CND Press Roundup Monday 9th January 2023

War in Ukraine / NATO

• Reuters reports on attempts by Russian hackers to gain access to passwords used by nuclear scientists working at three US nuclear research laboratories. Members of the Cold River hacking group targeted Brookhaven (BNL), Argonne (ANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) in August and September last year.

• The head of Ukraine’s nuclear power company has called for UN peacekeepers to be deployed to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Nuclear Proliferation

• The FT covers a recent Atlantic Council survey of foreign policy experts – where 90 percent believe that another country will obtain nuclear weapons by 2033. Over two-thirds believe this country will be Iran. However, 58 percent believe nuclear use won’t happen over the course of the next decade.

Militarisation of Space

• Military satellites will be among those launched into space from Cornwall Newquay airport today, as part of the Start Me Up mission. Drone Wars UK has a piece on their website about opposition to the militarisation of space.

Nuclear Energy

• The Sunday Times reports on the battle within the UK government on funding over small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear plants – with a funding deal not expected to be announced for another 12 months. Whitehall sources told the paper that there “remains significant uncertainty over the scale of state investment” in the technology.

• Renew Extra Weekly with a piece on how SMRs are being oversold.

• Hopes touted in much of the media in 2022 on the potential of nuclear fusion gets a dose of reality, as The Guardian reports on years of delays – admitted by the head of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) project.

• This Telegraph comment, meanwhile, still is holding on to the belief that Britain has a chance to be a nuclear fusion superpower.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• The Observer runs an editorial calling for a rethink of the UK’s (and allies) strategy when it comes to dealing with Iran – especially in the wake of its deepening ties with Russia – which could merge various conflicts into a wider one. Noting that if the West isn’t seeking regime change in Iran it needs an urgent plan “about how best to rebuild a constructive dialogue with the majority of Iranians who reject their country’s increasingly desperate, illegitimate leadership – and dream of a prosperous, democratic future.” It also notes Menwith Hill’s apparent involvement in the assassination of former Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Suleimani.

North Korea

• The FT Weekend had a big read on the growing nuclear threat by North Korea after a bumper year of ballistic missile launches and growing fears of a long-awaited nuclear test.