

Kim Zetter | Zero Day

Researchers have confirmed that a remarkable piece of malware discovered years ago but analyzed only recently was designed to subvert nuclear weapons testing simulations with the aim of undermining those tests and slowing the progress of a nuclear program. The new report, from researchers at the security firm Symantec, confirms what has only previously been speculated about the code by the company that first discovered it — SentinelOne. The malicious code, known as Fast16, was designed to subvert at least two specialized software programs that were commonly used for simulating weapons explosions at the time the code was active in 2005.

Drone strikes UAE nuclear plant highlighting risk of renewed war

Associated Press/NPR

A drone strike sparked a fire on the edge of the United Arab Emirates' sole nuclear power plant on Sunday in what authorities called an "unprovoked terrorist attack." No one was blamed, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the United States and Iran signaled they were ready to fight again. … The UAE's nuclear regulator said the fire didn't affect plant safety and "all units are operating as normal." … It's the first time the four-reactor Barakah plant has been targeted in the war.

Russia and Belarus hold joint nuclear drills following Ukrainian strikes on Moscow

Geoffrey Smith | Politico

Russia and Belarus practiced deploying tactical nuclear weapons on Monday, just one day after Ukraine carried out its biggest drone attack on Moscow. In a statement, Belarus’ Defense Ministry said the exercise, which was held with units of the Russian armed forces, intended to test the military’s readiness to launch nuclear weapons from mobile or unplanned launch sites. It also stated the drill was a scheduled event and not aimed against any specific third party. The joint military exercise, which wasn’t immediately confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry, took place following Ukraine’s largest drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region. ... [Belarus’ Defense Ministry] stated the drill was a scheduled event and not aimed against any specific third party.

Trump says 20-year nuclear programme suspension by Iran would be enough

Robert Greenall | BBC

US President Donald Trump has said he would accept a 20-year suspension by Iran of its nuclear programme, in what appears to be confirmation of a shift in position away from a demand for a total end to it. Trump said it had to be a "real 20 years". Previously he has called on Iran to permanently cease enriching uranium - a stage in making a weapon - and to be prevented from ever acquiring nuclear weapons.

US, China to work on denuclearizing North Korea: White House

Anton Sokolin | NK News

The leaders of the U.S. and China have agreed to jointly work toward the denuclearization of North Korea, according to the White House, following President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Beijing. “President [Donald] Trump and President Xi [Jinping] confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea,” the White House said Sunday in a fact sheet after Trump returned from his two-day trip to China. The text also contained a statement about Iran, stating that Trump and Xi “agreed that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” The White House’s statement contrasted sharply with Beijing’s official post-summit readouts. The Chinese foreign ministry briefly mentioned the two leaders talked about the Korean Peninsula in broad terms, among other concerns in Ukraine and the Middle East.