Proliferation News 9/1/26
IN THIS ISSUE: Majority in South Korea want nukes, survey says, amid U.S. defense concerns, China will stop Russia from going nuclear, Finland’s Stubb says, President Trump rules out using nuclear weapons against Iran, IAEA concern over diesel supply for Zaporizhzhia generators, The Last Thing We Need Is a Bad Nuclear Deal From Trump, Drunk Pilot Allegedly Steals Plane, Prompts Fighter Jet Chase Near Nuclear Plant Before Emergency Landing in Sunflower Field
Majority in South Korea want nukes, survey says, amid U.S. defense concerns
Jesse Johnson | The Japan Times
Almost two-thirds of South Koreans back their country acquiring its own nuclear weapons, a new survey has shown, amid growing concerns over the U.S. commitment to protecting its ally. According to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday, 65% of those surveyed said that South Korea should have its own nuclear weapons, while 30% are opposed to the idea. The survey, which was conducted on 1,001 South Koreans from Tuesday to Thursday and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, came after U.S. President Donald Trump’s sudden order to slash joint military exercises with Seoul earlier this month.
China will stop Russia from going nuclear, Finland’s Stubb says
Paul Ronzheimer and Milena Walde | Politico
China has privately assured Finland that it would not allow Russia to use nuclear weapons, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview. Speaking exclusively with Paul Ronzheimer of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, Stubb was emphatic when asked whether Russia could resort to nuclear weapons, arguing that Beijing provides a powerful brake on Moscow escalating its war in Ukraine. “I had the foreign minister of China visiting me this summer, and I raised the issue,” Stubb said. “And he said, we will never allow it to happen. And I think that’s a pretty good deterrence.”
President Trump rules out using nuclear weapons against Iran
Joey Garrison | USA Today
President Donald Trump ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran as a way to deliver a decisive blow in a war that's dragged for six months. Trump dismissed nuclear action as an option and lashed out at the reporter who asked about it during an Oval Office event on Aug. 31. "I would never say that. But the answer's yes. I rule out ‒ there's no reason for it," Trump said when asked whether he can rule out using a nuclear weapon against Iran. "What a stupid question that is actually is…”
IAEA concern over diesel supply for Zaporizhzhia generators
World Nuclear News
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been relying on emergency diesel generators for more than 11 days, with the International Atomic Energy Agency raising concerns about fuel supplies if the loss of external power continues. The plant, which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022, lost connection to its last operating external power line on 20 August. Since then it has been relying on its fleet of emergency diesel generators to provide the power the plant needs, including for the pumps which cool the six reactors and their used fuel ponds.
The Last Thing We Need Is a Bad Nuclear Deal From Trump
W.J. Hennigan | The New York Times
The most significant nuclear development in the Middle East in a generation now sits in the hands of Congress. The Trump administration this week presented its nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to lawmakers for review, opening the door for the kingdom to enrich its own reactor fuel… If it does go through, the accord could trigger a cascading effect across the region that culminates in a dangerous arms race. Washington should expect partners like the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey to demand similar terms for programs of their own, threatening to reverse decades of U.S. nonproliferation efforts… Lawmakers should say no to this one.
Colson Thayer | People
A drunk man allegedly stumbled upon a parked aircraft over the weekend and decided to take it out for a joyride. The escapade prompted a high-speed chase by two fighter jets and ended in an emergency landing in a sunflower field, according to local authorities… During the journey, he flew near Paks Nuclear Power Plant, the country’s sole commercial nuclear facility. The official says defense radars “immediately detected the plane” and a standby pair of fighter jets, two Gripens, took to the air… The Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which generates about half of the country’s electricity, was not damaged in the incident.
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