CND's Press Round-Up - 30th April 2021
Posted: 30th April 2021
Dear all,
Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.
Nuclear Weapons
Extinction Rebellion has blocked the gate at the Faslane base, whilst the U.S. moots extensive sanctions relief for Iran and South Korea reports on missile testing from the North.
Direct Action at Faslane
The blocking of the gate at the Faslane nuclear facility by Extinction Rebellion has generated considerable press coverage. A group composed of women sat down on the road at around six this morning, after which the police were called. Extinction Rebellion have said it wants a ‘future safe from the threat of nuclear weapons and environmental destruction’. The BBC, Sky News, ITV and a large number of newspapers have covered the story.
Iran Nuclear Deal
The Associated Press reports that the U.S. is weighing up a ‘near wholescale rollback’ of sanctions imposed on Iran by Donald Trump as part of efforts to resurrect the JCPoA. U.S. officials are refusing to comment on what sanctions might be withdrawn, but it appears sanctions under the rubrics of terrorism, human rights abuses and missile development are on the table too. Some areas of current sanctions including the Iranian Central Bank, the national oil and shipping companies and the financial sector could see their sanctions eased because they affect the nuclear programme, even if they were ostensibly imposed for other reasons. Republicans in Congress are currently trying to place the Trump sanctions on the statute book, though this is unlikely to be successful.
North Korean Missile Testing
South Korea has discovered blind spots in its radar systems which meant that recent North Korean test fires of ballistic missiles went undetected, according to local press. North Korea conducted a test on March 25th, the missile from which travelled 600km before landing in the sea, substantially farther than had been previously thought. South Korean intelligence believes the North is currently working to boost missile capacity.
Anti-war
The U.S. warns its NATO ally Turkey not to buy more weapons from Russia, on pain of more sanctions.
Turkey Missile Defence
The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned the Turkish government that more purchases of Russian weaponry will result in further sanctions, according to the Al-Monitor specialist website. Blinken also said that the U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide, which has caused controversy in Turkey, should have been unsurprising to the Turkish government. Turkey purchased the S-400 missile defence system from Russia in 2019, which the U.S. says poses a threat to current NATO systems.
Nuclear Power
Indigenous activists have written in the Guardian warning about the impact the release of contaminated water from Fukushima will have on the Pacific region.
Fukushima Water Release
In a comment piece in the Guardian, two indigenous peoples’ activists, Joey Tau and Talei Luscia Mangioni oppose the release of one million tonnes of radioactive water from the Fukushima site into the Pacific. They point out that Pacific peoples continue to suffer the effects of the 315 nuclear test that were conducted after 1945 across the region, in the Marshall Islands, Australia, Kiribati, and French Polynesia. They point to the long history of activism by groups like the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific group and conclude by saying that the Japanese government must ‘reflect on our joint nuclear legacy and listen to their Pacific neighbours’.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament