Nuclear Policy News – April 22, 2021

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Top News:

Europeans warn against attacks on Iran nuclear facilities
Jerusalem Post

China reactors will yield weapons-grade plutonium -U.S. commander
Reuters

U.S. and Iranian officials see some progress in nuclear talks, but long road remains
CNN

United States

Lawmakers, defense officials joust over next-gen ICBM plans
Defense News4/22/21
The war over developing a next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile ― whether it’s vital to deter Russia and China, as conservatives say, or whether existing missiles can be overhauled for less ― flared up at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

East Asia

China reactors will yield weapons-grade plutonium -U.S. commander
Reuters4/21/21
A new generation of nuclear power facilities that China is developing could produce large amounts of plutonium that could be used to make nuclear weapons, the head of the U.S. Strategic Command warned lawmakers this week.

South Korea’s president said Trump ‘beat around the bush’ on North Korea’s nukes and his efforts ‘failed’
Business Insider4/22/21
South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a new interview with the New York Times said that former President Donald Trump “failed” on the issue of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Middle East

U.S. and Iranian officials see some progress in nuclear talks, but long road remains
CNN4/21/21
U.S. and Iranian officials say they have made progress in talks aimed at bringing the United States back to the 2015 nuclear deal and Iran back into compliance with it, but U.S. officials stressed that a long road remains ahead.

Syrian missile explodes in area near Israeli nuclear reactor, Israel retaliates
Reuters4/22/21
A Syrian missile exploded in southern Israel on Thursday, the Israeli military said, in an incident that triggered warning sirens near the secretive Dimona nuclear reactor and an Israeli strike in Syria.

Israel attacks targets in Syria after rocket fire
DW4/22/21
Israel has said it attacked Syrian targets in retaliation to a missile that fell near the Dimona nuclear reactor.

Iran nuclear deal talks advance as U.S. offers sanctions relief
Wall Street Journal4/21/21
The Biden administration has signaled it is open to easing sanctions against critical elements of Iran’s economy, including oil and finance, helping narrow differences in nuclear talks, according to people familiar with the matter.

Russia and Europe

Europeans warn against attacks on Iran nuclear facilities
Jerusalem Post4/21/21
“We condemn escalatory measures by any actor which could jeopardize progress.” Iran’s clerical establishment said it will not return to the 2015 agreement unless all sanctions are lifted.

OPINION: Russia: A problem, not a threat
NewsweekJoshua Shifrinson
4/21/21
Although any state with a lot of nuclear weapons is a potential threat, the Russian challenge is overblown.

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