Edition

Proliferation News 7/17/25

IN THIS ISSUE: What Happens When Big Tech Goes Nuclear?, Iran faces stiff sanctions if no deal by end of August, U.S. and allies agree, New U.S. assessment finds American strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, Russia Issues Nuclear Warning After Trump's Weapons for Ukraine Plan, Energy Department Announces Pilot Program to Build Advanced U.S. Nuclear Fuel Lines and End Foreign Dependence, The Nobel Laureate Assembly Declaration for the Prevention of Nuclear War

Published on July 17, 2025

Jayita Sarkar | Time

Silicon Valley firms are advocating for the U.S. to embark on a nuclear energy renaissance...  The ethos of Big Tech to “move fast and break things” could spur unprecedented innovation in nuclear energy, especially through the construction of small modular reactors, microreactors, and even fusion. But, just like Silicon Valley itself, which has historically flourished through the invisible hand of the state, the nuclear energy industry might also need increased guidance from the government in order to be safe, secure, and reliable.


Barak Ravid | Axios

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the U.K. agreed in a phone call on Monday to set the end of August as the de facto deadline for reaching a nuclear deal with Iran, according to three sources with knowledge of the call. If no deal is reached by that deadline, the three European powers plan to trigger the "snapback" mechanism that automatically reimposes all UN Security Council sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 Iran deal.


Gordon Lubold, Courtney Kube, Julie Tsirkin, Katherine Doyle, Dan De Luce, and Carol E. Lee | NBC News

One of the three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran struck by the United States last month was mostly destroyed, setting work there back significantly. But the two others were not as badly damaged and may have been degraded only to a point where nuclear enrichment could resume in the next several months if Iran wants it to, according to a recent U.S. assessment of the destruction caused by the military operation, five current and former U.S. officials familiar with the assessment told NBC News.


Mandy Taheri and Gabe Whisnant | Newsweek

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia's nuclear doctrine "remains in effect" on Wednesday, two days after President Donald Trump announced that the United States and NATO allies will supply advanced weapons to Ukraine… The response came after a reporter for the Russian state-owned news agency inquired about the status of the nuclear doctrine, which, among other measures, establishes that an "aggression" against Russia or its allies "by any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state is considered as their joint attack."


U.S. Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the start of a new pilot program to accelerate the development of advanced nuclear reactors and strengthen domestic supply chains for nuclear fuel. The Department issued a Request for Application (RFA) and is seeking qualified U.S. companies to build and operate nuclear fuel production lines using the DOE authorization process. This initiative will help end America’s reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials, while opening the door for private sector investment in America’s nuclear renaissance.


Nobel Laureate Assembly for the Prevention of Nuclear War | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

In this 80th year of the nuclear age, the world finds itself at a reckoning point… While the only way to truly eliminate the risks of nuclear war is to eliminate nuclear weapons, there are important, timely steps that can support the longer-term effort to achieve nuclear disarmament. With this in mind, the undersigned Nobel Laureates and nuclear weapons policy experts call on world leaders use their power, abilities, and influence to implement this non-exhaustive list of pragmatic actions.

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.