Nuclear

• Europe is experiencing a "nuclear golden age" as countries like the UK, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland revive or expand nuclear programs to meet the energy demands of the AI boom. • The UK has selected North Wales for its first Small Modular Reactor (SMR), supported by a £2.5 billion investment and the selection of Rolls-Royce SMR as a preferred technology partner in 2025. • This shift is marked by significant financial momentum, including $3 billion in announced deals and multibillion-pound international contracts for Rolls-Royce to build SMRs in Sweden.

• The United States and Iran have reached an interim agreement regarding Tehran’s nuclear programme to prevent immediate escalation. • The deal establishes a two-month negotiation window to address critical unresolved issues, including enrichment limits and verification mechanisms. • This temporary arrangement is significant as it defers a final decision on Iran's nuclear future while attempting to maintain diplomatic channels.

• President Emmanuel Macron is pursuing a strategic shift to transform France's independent nuclear deterrent into a broader "European dimension" security framework. • Eight NATO members, including Germany, Poland, the UK, and Sweden, have already signed on to support this initiative. • The move aims to strengthen European strategic autonomy and collective defense capabilities amidst growing geopolitical instability.

This blog is now closed – see our full report on the US-Iran agreement and an analysis of what it meansThe agreement between the United ⁠States and Iran should allow for the “immediate reopening” ⁠of the ⁠Strait ​of Hormuz, EU Commission President Ursula von ⁠der Leyen said on Monday.“The priority now is ⁠its swift and full implementation ​by all parties,” ‌von der ‌Leyen said about the ‌announced deal. Continue reading...

G7 told ‘we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes’, with Russia’s finance networks and shadow fleet targetedKeir Starmer has vowed to “choke off” Russian revenue with further sanctions and to provide hundreds of millions of pounds worth of energy support for Ukraine, as he met world leaders in France for the G7.After a torrid political week at home, the British prime minister sought to put himself on the front foot on the international stage at the meeting of the group of seven, which kicked off on Monday in the French spa town of Évian-les-Bains, on the shore of Lake Geneva. Continue reading...

Inherent ambiguities could yet derail signing, with Trump so far achieving none of his stated goals of the warTallying the global cost of the US-Israel war against IranMiddle East crisis – live updatesIf we get to a Friday signing ceremony without this uncertain new US-Iran deal being derailed by any of its inherent ambiguities, then nuclear talks can finally restart in the same place – and at almost exactly the same point they were before this conflict started.The world will have irrevocably been changed in other ways. There is no going back for the 120 Iranian children in Minab killed in their primary school in the war’s first hours, nor for their bereaved parents, or any of the thousands in Iran, Lebanon and around the region whose lives were erased or blighted by a feckless war of choice. Continue reading...

• NATO is currently debating a potential shift in its nuclear posture, focusing on the strategic placement of weapons rather than just the total quantity. • Poland is being considered as a potential new host for nuclear assets, as it already provides conventional support for NATO's nuclear mission. • Poland possesses the necessary financial and military infrastructure to join the Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) framework, similar to current hosts Germany, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Agreement contains no restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missiles, nor does it call for regime change or surrenderMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe basic structure of the US-Iran deal reached late on Sunday – a return to the prewar status quo – has been on offer from Iran for more than a month. So has the specific architecture: an immediate unwinding of the consequences of the US-Israeli war through the reopening of the strait of Hormuz and a deferral of the actual negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, the ostensible cause of the war. The concept of a 60-day ceasefire to resolve these issues has also been a fixture for more than a month.But it has taken the mounting pressure on the US and Iranian economies for both sides to recognise politically that a return to all-out war was unlikely to resolve the impasse, and if so, compromises would have to be struck. Continue reading...

Liberal MP says Australia risks sovereignty and strategic independence being ‘constrained by the AI superpowers reshaping the global order’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiberal Andrew Hastie says Australia should dramatically scale up investment in artificial intelligence to preserve strategic independence and warns the country risks being “a supplicant state” tethered to the US in an era of possible hot conflict with China.In a major address to Liberal members in Sydney on Monday night, the shadow minister for industry and sovereign capability likened the development of AI to the nuclear arms race of the cold-war era and proposed Australia position itself as a technology hub in the southern hemisphere. Continue reading...

Attack was ‘extremely vile’ and deliberate, says Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy A Russian Shahed drone has substantially damaged a building used to store spent nuclear fuel close to the disused Chornobyl nuclear power plant, in what Ukraine’s president described as a deliberate and “extremely vile” attack.While the structure – the reception building of the spent fuel storage facility – was empty of containers at the time, the targeting of the sensitive site appeared to be direct messaging from Moscow amid an intensifying battle of long-range aerial strikes in which high-profile locations on both sides have been hit. Continue reading...

David Shoebridge says Australia could become embroiled in a US war with China if purchase of Virginia-class attack submarines proceedsAnthony Albanese has reiterated that Aukus is “full-steam ahead” after the Greens renewed calls to cancel the nuclear-powered submarines deal, which the minor party warned could draw Australia into a potential US war with China.Debate over the security pact has resurfaced after the announcement that Australia would buy secondhand Virginia-class submarines from the US, rather than a mix of old and new vessels. Continue reading...

• Author Lawrence Wittner argues in a June 1, 2026, article that there is a significant disconnect between nationalist political rhetoric and the actual desires of the global population. • The piece highlights a "curious irony" where politicians frequently belittle international cooperation and rail against foreign nations despite widespread public support for solidarity. • This gap matters because it suggests that the current political trend toward isolationism and nationalism does not reflect the will of the majority of people worldwide.

Secretary of state appears before Congress and repeats Trump administration’s claims that a deal is within reachIran has agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program that it had refused to discuss even a month ago, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has claimed, even as Tehran announced it was halting peace talks and moving to fully close the strait of Hormuz.Appearing before the Senate foreign relations committee for the first time since the Trump administration launched the war against Iran – which was pitched as a short, weeks-long war, in February – Rubio repeated the Trump administration’s claims that a deal was within reach. Continue reading...

Remains of Los Alamos employee Melissa Casias found alongside handgun in case that stirred online speculationAuthorities in New Mexico have identified human remains which they recently discovered as those of a Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) employee who had been missing for more than a year.In a statement released over the weekend, state police said the remains belonged to Melissa Casias, a 53-year-old resident of Taos, New Mexico, who was last seen walking eastbound along a state highway on 26 June 2025. Continue reading...

• Softbank has announced a €75 billion investment plan to develop 5GW of AI data center capacity in France. • The project aims to leverage France's nuclear power infrastructure to support the massive energy demands of artificial intelligence. • While French officials hail the move as a breakthrough for European digital sovereignty, critics argue that the reliance on foreign capital and ecosystems undermines this goal.

• SoftBank plans to invest up to $87 billion to develop AI data centers in France, leveraging the country's robust nuclear energy grid. • The initial phase involves a $52 billion investment to establish 3.1 GW of capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. • This move highlights a growing global trend of AI infrastructure shifting toward regions with stable, low-carbon power, contrasting with energy shortages in the US.

• A Singapore government agency said the United Nations nuclear watchdog will assess the city-state’s ability to make an “informed decision” on potential future deployment of advanced nuclear energy technologies. • The review is part of Singapore’s longer-term energy planning as officials explore low-carbon options while weighing safety, regulation, and infrastructure needs. • This matters because even preliminary nuclear assessments can shape regional energy policy and investor expectations in a resource-constrained economy.

National Audit Office says potential benefits are ‘considerable but uncertain’ while risks are ‘immediate and substantial’The cost of the government’s £38bn nuclear plant in Suffolk is subject to “significant uncertainty” and may outweigh the benefits for UK households until at least 2064, according to the government’s spending watchdog.The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that although the potential benefits of the Sizewell C nuclear plant are considerable, they remain uncertain. The risks, however, are “immediate, substantial and borne by the public”. Continue reading...

Attack marks first time military action has forced a fully operating nuclear power plant to rely on backup generators• Middle East crisis – live updatesA drone strike that cut off external power to a nuclear reactor in the United Arab Emirates this week has revived concerns over the safety of nuclear plants during wartime.Reactor no 3 at the Barakah nuclear plant lost off-site power, which is critical for its own functioning, for about 24 hours after the attack on Sunday, forcing it to rely on emergency diesel generators. Continue reading...

Meeting also comes amid recent brutal Russian attacks and Putin’s visit to ChinaThe UN security council is meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine today in response to recent brutal Russian attacks on the country and joint nuclear weapons drills starting in Russia and Belarus.The meeting – called by Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, and UK – is expected to cover the latest on “peace and security” situation in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Abu Dhabi denounces ‘dangerous escalation’ as Iran war ceasefire grows more precariousThe United Arab Emirates has blamed a fire near its nuclear power plant on a drone launched by Iran or one of its proxies in what the UAE called a “dangerous escalation”.The fire was just outside the Barakah nuclear plant and caused no injuries or radiation alerts, but it came at an extremely tense moment in the sixth week of a ceasefire in the Iran war, with peace talks stalled and Donald Trump voicing impatience at the deadlock. Continue reading...

Outcry follows release of previously secret documents naming Wollongong suburb as preferred east coast Aukus baseAs Aukus spending and delays blow out, will Australia’s nuclear submarines ever materialise?Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA labour union has expressed alarm about newly released documents that reveal Port Kembla to be a preferred Australian base for nuclear-powered submarines, saying it would “place a massive target on our backs”.The South Coast Labour Council has warned federal and state politicians of “political fallout” should they proceed with “surrendering Port Kembla to Trump’s Navy” as an Aukus base. Continue reading...

Port Kembla residents will likely resist base due to risk of nuclear accident and potential as target for ‘military adversaries’, documents stateGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA proposed nuclear submarine base in Port Kembla “could be a target for Australian military adversaries”, previously secret New South Wales government documents have revealed.The documents, prepared by the NSW cabinet office and premier’s department, identify Port Kembla – 75km south of Sydney – as the preferred east coast base for Australia’s proposed nuclear submarine fleet. No site has been announced, but speculation has focused on Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Kembla. Continue reading...

Labor has announced funding for Australian Submarine Agency will jump to $512m in next financial year amid concerns the sovereign submarine fleet may never arriveFederal budget 2026 LIVE updates: Australia government budget announcement and speech – latest newsExplore all of our 2026 Australia federal budget coverageGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe budget for Australia’s contentious Aukus deal has ballooned by more than $430m over four years, with the agency charged with securing the country’s nuclear-powered submarines requiring a massive injection of funding and staffing.The Australian Submarine Agency’s resourcing for next financial year will jump by a third – from $385m to $512m. Continue reading...

• U.S. President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing on Wednesday for two-day talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, marking their first face-to-face meeting in over six months amid strained ties. • Discussions will cover Iran, Taiwan tensions, artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and potential extension of a critical minerals deal, according to U.S. officials. • The summit aims to stabilize relations between the world's two largest economies, strained by ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, trade disputes, and tariff threats from Trump's first term.

• President Trump stated on Wednesday he is 'cautiously optimistic' about a potential U.S.-Iran deal following 'very good talks over the last 24 hours,' potentially involving Iran surrendering uranium, lifting U.S. sanctions, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. • Trump issued a one-week ultimatum on X, warning 'if they don't agree, the bombing starts' at a 'much higher level and intensity than before.' • Iran is reviewing the U.S. peace proposal, as reported in ongoing diplomatic efforts amid claims the U.S. has already won the war with Iran.

Pontiff responds after US president accuses him of ‘endangering a lot of Catholics’ with stance on Iran warMiddle East crisis – live updatesPope Leo has said he has never supported nuclear weapons and that those who criticise him need to speak the truth, in response Donald Trump’s latest tirade accusing him of “endangering a lot of Catholics” with his stance on the Iran war.Speaking to journalists on Tuesday night after leaving the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, the first US-born pontiff said: “The mission of the church is to preach the gospel, to preach peace.” Continue reading...

Letter from House Democrats to secretary of state calls for end to ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear weapons programsHouse Democrats have asked secretary of state Marco Rubio to publicly announce that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, arguing that Washington must end decades of ambiguity over the issue amid the conflict with Iran.In a letter sent on Monday, 30 Democrats wrote that it was unsustainable for Donald Trump to collaborate with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a military campaign against Iran – with the stated goal of preventing the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon – without publicly acknowledging the US ally’s possession of the bomb. Continue reading...