CND's Press Round-Up - 23rd June 2021

Posted: 23rd June 2021

Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.

Nuclear Weapons

The U.S. has tried to make soothing noises in regards to the Iranian presidential election whilst Imran Khan comments on the political rationale for Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

Iran Presidential Election
 
The Biden administration has said that the election of Ebrahim Raisi as president of Iran should not effect the outcome of the talks in Vienna, according to the Associated Press.  The White House Press Secretary said that ‘The president’s view and our view is that the decision leader is the supreme leader’. The sixth round of negotiations in Vienna ended this week without further progress. A seventh round of talks has yet to be scheduled.
 
Nuclear Weapons – Pakistan
 
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has given an interview in which he talks about Pakistani nuclear weapons programme. In an interview with U.S. television, Khan said that the country’s nuclear weapons were ‘simply for its own defence’, when faced with its much larger Indian neighbour. He pointed to the question of Kashmir and nuclear weapons as being intimately linked, saying that ‘the moment there is a settlement on Kashmir, I believe Pakistan and India will live as civilized neighbours without nuclear deterrence’. He also said that U.S. actions into Afghanistan from Pakistan would not be permitted.

Anti-war

A protestor has gone on hunger strike against Elbit Systems, whilst Germany tries to conclude a major arms deal with the United States and the Taliban launch a major offensive. 

UK Arms Trade
 
The Morning Star reports that an imprisoned Palestine Action activist has gone on hunger strike to protest the arms giant Elbit Systems, which has a number of production sites across the UK and which supplies huge amounts of equipment to the IDF. ‘Yogi Bear’ has been on hunger strike for a week. Palestine Action have planned a protest outside the Elbit Systems factory in Oldham later on today.
 
U.S-Germany Relations
 
The German government has demanded permission from the Bundestag to buy five P-8 Poseidon submarine-hunting aircraft from the U.S, at a total cost of $1.1 billion, the DefenseNews website reports. The arms deal is designed as a stop-gap until a joint French-German project comes on-line in the mid-2030s. There is some speculation that Germany is concerned about Russian activity in the Baltic and wants to play a larger role in the Indo-Pacific.
 
Afghanistan Conflict
 
The Taliban have launched a series of offensives against the Afghan government, as the U.S. withdraw, Reuters reports. The UN reports that the offensive has captured several provincial capitals. The Taliban is attempting to break into the north of country, where they are weaker. Negotiations in Doha towards a peace deal have stalled.