Chief of nuclear watchdog says secret Assad-era facility would have been able to produce fissile material

A nearly complete nuclear reactor built secretly during the rule of the toppled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad would have been able to produce fissile material for possible use in nuclear weapons, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog has revealed.

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last month visited two sites, one in Deir ez-Zor and a second in an undisclosed location identified to them by Syrian authorities.

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© Photograph: Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters

© Photograph: Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters

© Photograph: Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters

In March 2021, while serving as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, I hosted a discussion with General Chance Saltzman, now Chief of Space Operations for the United States […]

The post The new space wars: lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East appeared first on SpaceNews.

Donald Trump approves agreement to help country make fuel for civilian nuclear programme

Donald Trump signed a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that could enable the kingdom to enrich its own uranium for nuclear reactions.

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, signed “a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement” and “an accompanying bilateral safeguards agreement,” according to a statement from the US Department of Energy.

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© Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images

© Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images

© Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images

NEW YORK — A study published last week in Nature Astronomy has proposed a new satellite design and technique to detect thermonuclear warheads in space. Funded in part by the […]

The post Nature study identifies a new way to spot nuclear weapons in orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.

Officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) admit they are preparing for a “worst-case scenario” of nuclear weapons being used in the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran. It also brings into focus the possible use of the Samson Option if the Israeli state is threatened with extinction.

An Australian Federal Court judge found that political criticism of Israel, however inflammatory or adversarial, is not by its nature criticism of Jews in general or based on Jewish racial or ethnic identity. Disparagement of Zionism constitutes disparagement of a philosophy or ideology and not a race or ethnic group.

Israel, a non-NPT signatory, may possess 200-400 nuclear warheads. Its minister's bomb remarks hint at this arsenal. The NPT encourages nonproliferation but excludes Israel, highlighting global nuclear hypocrisy and tension.

Companies say it’s a better way to dispose of the Cold War-era material — and fix a shortage of nuclear fuel. But the plan has also faced criticism from nonproliferation experts.

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