Progress “has been made” between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog’s director general Rafael Grossi said in his introductory statement to the Board of Governors meeting Sept. 8 in Vienna.
“We have attentively followed the most recent developments in Tehran, in particular the Parliament of Iran’s adoption on 25 June of a law suspending cooperation with the Agency, which was approved by the President of Iran on 2 July,” Grossi said. “It is my sincere hope that within the next few days it will be possible to come to a successful conclusion of these discussions in order to facilitate the resumption of our indispensable work with Iran.”
Grossi’s comments come after Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the country is ready for curbs in enrichment in exchange for terminating sanctions.
General Dynamics Electric Boat conducted a keel laying ceremony for the second Columbia-class submarine, the future USS Wisconsin (SSBN-827) on Aug. 27.
The ceremony marked the start of construction as a vessel moves from design to fabrication. This will be the third Navy ship to be named after the state, following an Illinois-class pre-Dreadnought battleship commissioned in 1901 and an Iowa-class battleship commissioned in 1944.
The new SSBNs will replace the Ohio-class nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines.
President Donald Trump on Sept. 5 signed an executive order establishing the Pentagon’s “secondary” name as the “Department of War.”
The directive is an initial step in moving to officially change the Department of Defense’s title, which would require congressional approval. “This is something we thought long and hard about. We’ve been talking about it for months,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “So we won the First World War, we won the Second World War, everything before that and in between and then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense.”
DoD was known as the Department of War from 1789 to 1947. Under the executive order, the Defense Secretary would also have the “secondary” title of “Secretary of War.”
The first screening of “The Nuclear Frontier” documentary is set to premiere on Sept. 15 at the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
The documentary, directed by Evan Mascagni who recently became pro-nuclear, outlines young nuclear power advocates and business leaders as they push for the growth of nuclear energy in the United States. The documentary filmmakers said South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) will also be honored at the premiere for being a continued supporter of the use of nuclear power in his state. Nuclear energy produced 55% of the in-state electricity generation in 2023.
The Sept. 15 premiere will mark the beginning of a nine-state tour with screenings on 14 college campuses. According to “The Nuclear Frontier’s” Aug. 26 press release, the filmmakers will travel from Sept. 16 to 29 for the screening tour.
