Russia terminates New START data exchanges with the United States. Facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus to be completed by July, according to Russia. U.S. lawmakers want more nuclear weapons to counter China.
While the two sides must still work out the details that will determine the extent of the agreement’s benefits, any increase in transparency is a positive step that bodes well for international efforts to contain Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran agreed to additional monitoring of its nuclear program and to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) investigation into past activities that Tehran should have declared to the agency. The March 4 agreement between Iran and the IAEA came the agency reported an expansion of Iran's proliferation sensitive activities.
Iran can now build a bomb more quickly than at any point in its history, if it made the decision to do so and undertook the necessary weaponization activity. This risk is amplified by domestic and geopolitical factors that might lead Tehran to conclude that the perceived security benefits of nuclear weapons outweigh the cost it will pay for developing them.
The nuclear dimensions of the war on Ukraine underscore the fact that outdated nuclear deterrence policies create unacceptable risks. To eliminate the danger, we must actively reinforce the legal prohibitions and norms against nuclear weapons use and press for effective disarmament diplomacy.
In response to South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol's remarks today, board chair Thomas Countryman said the costs and risks of nuclear weapons in South Korea would outweigh, by far, any perceived benefit.
Policymakers will benefit from Rebecca Davis Gibbons’ clarion warning that “[w]hen the United States does not prioritize the regime, it weakens.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors passed a resolution censuring Iran for failing to cooperate with the agency's investigation into its past activities. The IAEA also reported that Iran's nuclear program continues to grow as prospects to restore the 2015 nuclear deal diminish.
Some senior Russian officials have discussed the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, according to reports. The United States and Russia will meet soon for a meeting of New START's Bilateral Consultative Commission. Majority of G20 condemns Russian aggression in Ukraine and nuclear threats.