CND Press Digest: Thursday 21st September 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to the UN General Assembly.
• Ukraine War: The unspoken role of nuclear weapons.
• Newsweek: Fear of Russian nuclear escalation still impeding military aid to Ukraine.
• Ukrinform: A total of 822 Ukrainian nuclear workers remain at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Another 2,083 ZNPP employees are not allowed to work.

AUKUS

• Asia Times: Even a Trump return likely wouldn’t dislodge AUKUS.
• ‘Growing unease’ around AUKUS at highest levels of US government.

Nuclear Weapons

• The Independent reports on a result in the latest British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, with almost two thirds of those asked said having its own nuclear weapons made Britain a safer place to live.
• Associated Press: Inside the delicate art of maintaining America’s aging nuclear weapons. 

Lakenheath

• CND on the recent letters sent by Nuclear Free Local Authorities to government ministers about deploying US nuclear weapons to Britain.
• The Telegraph fawns over the spotting of F-15E Strike Eagle jets flying at RAF Lakenheath.

Nuked Blood Scandal

• The Mirror and The Independent report on the launch of legal action by British nuclear test veterans against the MoD, demanding that their full medical records are released.
• The Mirror’s view on the nuked blood scandal.
• The Mirror and Independent also speak to veterans and their families about the scandal. 

Labour Party

• A great letter from Rae Street to The Guardian on Keir Starmer’s decision to abolish the post of shadow minister for peace and disarmament within his shadow cabinet.

Nuclear Energy

• The Guardian Australia: The vague, ideological push for nuclear energy backed by the Coalition and News Corp and given legitimacy this week on the ABC’s Q+A should be treated as what it is: the latest step in a decades-long campaign of delay and denial on the climate crisis.
• Uranium prices are likely to extend a blistering rally and end the year more than 50% higher as mounting worries over climate change accelerate a global shift to cleaner sources of energy including nuclear power, analysts said.
• Letters to the Irish Times on nuclear power.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told an interview with Fox News that the kingdom will seek to acquire nuclear weapons if Iran is successful in producing one. The Crown Prince also Reuters Exclusive: Qatar held separate bilateral meetings with the United States and Iran this week that touched on Iran’s nuclear program and US concerns about Iranian drone transfers to Russia.

• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday that the United States should prove its “goodwill and determination” to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact as months of indirect talks between the long-time foes have led nowhere. “By exiting the JCPOA, the United States violated the agreement and the principle of good faith. America should demonstrate its goodwill and determination,” Raisi said in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Tehran and six world powers.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament