Tong Zhao | Foreign Affairs
China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal…A close assessment of the evolving thinking within China’s political leadership and security policy circles reveals that Chinese officials are not simply expanding their nuclear arsenal for military-technical purposes. Rather, Chinese leaders seem to have embraced the untested belief that nuclear weaponry grants them greater geopolitical leverage to counter perceived threats.
JON GAMBRELL | Associated Press
Iran and the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog are still negotiating over how to implement a deal struck last year to expand inspections of the Islamic Republic’s rapidly advancing atomic program, officials said Tuesday. The acknowledgment by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s leader Rafael Mariano Grossi shows the challenges his inspectors face, years after the collapse of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers and the wider tensions gripping the Mideast over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Laura Gozzi | BBC
Russia has started preparations for missile drills near Ukraine simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons in response to "threats" by Western officials. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and the British Foreign Secretary David Cameron constituted a "completely new round of escalation of tension". Last week, Mr Macron refused to rule out potentially deploying French troops, should Kyiv request them, while Lord Cameron said that Ukraine had the right to use British weapons for strikes within Russia.
Ari Natter | Bloomberg
The Senate voted Tuesday evening to approve legislation banning the import of enriched uranium from Russia, sending the measure to the president. President Joe Biden plans to sign it into law soon, according to the White House. The Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, approved by unanimous consent, would bar US imports 90 days after enactment while allowing temporary waivers until January 2028.
SHINNOSUKE NAGATOMI | NIKKEI ASIA
Japan will seek to establish a cabinet-level dialogue with the U.S. on extended deterrence as early as this year, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara says, as the allies respond to the growing nuclear capabilities of China and North Korea…"I want to improve our mutual understanding of the Japan-U.S. alliance's strategy and capabilities, and have an in-depth exchange of opinions on ways to strengthen deterrence," Kihara said in a recent interview before a trip to Hawaii to meet with his counterparts from the U.S., Australia and the Philippines.
William Gallo and Lee Juhyun | VOA
South Korean calls to acquire nuclear weapons, which were subdued for the past year following steps to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance, are once again bubbling to the surface ahead of the possible return of former U.S. President Donald Trump.Trump, who appears locked in a tight race with President Joe Biden as November’s election approaches, sparked concern this week after making comments that many Korean media interpreted as a threat to pull U.S. troops from South Korea.