Non-Proliferation

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) removed all of the cesium-137 irradiators in South Carolina as part of the Cesium Irradiator Replacement Project, the agency said last week. This makes South Carolina the 13th U.S. state, or U.S. territory, to clear high-risk cesium-137 radioactive material from the region. The other states as of yet are: […]

A bill has been reintroduced in the Senate by co-chairs of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, which would require Congressional approval for any nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. The legislation is by Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) It is called the “No Nuclear Weapons for Saudi Arabia Act,” […]

A bill has been reintroduced in the Senate by co-chairs of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, which would require Congressional approval for any nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. The legislation is by Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) It is called the “No Nuclear Weapons for Saudi Arabia Act,” […]

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) is urging the Donald Trump administration to pursue near-term arms control steps with Russia while opening parallel, if incremental, discussions with China – warning a treaty lapse risks accelerating a destabilizing nuclear competition. Signed in 2010 by then U.S. and Russian Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, the New Strategic Arms […]

While President Donald Trump has not officially signed a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, the announcement by a State Department official that one is in the works got pushback in Congress. Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told both the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees that […]

Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said he has “not been in any discussions” where U.S. testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere has been under consideration. “We’re still assessing,” Dinanno said in testimony Tuesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We’ve made no decision specifically on how or what […]

While President Donald Trump has not officially signed a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, the announcement by a State Department official that one is in the works got pushback in Congress. Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told both the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees that […]

Over half of thefts involving nuclear and other radioactive material reported to the Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) since 1993 occurred during authorized transport, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) database showed this week. More often than not, stolen radioactive material is not recovered, IAEA also said.  The ITDB is IAEA’s collection of illicit trafficking […]

Christine Wormuth, chief executive officer of Washington think tank Nuclear Threat Initiative, said in a Thursday webinar a ground operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium would be “extraordinarily complicated.” For the past couple of weeks, there have been reports the Donald Trump administration is considering deploying troops to secure the speculated 440 kilograms, or near […]

While President Donald Trump has not officially signed a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, the announcement by a State Department official that one is in the works got pushback in Congress. Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told both the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees that […]

Thomas Dinanno, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said he has “not been in any discussions” where U.S. testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere has been under consideration. “We’re still assessing,” Dinanno said in testimony Tuesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We’ve made no decision specifically on how or what […]

Over half of thefts involving nuclear and other radioactive material reported to the Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) since 1993 occurred during authorized transport, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) database showed Monday. More often than not, stolen radioactive material is not recovered, IAEA also said.  The ITDB is IAEA’s collection of illicit trafficking incidents, […]

After a joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility early Friday, Iran retaliated with a strike on a town near Israel’s secret nuclear facility, Negev, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency and major news outlets. Afterward, an international nuclear monitor said it has not identified any increase in offsite radiation following the exchange.  […]

The United States should embrace a clear policy condemning military attacks on international  nuclear power plants, a senior think tank official said at a hearing Monday. Earlier this month the United States was one of only four countries that opposed a resolution for the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] Board of Governors that expressed concern […]

The Donald Trump administration is considering deploying troops on the ground in Iran to secure the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU), news reports say. “People are going to have to go and get it,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a Congressional briefing Tuesday about securing Tehran’s stockpile of uranium.  Other news […]

President Donald Trump announced early Saturday Feb. 28 the U.S. military and Israel began joint “major combat operations” in Iran with the objective of “eliminating imminent threats” from the regime. The following day the Pentagon reported Iran’s supreme leader had been killed. “They [Iran] rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t […]

The U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran, in reaction to what President Donald Trump said was fear of Iran developing a nuclear weapon, has led to a variety of mixed responses from hawks and doves alike. Early Saturday morning, Trump said in a filmed speech on social media that the U.S. military, gathered on […]

The Donald Trump White House nominated Preston Wells Griffith on Monday to be the United States ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The White House also nominated Griffith to be the U.S. State Department ambassador to the Vienna Office of the United Nations. Griffith served in the first Donald Trump administration, holding several senior […]

The Donald Trump White House nominated Preston Wells Griffith on Monday to be the United States ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The White House also nominated Griffith to be the U.S. ambassador to the Vienna Office of the United Nations.  Griffith served in the first Donald Trump administration, holding several senior roles at […]

After the State Department publicly revealed China secretly conducted an explosive nuclear test in 2020, despite a self-imposed ban from 1996, intelligence agencies are saying China’s purpose is to completely transform the country’s nuclear arsenal, according to CNN. The Feb. 21 article said sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments said the nuclear test could mean […]

After the State Department publicly revealed China secretly conducted an explosive nuclear test in 2020, despite a self-imposed ban from 1996, intelligence agencies are saying China’s purpose is to completely transform the country’s nuclear arsenal, according to CNN. The Feb. 21 article said sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments said the nuclear test could mean […]

President Donald Trump, while recounting the strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, reportedly contemplated the possibility of another military strike on Tehran at his Board of Peace meeting in Washington this week. “[The U.S.] may have to take it a step further or we may not. You will be finding out over the next […]

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), met with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in Geneva, and progress was made on nuclear issues, according to the Iranian government’s website Monday. According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, Grossi met with Araghchi on behalf of the United Nations nuclear […]

With a 16-year U.S.-Russia nuclear agreement that expired Thursday, President Donald Trump took to social media to say he would negotiate an “improved” treaty instead of extending it again. Signed in 2010 by then U.S. and Russian Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which hit its expiration […]

With a 16-year U.S.-Russia nuclear agreement expiring Feb. 5, three former national security officials testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Tuesday to advise on next steps and whether a year-long extension is best. Signed in 2010 by then U.S. and Russian Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, the New Strategic Arms […]

The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic device the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists uses to signify closeness to “global catastrophe” set another record closeness to midnight as of Tuesday. “A year ago, we warned that the world was perilously close to global disaster and that any delay in reversing course increased the probability of catastrophe,” the Manhattan […]

The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic device the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists uses to signify closeness to “global catastrophe” set another record closeness to midnight as of Tuesday. “A year ago, we warned that the world was perilously close to global disaster and that any delay in reversing course increased the probability of catastrophe,” the Manhattan […]

Brandon Williams, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), told the Exchange Monitor Wednesday it is “certainly not my job to agree” with President Donald Trump on whether to return to nuclear testing. “You know, the president is the Commander in Chief, the president will make all of these decisions,” Williams said in response […]

Brandon Williams, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), told the Exchange Monitor Wednesday it is “certainly not my job to agree” with President Donald Trump on whether to return to nuclear testing. “You know, the president is the Commander in Chief, the president will make all of these decisions,” Williams said in response […]

President Donald Trump told the New York Times that if a U.S.-Russia nuclear agreement “expires, it expires” and he would “just do a better agreement,” a statement the Union of Concerned Scientists thinks could be dangerous. The New Strategic Arms Reduction (New START) Treaty, signed in 2010 by then U.S. and Russian presidents Barack Obama […]