Proliferation News November 3, 2026
IN THIS ISSUE: Nuclear Deterrence Needs to Account for Domestic Politics, China has likely resumed making weapon-grade uranium at Emeishan, Iran Says It Would Reopen Strait of Hormuz in 2 Days as Part of U.S. Deal, Hypersonic missile start-up secures funds to boost Europe’s deep-strike capability, South Korea, Turkey to cooperate in nuclear, defence, infrastructure, Does Tehran want the bomb? Some in DC say war has shifted Iran’s thinking.
Nuclear Deterrence Needs to Account for Domestic Politics
Lauren Sukin and Samuel Seitz | Carnegie Nuclear Policy Program
Understanding the role that domestic politics plays in nuclear politics is important. To explore these dynamics, we recently fielded an experimental survey to evaluate how public opinion impacts a state’s perceived nuclear credibility. Our findings show public opinion meaningfully shapes the interpretation of nuclear signals, particularly in democracies.
China has likely resumed making weapon-grade uranium at Emeishan
Hui Zhang | The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
Satellite imagery and capacity analysis reveal that Beijing is expanding its uninspected Emeishan centrifuge facility—a move strongly suggesting an end to China’s nearly four-decade pause on producing weapon-grade highly enriched uranium to fuel its rapidly growing nuclear arsenal.
Iran Says It Would Reopen Strait of Hormuz in 2 Days as Part of U.S. Deal
Erika Solomon, Sanam Mahoozi, Adam Rasgon & Vivian Nereim | New York Times
Iran is prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in two days if the United States agrees to a set of demands, its foreign ministry said on Monday, after a week of intensified negotiations to avert a return to war... Mr. Araghchi made no mention of nuclear concessions. In a televised interview on Saturday, one of the officials overseeing the talks, Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s national security adviser, said nuclear negotiations could begin only after Washington had met Iranian conditions.
Hypersonic missile start-up secures funds to boost Europe’s deep-strike capability
Ivan Levingston, Sylvia Pfeifer, Laura Pitel | Financial Times
A British-German start-up developing hypersonic long-range missiles has raised €100mn of funding, boosting European efforts to develop the ability to strike deep inside Russia. Hypersonica said it had secured the new cash in a deal co-led by Silicon Valley venture capital firms Lightspeed and General Catalyst. The deal valued the company at roughly €700mn, people familiar with the matter said.
South Korea, Turkey to cooperate in nuclear, defence, infrastructure
Reuters | November 3rd, 2026
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed at a summit on Tuesday to expand cooperation in nuclear energy and defence, including on one of Turkey's biggest power projects, Lee said. The leaders also agreed to work closely in other areas including infrastructure, biotechnology and critical minerals, Lee told a joint press conference.
Does Tehran want the bomb? Some in DC say war has shifted Iran’s thinking.
Howard LaFranchi | The Christian Science Monitor
Shortly after Pakistan’s army chief visited Tehran last month to discuss ways to bring the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran to an end, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council underlined one step that was off the table for making peace with Washington.
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.