CND's Press Round-Up - 17th June 2021
Posted: 17th June 2021
Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.
Nuclear Weapons
Speculation mounts on what tomorrow’s Iranian presidential election means for the nuclear deal.
Iran Nuclear Deal
Al Jazeera carries an analysis piece on tomorrow’s presidential elections in Iran. Perceived hardliner Ebrahim Raisi is widely considered the favourite. However, there seems to be growing consensus that the nuclear deal has to be advanced, something which is backed up by recent statements from the Ayatollah Khamenei.
This comes as the Times of Israel reports that three of the seven presidential candidates pulled out yesterday. Two candidates, Alireza Zakani and Saeed Jalili, viewed as being ‘ultra-conservative’ dropped out and urged voters to back Raisi. Another candidate, viewed as being more reformist, also dropped out.
Anti-war
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have met in Geneva whilst more clarity is gained on the U.S’s approach to China.
U.S-Russia Relations
Al Jazeera reports that Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin agreed to reinstate ambassadors in Washington and Moscow at their meeting in Geneva yesterday. They additionally agreed to future talks on arms control and discussed cyber-security issues. Putin told a press conference afterwards that the two countries were responsible for nuclear strategic stability and that discussions will begin on changes to the New START, which expires in 2026.
However, Director of ICAN Beatrice Fihn has warned that ‘This summit and the news of a new dialogue on future arms control are of course welcomed, but it doesn’t actually match the seriousness of the global security situation today’.
U.S-China Relations
The new U.S. Treasury Secretary has said it ‘would not be wise’ to go too far in decoupling the U.S. economy and, in particular, importations of technology from China, the South China Morning Post reports. In addition to this, Janet Yellen added that some European countries would be reluctant to match U.S. measures. Yellen did strike a hawkish note however when she added that the U.S. needed to restrict some Chinese investment and vice versa. At the start of this month, Joe Biden transferred responsibility for managing Chinese sanctions from the Department of Defense to Yellen’s Treasury Department.
A prominent American public intellectual has said the G7 is no longer fit for purpose.
G7 Summit Aftermath
The development economist Jeffrey Sachs has a piece on the Project Syndicate website arguing that the G7 has outlived its usefulness. He argues that, by excluding some of the largest economies in the world like China and India, the G7 provides an unrepresentative basis for global economic governance. Moreover, in his view, by claiming international leadership on issues like climate change and covid vaccination and then failing to provide it, the G7 acts as a block on progress. He concludes by saying that ‘we need Asia, Africa, and Latin America at the table for any true global problem solving’.
Nuclear Power
China has made its first official statement about the ongoing incident at the Taishan plant.
Nuclear Power – China
There is extensive press coverage of the issues at the Taishan nuclear power plant in southern China. The BBC reports that the Chinese government has admitted that fuel rods in the plant are damaged. China did deny claims made by the operating company to the U.S. Department of Energy that the level of permissible radiation in the area was being raised to allow the plant to continue to operate. Wednesday’s statement was the first official acknowledgement of the incident.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament