Farnaz Fassihi, David E. Sanger, and Jonathan Swan | The New York Times
The Trump administration is proposing an arrangement that would allow Iran to continue enriching uranium at low levels while the United States and other countries work out a more detailed plan intended to block Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon but give it access to fuel for new nuclear power plants. The proposal amounts to a diplomatic bridge, intended to maneuver beyond the current situation, in which Iran is rapidly producing near-bomb-grade uranium, to reach the U.S. goal of Iran enriching no uranium at all on its soil. But it is far from clear that the Iranians will go along.
Bernd Debusmann Jr | BBC News
Vladimir Putin has said he will have to respond to Ukraine's major drone attack on Russian airbases, Donald Trump has warned. Speaking after a phone call with the Russian president, the US president said: "President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields." Russian officials declined to confirm this on Wednesday night, but Moscow had earlier said that military options were "on the table" for its response.
Amira El-Fekki | Newsweek
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a fiery speech on Wednesday, condemning U.S. demands over its nuclear program as "rude" and "insolent," and accusing Washington of trying to block Iran's progress and self-sufficiency. He warned that the United States "cannot do a damn thing". The response from Iran's Supreme Leader's is the clearest yet to the nuclear proposals made by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to use military force if there is no deal.
Reuters
President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump that he was ready to use Russia's close partnership with Iran to help with negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, the Kremlin said on Thursday… Putin, according to Trump, suggested that he participate in the discussions with Iran and that "he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion", though Iran was "slowwalking".
Ellen Milligan and Joe Mayes | Bloomberg
The UK envisages taking an enhanced role in NATO’s nuclear deterrence amid doubts surrounding the US commitment to the alliance, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledges to make Britain “war-ready” to counter Russian aggression in Europe. The government is exploring new capabilities such as fighter jets able to fire nuclear weapons as part of plans to boost Britain’s nuclear contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity discussing sensitive matters of national security.
Abby Sewell | AP News
Syria’s new government has agreed to give inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, the agency’s head told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, spoke in an exclusive interview in Damascus, where he met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other officials.
Jon B. Wolfsthal, Hans Kristensen, and Matt Korda | The Washington Post
Over the past 30 years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the prospect of nuclear war has faded from the American consciousness… But the weapons never went away. While thousands were scrapped and nuclear inventories were significantly reduced, many other weapons were put into storage and still thousands more remain deployed, ready for use. Now, they and the dangers they pose are making a comeback.