CND's Press Round-Up - 18th June 2021
Posted: 18th June 2021
Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.
Nuclear Weapons
Iranian Presidential Election
Iranians will be voting today in the country’s presidential elections. Associated Press carries a long report which sets the elections in the context of the Iran nuclear deal. While perceived conservative Ebrahim Raisi is widely expected to win, in recent weeks it has appeared all candidates support some form of nuclear deal and the negotiations required to get there.
Al Jazeera reports that the result is expected to be out by late on Saturday night. One analyst told the television station that Raisi would probably get more than 60% of the vote, at the very least. Serving president Hassan Rouhani seemed to criticise implicitly the decision to bar several moderate candidates from standing.
Anti-war
A court in South Africa has ruled that the country’s government must publish a list of companies licensed to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to Middle East Eye. This follows on from an application by a human rights group. South Africa is estimated to export around three hundred million dollars a year. Campaigners want to stop arms exports which are used in the war on Yemen.
U.S-Russia Relations
Republicans in Congress are accusing Joe Biden of being weak on Russia after Wednesday’s meeting and are demanding further sanctions, according to U.S. political website The Hill. They also want reports to the State Department on whether Russia is engaged in chemical weapons use. Back in March, the U.S. imposed a fresh round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning and subsequent arrest of Alexei Navalny.
Turkish Missile Defence
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the country will retain its Russian-produced S-400 missile defence system, in spite of U.S. pressure and sanctions. Al Jazeera reports that Erdogan communicated this stance to Biden at the NATO summit in Brussels at the start of the week. Turkey was previously expelled from a U.S. jet programme after refusing to cancel the purchase of the Russian weaponry. Erdogan also suggested that Turkey could guard Kabul airport after the completion of the U.S. withdrawal.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power – UK
A multinational consortium backed by Jeff Bezos has said it wants to build a nuclear fusion facility in Oxfordshire, according to the BBC. Under General Fusion’s proposals, a reactor 70% of the size of a commercial one would be built at the Culham institution. Around $400 million is expected to be invested in the plant.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament