1 Nuclear, MissileNuclear, Missile & Space Digest & Space Digest

Volume 11, Number 19 A Fortnightly Newsletter from the Indian Pugwash Society October 15, 2019

Convenor A.India ó India’s Right of Reply in 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy General Debate ó Chandrayaan-2: Less than a week to save Vikram ó Chandrayaan-2: ISRO panel to release report on Vikram lander soon ó The sun is setting on Vikram lander but not on Chandrayaan-2 ó Sivan terms Chandrayaan 2 mission a huge success ó Chandrayaan 2: Vikram Out of Nasa Field of View as LRO Fails to Spot the Lander During 17 Sept Fly-By ó Narendra Modi pitches for India’s NSG entry ó Planned for 6 months, India’s Mars mission Mangalyaan completes 5 years ó Chandrayaan 2 Vikram Lander had a hard-landing, may be hiding in a shadow: Executive Council NASA Cdr. (Dr.) Probal K. Ghosh ó Chandrayaan 2: NASA to capture Vikram’s landing site on Moon again Air Marshal S. G. Inamdar ó Current Nuclear Suppliers Group chair Kazakhstan pushing India’s membership (Retd.) B. China Dr. Roshan Khanijo ó Second parade rehearsal held; new weapons spotted ó China unveils supersonic spy drone during National Day military parade rehearsal Amb. R. Rajagopalan ó CNNC nuclear technology in spotlight at IAEA General Conference Dr. Rajesh Rajagopalan ó China’s rapid tech-rise over the past 70 years Shri Dinesh Kumar ó China launches two new BeiDou satellites Yadvendra ó China’s lunar rover discovers mysterious substance on moon’s far side ó China Launches First Amphibious Assault Ship ó China launches new satellite for air, ocean study ó China launches new satellite for environment detection ó Chinese FM calls for all-out efforts to solve Iran nuclear issue ó Nuclear plant building cost rises ó Japan sees N Korea missile, China space activity as threat ó Chinese satellite “Monkey King” sheds new light on origin of cosmic rays ó Icebreaker, satellite and stations bridge polar research gap ó China’s Yuanwang 3 sailing to Pacific Ocean for satellite monitoring missions

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Tel. No (91-11) 2671-7983 Fax No. (91-11)2615-4192 2 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

C. Pakistan ó Pakistan Signs its Fourth Country Programme Framework (CPF) for 2020–2025 ó Pakistan showcases ‘Atoms for Sustainable Development’ at IAEA ó Pakistan’s Khan says he is mediating with Iran after Trump asked him to help ó Nuclear War Looms If India Does Not End Kashmir Curfew- Pakistan Prime Minister Khan ó Imran to ask UN to intervene and avoid nuclear conflict ó Rashid too warns of nuclear war D. USA ó Princeton Science and Global security Programme Plan A ó U.S. Satellites Detected Iran Readying Weapons Ahead Of Saudi Strike, Officials Say ó U.S. tells Saudi Arabia: nuclear push depends on snap inspections deal ó US-Russia nuclear war would kill 34 million people within hours and is increasingly likely, Princeton study concludes ó U.S. senators urge Trump administration to end nuclear talks with Saudis ó Exelon to close Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania on Friday ó Lightbridge demonstrates SMR fuel rod manufacturing ó Three Mile Island retired after 45 years ó Trump asks what a third North Korean summit would yield ó U.S. demands to change nuclear deal unacceptable: Iranian official ó White House Bars Iranian Officials From U.S. as Its Diplomatic Efforts Falter ó Romania and USA agree to nuclear cooperation ó No U.S.-North Korea talks possible by end September: Pompeo ó Oil shipping rates soar as U.S. supertanker sanctions rattle crude trade ó North Korea won’t give up nuclear weapons: ex-Trump adviser Bolton Europe E. France ó France to give iodine to more people living close to nuclear plants ó France, Germany closing in on arms exports pact ó France says Houthi claim of Saudi attack lacks credibility ó France says main priority is to de-escalate U.S.-Iran tensions ó Despite French, British pleas, few signs of U.S.-Iran detente F. UK ó Boris Johnson calls for ‘Trump deal’ to replace Iran nuclear agreement ó Britain, France, Germany blame Iran for Saudi attack: statement ó £3bn surge in cost of Hinkley nuclear plant ‘could trigger industry crisis’ ó Boris Johnson announces funding for world’s first nuclear fusion plant ó Britain is ‘at war every day’ due to constant cyber attacks, Chief of the Defence Staff says G. Russia ó Permission to dock: Russia’s floating nuclear power plant reaches Arctic port it was built for ó World sleepwalking into total nuclear war as callous elites fear no bloodshed – Russian scholar ó Novovoronezh II-2 passes acceptance tests ó U.S. Says It Has Plans to ‘Take Down’ Western Russian Region’s Air Defenses 3 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

ó Russian Participants of Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Conference Denied US Visas – UN Ambassador ó Chernobyl used fuel store ready for commissioning ó Cleanup Crews Filmed Removing Russian Nuclear Blast Debris ó First fuel from Lepse leaves Nerpa shipyard ó Solution over nuclear deal with Iran may be achieved within months, Russian envoy says West Asia H. Iran ó Through seeking talks with Iran, Trump intends the region to recognize Israel: ex-diplomat ó Zarif: U.S. must return to nuclear deal if it wants a place at negotiating table ó Zarif: Whoever starts war will not be the one who finishes it ó Macron’s efforts to yield result if Trump lifts sanctions: Rouhani ó Jannati says Iran will never surrender to U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ ó No new deal before compliance with current one, Zarif says ó Rouhani, Merkel discuss HOPE, accelerating INSTEX ó Trump threatens to tighten US sanctions against Iran ó Iran commits new breach of fraying nuclear deal, expands enrichment - IAEA ó Iran must not be the only party loyal to JCPOA: Rouhani ó Leader: Europeans have practically stayed committed to U.S. sanctions ó U.S. offered to remove all sanctions on Iran in exchange for talks -Iran president ó Lavrov: U.S. violated UN Resolution 2231 endorsing the Iran nuclear deal ó Chinese FM urges Persian Gulf states to form ‘platform for dialogue’ ó Finland says considers nuclear deal as basis for increasing ties ó Malaysian PM slams U.S. unilateral sanctions as ‘privilege of the rich and powerful’ ó NIOC to offer 2m barrels of gas condensate at IRENEX on Tuesday ó Iran calls sanctions ‘crime against humanity’ ó Nuclear deal ‘worthless’ if it does not benefit Iran: Vaezi ó Rouhani is not entitled to make changes to the JCPOA, says top MP I. Turkey ó Turkey’s Erdogan says nuclear power should either be free for all or banned East Asia J. North Korea ó Russia detains two North Korean vessels after one opens fire: reports ó NK nuclear reactor shut down for enough time for re-fuelling: IAEA ó North Korea chief negotiator welcomes Trump’s call for ‘new method’ at talks ó Trump’s ‘new method’ on North Korea may indicate nuclear weapon first approach ó Trump says N. Korea must denuclearize to tap potential ó North Korea says lack of progress casts doubt on prospects for future summit with U.S.: KCNA ó North Korea urges US to turn words into action ó North Korea won’t give up nuclear weapons: ex-Trump adviser Bolton ó G-77 adopts statement urging lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang: NK media 4 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

K. South Korea ó Seoul asked to offer ‘big promises’ to North Korea ó Moon’s mission in New York: ‘Get nuke talks restarted’ ó Seoul stresses ‘flexibility’ to advance denuke talks ó Previously unidentified underground facilities identified at Yongbyon complex: 38 North ó 70% of S. Koreans expect Kim Busan trip to be positive for nuclear talks, cross-border ties ó S. Korean, Chinese foreign ministers reaffirm cooperation on North Korea ó S. Korea, Bulgaria to strengthen partnerships on nuclear energy, ICT L. Japan ó Tokyo refuses Seoul’s help over North Korea firing ó Koizumi hopes son will push for abandonment of nuclear power ó SDF, U.S. Army stage first drill using missiles to avert sea attack ó Japan embassy posts radiation levels in Seoul and Fukushima ó Japan lists China as bigger threat than nuclear-armed North Korea M. Taiwan ó Fault lines should nix reactor proposal: group N. Op-Ed India ó India’s ‘No First Use’ Nuclear Doctrine ó Decoding Pakistan’s nuclear brinkmanship ó India vs. Pakistan Could Be a Nuclear War Where Billions Die ó India vs Pakistan nuclear showdown: Modi’s £400m hypersonic push risks disastrous conflict ó Tactical Nuclear Weapons: A vital cog in Islamabad’s scheme of things ó PM’s message of peace vs Imran’s warning of war at UNGA ó Crude hate speech, medieval mindset: India tears into Imran Khan’s UN address China ó Did China just accidentally show off its new supersonic cruise missile? ó Could China’s strict cyber controls gain international acceptance? ó Reaching for the STARS Pakistan ó What does Pakistan’s energy mix look like and what is its future? ó Beware the nuclear con man ó Moment of truth USA ó During the Cold War, America Almost Had Its Battleships Carry Nuclear Weapons ó America’s Nuclear Missile Submarines May Get Smaller Tactical Nukes ó The Reason Why America Isn’t Ready to Protect Itself from Russian Hypersonic Missiles ó How the Top 5 Strange Myths About America’s Nuclear Triad Are Wrong We break it down. ó How Artificial Intelligence Could Make Nuclear War More Likely ó Opinion: The truth behind small modular reactors ó Trump’s Close-Call Diplomacy with Iran’s President 5 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

Russia ó Explained: Why Russia built a floating nuclear plant; why some are nervous ó Everything You Wanted to Know About Russia’s Nuclear Weapons and Strategy Class is now in session. ó Russia’s Planned 85,000 Ton Aircraft Carrier Was Enormous ó Russia and America Wanted ‘Nuclear Reactors’ with Wings ó Three Mile Island’s recent closure shows what people don’t realize about nuclear power ó See This Strange Tank? It Was Russia’s Plan to Fight Tank Battles During a Nuclear War West Asia Iran ó Rouhani: If U.S. seeks talks with Iran, ‘it must create the needed conditions’ ó Does Merkel follow Trump’s footsteps on Iran? ó The Mossad Spy Chief Who Stole Iran’s Secret Nuclear Archives #1: Yossi Cohen East Asia ó Ian Easton On Taiwan: Why the US defends Taiwan ó OPCON transfer ó Appeasing North Korea ó Opposing China’s ‘hybrid warfare’ ó Fruitless trip O. Misc/World ó IAEA and ASEAN strengthen cooperation ó IAEA Concludes Long Term Operational Safety Review at South Africa’s Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant ó 5 Terrible Ways That a Nuclear War Might Actually Happen ó KAERI becomes Asia’s 1st IAEA-designated research center ó NICE Future Initiative encourages integrated approach ó Uganda says Russia to help it develop nuclear energy ó New nuclear countries face integrated challenges ó Dynamic contracted for ITER Tokamak Assembly ó Experts from Korea, Kazakhstan shed light on denuclearization P. Think Tanks ó Optimizing IAEA Assistance: Consolidated Plan for Safety Presented at IAEA General Conference ó How Trump Can Escape His Iran Jam ó Much Ado About India’s No-first-use Nuke Policy ó In other news: climate crisis, chemical weapons, nuclear brinksmanship, etc. Q. Interviews and Original Documents ó Iran-related Designations; Issuance of Iran-related Frequently Asked Question ó Iran-related Designations; Counter Designations Sanctions are war, Zarif says ó U.S. Iran policy unlikely to change dramatically with Bolton ouster: Jahanpour 6 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

India provides pension to an individual listed by the UN in the Al Qaeda and Da’esh India’s Right of Reply in 74th Sanctions list! Can Pakistan explain why Session of the United Nations here in New York, its premier bank, the General Assembly General Debate Habib Bank had to shut shop after it was fined millions of dollars over terror PIB Delhi, September 28, 2019 financing. Will Pakistan deny that the I take the floor to exercise India’s right of Financial Action Task Force has put the reply to the statement made by the Prime country on notice for its violations of more Minister of Pakistan. Every word spoken than 20 of the 27 key parameters?... from the podium of this august Assembly, it https://pib.gov.in/ is believed, carries the weight of history. PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1586538 Unfortunately, what we heard today from Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan was Chandrayaan-2: Less than a week a callous portrayal of the world in binary to save Vikram terms. Us vs Them; Rich vs Poor; North vs South; Developed Vs Developing; Muslims Rasheed Kappan, Deccan Herald, vs Others. A script that fosters divisiveness September 17, 2019 at the United Nations. Attempts to sharpen Vikram’s date with destiny is just round differences and stir up hatred, are simply the corner. In less than a week, darkness put - “hate speech”. will descend on the South Polar region of Rarely has the General Assembly witnessed the Moon, the location where the such misuse, rather abuse, of an opportunity Chandrayaan-2 Lander was spotted by to reflect. Words matter in diplomacy. the Orbiter. Vikram had gone silent after Invocation of phrases such as “pogrom”, a hard-landing on September 7 “bloodbath”, “racial superiority”, “pick up Virtually giving up hope, the Isro topbrass the gun” and “fight to the end” reflect a medieval mindset and not a 21st century has reportedly told the scientists concerned to instead focus on the Orbiter. Its life vision. Prime Minister Khan’s threat of unleashing nuclear devastation qualifies as extended to 7.5 years, the Orbiter is now in ship shape to scan the lunar surface brinksmanship, not statesmanship. Even coming from the leader of a country that has with multiple imaging payloads. For Vikram, however, the short period till monopolized the entire value chain of the industry of terrorism, Prime Minister Khan’s September 20-21 is critical since its solar panels can work only as long as the sun is justification of terrorism was brazen and incendiary. over the landing site. The panels can be switched on only if the Orbiter can For someone who was once a cricketer and establish contact. believed in the gentleman’s game, today’s https://www.deccanherald.com/national/ speech bordered on crudeness of the variety chandrayaan-2-less-than-a-week-to-save- that is reminiscent of the guns of Darra vikram-761871.html Adam Khel. Now that Prime Minister Imran Khan has invited UN Observers to Pakistan Chandrayaan-2: ISRO panel to to verify that there are no militant organisations in Pakistan, the world will release report on Vikram lander hold him to that promise. Here are a few soon questions that Pakistan can respond to as a Amitabh Sinha, The Indian Express, precursor to the proposed verification. September 18, 2019 Can Pakistan confirm the fact that it is home With less than three days to go before Sun to 130 UN designated terrorists and 25 sets over the area where the Vikram lander terrorist entities listed by the UN, as of of Chandrayaan-2 mission fell off after a today? Will Pakistan acknowledge that it is failed landing attempt, the Indian Space the only Government in the world that Research Organisation seems to have all 7 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

but given up hopes of succeeding in its Initially, the orbiter’s life was only one year, attempt to make contact with the spacecraft. but due to optimum mission operations, it In a cryptic message posted on its Twitter has increased to 7.5 years. Now, scientists handle, its first since September 10 when it would receive 7.5 times data more than had said attempts were still being made to expected. It is really a huge success,” he restore contact with the lander, ISRO said. thanked everyone for “standing by us”. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/ chandrayaan-2-mission-a-huge-success-isro- science/chandrayaan-2-isro-panel-to-release- chief-k-sivan/article29476025.ece report-on-vikram-lander-soon-6004482/ Chandrayaan 2: Vikram Out of The sun is setting on Vikram lander Nasa Field of View as LRO Fails but not on Chandrayaan-2 to Spot the Lander During 17 Sept Laura Winter, Al Jazeera, September 18, 2019 Fly-By On Saturday, as the sun sets on the lunar Firstpost, September 23, 2019 South Pole, the shadows cast will darken any A NASA satellite currently orbiting the hope of communicating with India’s fatally Moon has reportedly failed to spot the damaged Vikram lander. The Indian space Vikram lander near the South Polar region. agency does not expect the onboard This is where things went quiet after the communications and scientific equipment to lander had lost contact with Earth, a mere survive the South Pole’s 14 Earth days of 2.1 kilometres from the Moon’s surface. lunar night when surface temperatures Towards the end of the descent on 7 plunge to minus 180 degrees Celsius. September, the lander, housing the Despite the September 7 loss of the lander, Pragyan rover inside it, lost India’s ambition to take its place among the communication with ISRO and NASA spacefaring nations endeavouring to exploit minutes before its planned touch-down the moon’s water and mineral riches has not and crashed near its landing site. cooled, but it has become more difficult to Ten days later, NASA made an attempt realise. to capture a photograph of the lander from an overhead fly-by. The Lunar https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/india-vikram- Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Camera lander-moon-badly-damaged- 190919234735306.html instrument (LROC) imaged the landing site of the lander as planned, according to a report by Aviation Week. However, Sivan terms Chandrayaan 2 mission “long shadows in the area” were thought a huge success to be obscuring the still-silent lunar lander. Satyasundar Barik, The Hindu, September 21, NASA has admitted that the lander may 2019 not have been in the ‘field of view’ of the Even as all attempts to establish contact with camera on-board its orbiter. The agency lunar lander Vikram went in vain, ISRO took its time processing, validating, chairperson K. Sivan on Saturday termed analysing and reviewing the series of Chandrayaan 2 mission a huge success and images captured by its LROC. The LRO’s asserted that it helped in mapping the entire deputy project scientist John Keller shared lunar surface in great precision and detail. a statement confirming that the orbiter’s camera captured the images, according to “Chandrayaan 2 comprises a very big size CNET. science component and a small technology demonstration component, which include https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/ soft-landing near the South Pole of the chandrayaan-2-vikram-out-of-nasa-field-of- Moon. The bulk of experiments carried out view-as-lro-fails-to-spot-the-lander-during-17- in the inter-planetary science is in the orbiter. sept-fly-by-7386311.html 8 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

Narendra Modi pitches for India’s of Phobos and Deimos, the two moons of NSG entry Mars. MOM is the only Martian artificial satellite that could capture the full disc of Sriram Lakshman, The Hindu, September 25, Mars in one view frame and also takes 2019 images of the far side of Deimos, the space Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch agency said. for India’s membership of the Nuclear https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/ Suppliers Group (NSG) in New York on mangalyaan-mission-isro-completes-5-years- Wednesday, as he addressed a largely orbiting-mars-1602933-2019-09-25 business gathering in the Bloomberg Global Business Forum where he delivered the Chandrayaan 2 Vikram Lander had keynote address. The comments were made during a Q&A session with former New a hard-landing, may be hiding in a York City Mayor and businessman, Michael shadow: NASA Bloomberg. The Hindu, September 27, 2019 “One challenge that is before us today is that U.S. space agency National Aeronautics of nuclear energy, because, since we are not and Space Administration (NASA) has a member of the NSG, we do not really have officially said moon lander Vikram had a the ability to get the fuel for producing hard-landing and that its own orbiting nuclear energy,” Mr. Modi said, as part of spacecraft could not get clear pictures of an answer on climate change and India’s Vikram’s crash site during its recent energy needs. flyover. NASA on Thursday night released a set of hazy lunar surface images of the https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ southern site where the lander probably narendra-modi-pitches-for-indias-nsg-entry/ crashed on September 7. Vikram’s precise article29512428.ece location eluded the sharp camera of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Planned for 6 months, India’s Mars when it last flew over the probable site on mission Mangalyaan completes 5 September 17. years https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/ India Today, September 25, 2019 chandrayaan-2-vikram-lander-had-a-hard- landing-may-be-hiding-in-a-shadow-nasa/ The Mangalyaan mission, which was initially article29524424.ece meant to last six months, has completed five years of orbiting Mars and is likely to continue for some more time, says Indian Chandrayaan 2: NASA to capture Space Research Organisation (Isro) chief K Vikram’s landing site on Moon Sivan. again

In the last five years, the Mars Orbiter Ribhu Mishra, Financial Express, Mission (MOM), India’s first interplanetary September 28, 2019 endeavour, helped India’s space agency The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) prepare a Martian Atlas based on the images of NASA has been circling the moon since provided by the orbiter, Sivan said. The 2009 and will pass over the landing Mangalyaan mission completed five years location of Vikram Lander again on on Tuesday. “It’s working and continuously October 14 and make another attempt to sending pictures. It still has some time to go,” spot ISRO’s landing module. Sivan said. Asked about Mangalyaan 2, he said work is going on and there is no As informed by the American Space decision on it yet. The Mars orbiter has sent agency NASA, its spacecraft flew over the thousands of pictures totalling two landing location of India’s Vikram lander terabytes, an Isro official explained. The Mars of Chandrayaan 2 Mission. The Lunar Colour Camera took close distance images Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) of NASA 9 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

passed over the location where Vikram China lander module of India’s Chandrayaan 2 Moon Mission was supposed to have landed Second parade rehearsal held; new but was unable to locate the missing weapons spotted spacecraft. The LRO, which is NASA’s Ma Xiu, Global Times, September 15, 2019 Moon-orbiter has been circling the Moon since 2009. NASA has informed that it will A parade of weapons and equipment make another attempt to spot the Vikram including nuclear, hypersonic and stealthy Lander and will fly over its landing location ones were spotted in Beijing early Sunday again on October 14. The dusk before the morning during the second rehearsal to beginning of the lunar night in the landing celebrate the 70th anniversary of the region of the Moon made the job tougher founding of the People’s Republic of China, for the LRO as the low light and shadows delighting online legions of patriotic did not allow proper investigation. There are military enthusiasts. Photos and videos possibilities that the Vikram Lander might began surfacing on Chinese mainland be lying in the shadows of Craters in the social media as early as Saturday morning region. as military hardware rolled into downtown Beijing districts to prepare to https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/science/ join in the massive late-night rehearsal. chandrayaan-2-nasa-to-capture-vikrams-landing- Type 99A tanks driving down Beijing site-on-moon-again/1720583/ boulevards were among the first images, their desert camouflage delighting Current Nuclear Suppliers Group enthusiasts who recalled the jungle look chair Kazakhstan pushing India’s of previous parades. membership Military observers identified Dongfeng-41 Defence News, September 30, 2019 (DF-41) intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of carrying 10 independently Kazakhstan as the current chair of the targetable nuclear warheads and hitting Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is assisting anywhere on Earth, according to Hong India to obtain membership of the coveted Kong Economic Times. They also spotted group, according to Bulat Sarsenbayev, who the DF-17 ballistic missile, said to be recently concluded his five year term as carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle similar Kazakh Ambassador to India. Kazakhstan, to Russia’s Avangard, moving along the one of uranium suppliers for Indian nuclear highway into Beijing. Meanwhile online power plants, is also doing its best to enable videos and photos captured two types of India attain membership of NSG, according drone: one aerodynamic design believed Sarsenbayev who recently returned to to be high supersonic and stealthy, the Astana to join a senior position in other with a fly wing stealth design: government. probably the Sharp Sword stealth attack In a freewheeling interview before his drone seen test flying back in 2013. More departure Sarsenbayev spoke about the mysterious was an image of a large current state of the Kazakh-Indian autonomous underwater vehicle. Its partnership, the main areas of cooperation mission remains unknown. Beijing between the two countries and outlined the residents also claimed to have spotted new areas of promising cooperation. anti-ship missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and cruise missiles. http://www.defencenews.in/article/Current- Nuclear-Suppliers-Group-chair-Kazakhstan- They also speculated they had identified pushing-Indias-membership-707174 a long-range multiple rocket launcher. During the rehearsal on Sunday morning, enthusiasts filmed warplanes including J- 20 stealth fighters, Y-20 transport planes, early warning aircraft and special mission 10 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

aircraft. A new bomber, the H-6N, was in been using the drone – which can reach the formations on Sunday. Unlike the H-6K, strategic locations as far away as the its predecessor, it can refuel mid-air, Western Pacific, including Guam – for extending its range, reports said. Military some time, according to Shanghai-based enthusiasts speculated the plane could carry military commentator Shi Lao. China to and fire a ballistic missile in the air. A military show off advanced nuclear weapons in expert who requested anonymity told the National Day parade “In fact, this UAV Global Times Sunday that some of the [the DR-8] entered into service a while weapons and equipment under discussion ago,” Shi said. were among the world’s most advanced, showing China’s rising capability to https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/ safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity article/3027534/china-unveils-supersonic-spy- and the fruits of peaceful development. drone-during-national-day-military

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ CNNC nuclear technology in 1164470.shtml spotlight at IAEA General Conference China unveils supersonic spy drone during National Day military China Daily, September 19, 2019 parade rehearsal CNNC took the spotlight during the 63rd IAEA General Conference by Liu Zhen, South China Morning Post, demonstrating how it applies nuclear September 17, 2019 technology. The conference was held in The photos, which have prompted Vienna on Sept 16 and will run until Sept discussion among military enthusiasts, show 20. On Sept 17, a gathering of dignitaries at least two types of unmanned aerial visited the Chinese nuclear technology vehicle (UAV) – identified as the DR-8 or demonstration area to learn about nuclear Wuzhen 8, and the Sharp Sword stealth technology recently being applied in attack drone. The DR-8 would be expected industry, agriculture, medicine, and to play a key role should there be a conflict security in China. The delegation, with US aircraft carrier strike groups in the accompanied by Yu Jianfeng, chairman of South China Sea or Western Pacific. The CNNC, included Cornel Feruta, acting reconnaissance drone’s appearance at the director-general of IAEA, Zhang Jianhua, rehearsal drew attention partly because it deputy director of the China Atomic loosely resembles a supersonic UAV that Energy Authority, Liu Hua, deputy was retired by the US more than four minister of the Ministry of Ecology and decades ago – the D-21. The US used the Environment, and Wang Qun, China’s drone for spying missions in China and a ambassador extraordinary and number of them crashed during operations, plenipotentiary and permanent leaving their remnants scattered in various representative to the United Nations and locations across the country. One of the other international organizations in crashed D-21s was put on display at Vienna. Beijing’s Military Museum a few years ago. Feruta learned about CNNC’s Nigerian The DR-8 reconnaissance drone has a role Miniature Neutron Source Reactor in assessing the strike impact of China’s (MNSR) conversion program, saying that “aircraft carrier killer”, the DF-21D anti- China endeavors to deliver on its ship ballistic missile, and the DF-26 ballistic responsibility as a major power and plays missile.According to Zhou Chenming, a an important role in helping prevent Beijing-based military commentator, the DR- nuclear proliferation. He expressed hope 8 could travel faster than the D-21 – whose that China would continue working with maximum speed is Mach 3.3 – letting it IAEA to explore more nuclear application penetrate the enemy’s air defences and possibilities. During the conference, Yu return intact with intelligence. The PLA had also met with a number of his counterparts 11 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, property rights in China ranked first Kazakhstan, Argentina, and Pakistan. In globally. In 2018, 4.32 million patent recent years, nuclear technology has begun applications were made - 86 times more being used on a large scale in irradiation than in 1991 - and 2.45 million patents processing, nuclear medicine, and public were granted - 98 times the number in security in China. CNNC, with the approval 1991. of the China Atomic Energy Authority, demonstrated how nuclear technology has http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ been applied in China over the past decade, 1165224.shtml with a special focus on how China uses nuclear technology to improve people’s lives. China launches two new BeiDou satellites https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/19/ WS5d8347f7a310cf3e3556c722.html Xinhua, September 23, 2019 Launched on a Long March-3B carrier China’s rapid tech-rise over the past rocket, the two satellites entered the orbit. 70 years They are the 47th and 48th satellites of the BDS satellite family. China has successfully Global Times, September 23, 2019 sent two satellites of BeiDou Navigation Over the past 70 years, China’s science and Satellite System (BDS) into space from the technology industry has undergone an Xichang Satellite Launch Center in extraordinary path of development. Starting Sichuan Province at 05:10 a.m. Monday. from scratch, the country has shown the Launched on a Long March-3B carrier world an example of how a backward player rocket, the two satellites entered the orbit. can grow into a world leader in the They are the 47th and 48th satellites of the technology sector. With its heavy investment BDS satellite family. in research and development, China is now not only getting closer to the technological The new satellites and the carrier rocket frontier in conventional areas such as were developed by the China Academy of electronics, machinery and automobiles, but Space Technology and the China is also driving technological innovations in Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, emerging areas such as robotics, artificial under the China Aerospace Science and intelligence, space technology and e- Technology Corporation. After in-orbit commerce. tests, the new satellites will work with those BDS satellites already in orbit to The following data and information provide improve positioning accuracy of the evidence to the rise of China’s technological system. China will complete the BDS capabilities thus far. The total number of global network by 2020. Monday’s launch research and development (R&D) personnel was the 312th mission for the Long March in China ranks first in the world, as China series carrier rockets. pursues its policy that talent is the foundation of sci-tech innovation. In 2018, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/23/ the total number of full-time R&D personnel c_138414787.htm in China reached 4.19 million, 6.2 times of that of 1991, according to data from the China’s lunar rover discovers National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In 2013, mysterious substance on moon’s the total number of researchers in China far side surpassed that of the US, a country which is commonly recognized as the world’s Xinhua, September 24, 2019 technology front-runner. China has since China’s lunar rover Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit- then, for six consecutive years, ranked first 2, discovered an unidentified substance in in the world for its number of researchers. an impact crater on the far side of the For the eighth consecutive year in 2018, the moon. The discovery was made during number of applications for intellectual Yutu-2’s ninth lunar day of exploration on 12 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

the moon, according to the Lunar launched, it means that its major structures Exploration and Space Program Center of have been readied and major work of the the China National Space Administration. entire construction project has been done. The ground controllers designed a driving According to the Navy, the new ship, route for the rover to allow it to conduct whose name remains unknown as the scientific detection to the depth of the impact Chinese military usually makes public a crater and the distribution of the ejecta, said warship’s name at its commissioning the center. ceremony, was domestically developed and constructed. It will have a strong “The Yutu-2 rover is expected to bring us capability to carry out amphibious combat more surprises and scientific discoveries,” and other tasks.The Navy added that in said the center. The lander of the Chang’e-4 the next phase, engineers will start probe and the Yutu-2 rover have resumed outfitting and fine-tuning the vessel’s work for the 10th lunar day on the far side equipment and then conduct mooring tests of the moon after “sleeping” during the and sea trials. extremely cold lunar night. The lander woke up at 8:26 p.m. Monday, and the rover https://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/ awoke at 8:30 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time). release/206187/china-launches-first-amphibious- Both are in normal working condition, ship.html according to the center. China launches new satellite for http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/24/ air, ocean study c_138417680.htm Deng Xiaoci, Global Times, September 25, China Launches First Amphibious 2019 Assault Ship China successfully launched a new satellite on Wednesday that will study the earth’s China Daily, September 25, 2019 atmosphere, monitor the marine and space China’s first amphibious assault ship was environment, help prevent and reduce launched in Shanghai on Wednesday, disasters and conduct scientific coming closer to the completion of its experiments. A Long March-2D rocket construction project. blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China’s The People’s Liberation Army Navy said in Gansu Province at 8:54 am, carrying the a statement that after a brief ceremony satellite codenamed Yunhai-1 02, the starting at 9:20 am at an unidentified satellite developer told the Global Times shipyard, waters began to be pumped into on Wednesday. The satellite and the a dry dock in which the ship’s hull was built. launch vehicle were both developed by Participants at the ceremony – officials from Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight the central and Shanghai governments, Technology of the China Aerospace officers from the Central Military Science and Technology Corporation in Commission’s Equipment Development Shanghai. The first Yunhai-1 meteorological Department and the PLA Navy, executives satellite was sent into orbit in November of the State-owned conglomerate China 2016. The launch marked the 313th State Shipbuilding Corp as well as the mission of the Long March carrier rocket vessel’s designers and construction workers family. – applauded as they watched the launch process, the statement said, without In December 2018, China sent six providing more details about the event. atmospheric environment research satellites of the Yunhai series into orbit. In shipbuilding terminology, launch refers During the week before the 70th to the process during which a nearly- anniversary of the People’s Republic of finished ship is moved into water. It is one China on October 1, China has sent three of the most important stages in a ship’s satellites into space including two that will construction because once a ship is form part of the constellation of China’s 13 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

self-developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite crisis in the region, and if it goes unchecked System, or BDS. China’s BDS is one of the there could be an even bigger crisis. In four space-based global navigation satellite order to properly solve the crisis, Wang systems in the world, which include the US- said relevant parties should uphold the launched GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the fundamental principles of multilateralism. European Union’s Galileo. The BDS system The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action started to provide global service at the end (JCPOA), endorsed by the UN Security of 2018, as the construction of the BDS-3 Council, is an important outcome of primary system had been completed by then. multilateral diplomacy, said Wang. He said safeguarding the JCPOA, commonly http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/ known as the Iran nuclear deal, is to 1165483.shtml uphold multilateralism, the authority of UN Security Council, and the China launches new satellite for international order based on international environment detection law. All parties should never waver in their Xinhua, September 25, 2019 determination in face of whatever challenges and difficulties, he added. China sent a new satellite into planned orbit Wang said all parties should continue to from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in honor the commitments under the JCPOA. northwest China’s Gobi Desert on Wednesday. The Yunhai-1 02 satellite, Ensuring a balance between rights and launched on a Long March-2D carrier rocket obligations prescribed in the JCPOA at 8:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), will be mainly concerns the basic principle of equity and used for detecting the atmospheric and justice, Wang said. Wang said Iran should marine environment and space resume implementing the deal, while other environment, as well as disaster control and parties should make every effort to other scientific experiments. Both the satellite safeguard Iran’s legitimate economic and the carrier rocket were developed by the benefits. China will continue its legitimate Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight cooperation with Iran in such areas as Technology of the China Aerospace Science economy, trade and energy, push ahead and Technology Corporation. The launch with the Arak heavy water reactor was the 313th mission of the Long March renovation project, and support EU- carrier rocket series. initiated payment system to facilitate trade with Iran, said Wang. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/25/ c_138420383.htm https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/26/ WS5d8c2448a310cf3e3556d998.html Chinese FM calls for all-out efforts to solve Iran nuclear issue Nuclear plant building cost rises Xinhua, September 26, 2019 Wang Mingjie, China Daily Global, September 27, 2019 Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on all relevant This week’s news that the cost of the parties to enhance their sense of urgency and Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, being built make all-out efforts to push for a political with significant Chinese investment in the and diplomatic settlement of the Iran English county of Somerset, has risen has nuclear issue. Wang made the appeal during drawn a mixed response. Some pundits a meeting with foreign affairs officials from argue that it could send an alarming the European Union (EU), Iran, Russia, message to China, but others think it is a France, Germany and Britain on the positive thing. On Wednesday, the project’s sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General lead investor, French utility company Assembly high-level week. Electricite de France SA, also known as EDF, announced that the cost of building He said the U.S. maximum-pressure the new plant could be up to 2.9 billion approach on Iran has prompted the current pounds ($3.58 billion) more than initially 14 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

anticipated, raising the total bill estimate to serious and imminent threat” to Japan’s between 21.5 billion pounds to 22.5 billion security as well as international peace and pounds. safety, it said.

China General Nuclear Power Corp, or https://www.apnews.com/ CGN, is investing 6 billion pounds into e9eaf350aa3c4891b5cdd40a6e9074ee Hinkley, which had previously been reported to cost 18 billion pounds. Christopher Bovis, Chinese satellite “Monkey King” a professor of international business law at sheds new light on origin of the University of Hull, said “The much- cosmic rays anticipated Chinese investment flow to the UK critical infrastructure would be tested Yu Fei, Wang Juebin, Jiang Fang, Xinhua, from a different prism. “The project relied September 28, 2019 heavily on cost control mechanisms and the A Chinese satellite, nicknamed Monkey assurances by the parties to the provision of King, is not only searching for the invisible the infrastructure that they have secured dark matter, but also exploring the origin concrete deals with their respective supply of the cosmic rays, high energy particles chains to ensure cost authentication and that travel through space at nearly the price systems which provide early and speed of light. An international research advanced awareness of movements team has conducted a precise detrimental to the project,” he added. measurement of the spectrum of protons, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/27/ the most abundant component of cosmic WS5d8dba5ba310cf3e3556de7e.html rays, in an energy range from 40 GeV to 100 TeV (one TeV is one trillion electron Japan sees N Korea missile, China volts, corresponding to one trillion times space activity as threat the energy of visible light) with China’s Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE), Mari Yamaguchi, AP News, September 27, also known as Wukong or Monkey King. 2019 This is the first time that an experiment Japan has raised its caution level about directly measures the cosmic ray protons North Korea’s missile capability, saying in a up to the energy of 100 TeV with high defense report that the country resumed precision, according to the research team. missile tests while taking no concrete The measured spectrum shows that the denuclearization steps and had succeeded proton flux increases at hundreds of in making miniaturized warheads. The billions electron volts and then drops at annual defense paper, approved Friday by around 14 TeV, indicating the existence the Cabinet, underscores Japan’s fear of of a new spectral feature of cosmic rays, being targeted by its neighbor. Its reaction said Chang Jin, the principal investigator to the North’s recent tests contrasts with a of DAMPE and the director of the Purple low-key response from the United States. Mountain Observatory (PMO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “The new ”Taking into consideration its technological finding is of great importance in helping maturity acquired by nuclear tests, North scientists understand the source and Korea seems to have already achieved acceleration of cosmic rays in the Milky miniaturization of warheads to place atop Way,” said Yuan Qiang, a researcher at ballistic missiles,” said the report, which last PMO. year only mentioned it as a possibility. The North is now aiming to further increase http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/28/ missile ranges, improve accuracy and c_138430676.htm operational and surprise attack capability and diversify launching methods, it said. North Korea’s military activity “still poses 15 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

Icebreaker, satellite and stations missions on the sea, including maritime bridge polar research gap tracking of the Shenzhou spacecraft, the Chang’e lunar probe and BeiDou satellites, Zhao Lei, China Daily, September 30, 2019 maintaining a 100 percent success rate.

China’s 35th expedition team to Antarctica http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/30/ provides supplies to the Zhongshan research c_138436515.htm station in December 2018. The people who overcame numerous difficulties to establish Pakistan China’s first scientific research outpost in Antarctica, Changcheng Station, 34 years Pakistan Signs its Fourth Country ago were unlikely to have considered the Programme Framework (CPF) for possibility of turning it into a tourist 2020–2025 attraction. That’s because the southernmost continent was, for many years, as distant as International Atomic Energy Agency, Mars to Chinese scientists, let alone ordinary September 17, 2019 travelers. China was the last of the Muhammad Naeem, Chairman, Pakistan permanent members of the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission and Dazhu Security Council to establish an Antarctic Yang, IAEA Deputy Director General and station and was embarrassed at an Head of the Department of Technical international Antarctic research meeting Cooperation, signed Pakistan’s Country before Changcheng Station came into being. Programme Framework (CPF) for the https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/30/ period of 2020–2025 on 17 September WS5d9178efa310cf3e3556e5cf.html 2019. A CPF is the frame of reference for the medium-term planning of technical China’s Yuanwang 3 sailing to cooperation between a Member State and Pacific Ocean for satellite the IAEA and identifies priority areas where the transfer of nuclear technology monitoring missions and technical cooperation resources will Xinhua, September 30, 2019 be directed to support national development goals. China’s spacecraft tracking ship Yuanwang-3 is sailing to the Pacific Ocean https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/pakistan- to carry out maritime monitoring missions signs-its-fourth-country-programme-frame- for the BeiDou-3 and other satellites. The work-cpf-for-2020-2025 ship departed Sunday from a port in east China’s Jiangsu Province. It is the third Pakistan showcases ‘Atoms for voyage of the ship this year. Before the Sustainable Development’ at voyage, crew members completed IAEA preparation of supplies, carried out examinations and tests of the facilities and The Express Tribune, September 20, 2019 received tailored training to ensure the Pakistan has organised a side-event during success of the missions. the ongoing 63rd General Conference of the This year, the ship has spent 83 days at sea International Atomic Energy Agency and completed three missions, including (IAEA) in Vienna, to display an exhibition maritime monitoring of a relay satellite stall on “Atoms for Sustainable Tianlian II and a BeiDou-3 satellite. Development” to showcase the work the Yuanwang-3, China’s second-generation country has undertaken in peaceful uses space tracking ship, mainly undertakes of nuclear science and technology. maritime tracking and monitoring tasks of Pakistan continues to utilise the enormous high-, medium-, low-orbit satellites, potential of nuclear technology for the spacecraft and space station. Since it was socio-economic development of the launched more than 20 years ago, the ship country and in order to realise the UN has made 52 voyages and completed 83 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a 16 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

press release issued by the Ministry of “Two nuclear armed countries will come Foreign Affairs here on Thursday said. face to face like we did in February and before we head in that direction the United “Pakistan continues to utilise the enormous Nations has a responsibility. You were potential of nuclear technology for the supposed to stop this happening,” Khan social-economic development of the country said. “What is the world community going and in order to realise the UN Sustainable to do?” If any conventional war broke out Development Goals (SDGs),” said the between India and Pakistan, the statement “Nuclear technology applications advantage would lie with India, which are being used in diverse areas of electricity has seven times the population of Pakistan generation, health, agriculture, hydrology, and that would remorselessly force industry, environment, and basic sciences,” Islamabad to eventually resort to the use it added. of nuclear weapons, Khan explained.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2060728/1-pakistan- https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/ showcases-atoms-sustainable-development-iaea/ nuclear-war-looms-if-india-does-not-end- kashm-722888.html Pakistan’s Khan says he is mediating with Iran after Trump Imran to ask UN to intervene and asked him to help avoid nuclear conflict Michelle Nichols, Reuters, September 25, Dawn, September 27, 2019 2019 Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan said he will ask the United Nations to intervene on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald to defuse tensions between India and Trump had asked him to help defuse Pakistan over occupied Kashmir when he tensions with Iran and that he had already addresses the UN General Assembly on spoken with Iranian President Hassan Friday. “Pakistan would never start a war, Rouhani in an attempt to mediate. The and I am clear: I am a pacifist, I am anti- United States blames Iran for an attack on war, I believe that wars do not solve any the world’s biggest crude oil processing problems,” he said. “When two nuclear- facility in Saudi Arabia on Sept. 14 and has armed countries fight, if they fight a said they will present evidence to back that conventional war, there is every possibility up. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group, that it is going to end up into nuclear war.” which has been fighting a Saudi-led military https://www.dawn.com/news/1507596 coalition since 2015, has claimed responsibility. Iran denies involvement. Rashid too warns of nuclear war https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-khan/ Dawn, September 29, 2019 pakistans-khan-says-he-is-mediating-with-iran- after-trump-asked-him-to-help-idUSKBN1W92W0 After Prime Minister Imran Khan talked about the nuclear war between India and Nuclear War Looms If India Does Pakistan in his address to UN General Not End Kashmir Curfew - Pakistan Assembly, Minister for Railways Sheikh Prime Minister Khan Rashid also fears if Pakistan and India go to war it will be a nuclear war and the Zeeshan Aziz, Urdu Point, September 27, last one. He has rejected the reports about 2019 wrapping up of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and imposition Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan of ban on the Pakistan Railways’ ML-1 warned the UN General Assembly on Friday (main line) project under the IMF loan that nuclear war could break out between package for the country. his country and India over Kashmir if New Delhi did not lift the curfew it had imposed “PM Imran Khan has beautifully explained in that province. the issue of Kashmir before the world 17 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

while speaking to the heads of states at the U.S. tells Saudi Arabia: nuclear UN General Assembly on Friday. He has push depends on snap inspections also told the world about the sentiments and deal reaction of the Kashmiris as well as the Pakistanis,” Mr Rashid told the journalists Reuters, September 17, 2019 at a press conference here at the railways The United States will only provide Saudi headquarters on Saturday. Arabia with nuclear technology if the https://www.dawn.com/news/1507906/rashid-too- kingdom signs an agreement with the U.N. warns-of-nuclear-war atomic watchdog that allows for intrusive snap inspections, U.S. Energy Secretary USA Rick Perry repeated on Tuesday. Princeton Science and Global Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, security Programme Plan A says it aims to develop nuclear power to increase its energy mix, but growing Alex Glaser, You Tube, September 6, 2019 tensions with its regional rival Iran have raised fears that it could use that Our team developed a simulation for a technology to develop nuclear weapons. plausible escalating war between the United States and Russia using realistic nuclear https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi- force postures, targets and fatality estimates. nuclear-usa/us-tells-saudi-arabia-nuclear-push- It is estimated that there would be more than depends-on-snap-inspections-deal- 90 million people dead and injured within idUSKBN1W2245 the first few hours of the conflict. US-Russia nuclear war would kill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jy3JU- ORpo 34 million people within hours and is increasingly likely, U.S. Satellites Detected Iran Princeton study concludes Readying Weapons Ahead Of Saudi Jon Sharman, The Independent, September Strike, Officials Say 17, 2019 Bill Chappell, NPR, September 17, 2019 More than 90 million people would be killed or injured in a nuclear war between U.S. surveillance satellites detected Iran the US and Russia if a conventional readying drones and missiles at launch sites conflict went too far, according to a new in Iran before Saudi oil facilities were simulation created by researchers. Such a attacked on Saturday, according to two scenario has become “dramatically” more Defense Department officials. The imagery plausible in the last two years because the has not been publicly released. The officials two countries have dropped support for tell NPR that U.S. intelligence views the arms-control measures, according to a activity as “circumstantial evidence” that team from Princeton University. Iran launched the strike from its own soil. The simulation, the result of a study at Saudi Aramco has said the attacks on its Princeton‘s Science and Global Security plants in Abqaiq and Khurais were “a result programme (SGS), suggests 34 million of terrorist attacks with projectiles.” Iranian- people would be killed and 57 million backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed injured in the first hours of an all-out responsibility for the attack, but U.S. officials nuclear conflagration – not counting those have accused Iran of playing a key role. left ill by fallout and other long-term https://www.npr.org/2019/09/17/761539212/ problems. saudi-crisis-irans-supreme-leader-says-no-talks- with-u-s-during-u-n-visit https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/ americas/us-russia-nuclear-war-trump-putin- simulation-europe-nato-a9109116.html 18 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

U.S. senators urge Trump internally developed and patented administration to end nuclear talks coextrusion process, Lightbridge said. The with Saudis fuel rod design is expected to increase core performance, extend core life, lessen the Timothy Gardner, Reuters, September 18, 2019 number of refueling outages, and offer reduced levelised cost of electricity. Two Democratic U.S. senators on Wednesday urged Trump administration The fuel rods, which are 6 feet (1.8 metres) officials to halt talks with Saudi Arabia on in length were coextruded from billets building nuclear reactors after weekend contained in a zirconium canister and attacks that halved the country’s oil output resulted in a bonded cladding surrounding and increased instability in the Middle East. the surrogate fuel material core. The surrogate materials were designed to U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry told simulate the flow stresses, including reporters on Tuesday at a nuclear power temperatures and extrusion pressures, conference in Vienna the United States expected in the manufacture of the would only provide Saudi Arabia with Lightbridge Fuel rods using a uranium- nuclear power technology if it signed an zirconium alloy. agreement with a U.N. watchdog allowing for intrusive snap inspections. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ Lightbridge-demonstrates-SMR-fuel-rod- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi- manufacture nuclearpower/u-s-senators-urge-trump-adminis- tration-to-end-nuclear-talks-with-saudis- Three Mile Island retired after 45 idUSKBN1W329R years Exelon to close Three Mile Island World Nuclear News, September 23, 2019 nuclear plant in Pennsylvania on Operators took the 819 MWe (net) Friday pressurised water reactor offline for the Reuters, September 20, 2019 final time at midday on 20 September, after it set a site record of 709 continuous days U.S. energy company Exelon Corp (EXC.N) in operation. said it will shut the last reactor at the Three Mile Island power plant, site of the worst “Today we celebrate the proud legacy of nuclear accident in U.S. history, at noon TMI Unit 1 and the thousands of employees local time on Friday. who shared our commitment to safety, operational excellence and environmental The company announced in May that it stewardship for nearly five decades,” planned to shut the 45-year old unit in Bryan Hanson, Exelon senior vice September due to inaction in the president and chief nuclear officer, said. Pennsylvania legislature on a bill that would have subsidized the continued operation of “At a time when our communities are nuclear power in the state. demanding more clean energy to address climate change, it’s regrettable that state https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nuclear- law does not support the continued threemileisland/exelon-to-close-three-mile-island- operation of this safe and reliable source nuclear-plant-in-pennsylvania-on-friday- of carbon-free power. It’s critical that we idUSKBN1W51FD continue to pursue policy reform to prevent other carbon-free nuclear resources from Lightbridge demonstrates SMR fuel being pushed out of the market by rules rod manufacturing that fail to evenly value clean energy resources and at the same time allow World Nuclear News, September 23, 2019 emitting resources to pollute for free.” The demonstration included the production https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ of several coextruded rods using an Three-Mile-Island-retires-after-45-years 19 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

Trump asks what a third North White House Bars Iranian Korean summit would yield Officials From U.S. as Its Steve Holland, Joyce Lee, Reuters, Diplomatic Efforts Falter September 24, 2019 Farnaz Fassihi, Lara Jakes and Edward U.S. President Donald Trump and his South Wong Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in held a The New York Times, September 25, 2019 summit in New York on Monday to discuss plans to restart U.S.-North Korea talks, as The Trump administration barred senior Seoul’s spy agency said the negotiations Iranian government officials from entering could take place in two to three weeks. the United States on Wednesday, just hours after a failed attempt to renew Negotiations aimed at dismantling North diplomacy with President Hassan Rouhani Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have as he attended an annual gathering of stalled since a failed second summit between world leaders in New York. The order Trump and its leader Kim Jong Un in followed a new round of American February. Pyongyang has said it is willing economic penalties against China, Iran’s to restart working-level talks in late largest oil customer, to further squeeze the September, but no date or location have Iranian economy and force Tehran into been set. Trump and Moon discussed ways new negotiations to limit its nuclear and to achieve practical results in the U.S.-North military programs. Korea working-level talks, Moon’s office said, while Trump expressed his confidence Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the that Kim will fulfill commitments made United States was still open to talking to during the two summits, according to a Iran, and hoped to tamp down inflamed White House statement. tensions after leaders in the United States, Europe and Arab nations blamed Tehran https://in.reuters.com/article/usa-korea-trump/ for attacks on oil fields in Saudi Arabia this trump-asks-what-a-third-north-korean-summit- month. would-yield-idINKBN1W82O5 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/world/ U.S. demands to change nuclear deal middleeast/us-iran-rouhani-trump.html unacceptable: Iranian official Romania and USA agree to nuclear Reuters, September 24, 2019 cooperation U.S. demands to change a 2015 nuclear deal World Nuclear News, September 26, 2019 with world powers are unacceptable, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, as “This memorandum strengthens US- tensions have spiked between Washington Romania ties in an area of cooperation that and Tehran after an attack on oil facilities is deeply rooted in our mutual national in Saudi Arabia on Sept. 14. security and strategic interests, and is supportive of our respective energy “We will never renegotiate a deal that took security goals,” the US State Department us years to reach ... Iran’s leadership said. “It signals our long-term supports diplomacy but if Americans want commitment to working together to to ease tension, they should lift sanctions and develop Romania’s civil nuclear end pressure on Tehran,” the senior official programme and jointly pursue the told Reuters on condition of anonymity. peaceful uses of nuclear energy.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-un- The State Department said its nuclear official/u-s-demands-to-change-nuclear-deal- cooperation MoUs are “diplomatic unacceptable-iranian-official-idUSKBN1W8280 mechanisms that strengthen and expand strategic ties between the United States and a partner country by providing a 20 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

framework for cooperation on civil nuclear North Korea won’t give up nuclear issues and for engagement between experts weapons: ex-Trump adviser Bolton from government, industry, national laboratories and academic institutions”. David Brunnstrom and Doina Chiacu, Reuters, September 30, 2019 https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ Romania-and-USA-agree-to-nuclear-cooperation North Korea has no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons and Pyongyang No U.S.-North Korea talks possible benefits from stalling in its standoff with Washington, U.S. President Donald by end September: Pompeo Trump’s ousted national security adviser Humeyra Pamuk, Reuters, September 26, John Bolton said in a speech on Monday. 2019 “It seems to be clear that (North Korea) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said has not made a strategic decision to give on Thursday the United States has not been up its nuclear weapons. In fact, I think the able to arrange working-level meetings with contrary is true,” Bolton, a hardliner North Korea in September, but Washington towards North Korea and Iran who was is ready to meet and believes it is important fired by Trump three weeks ago, said at to do so. Negotiations aimed at dismantling Washington’s Center for Strategic and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs International Studies think tank. have stalled since a failed second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in northkorea-bolton/north-korea-wont-give-up- February. nuclear-weapons-ex-trump-adviser-bolton- idUSKBN1WF1IE https://in.reuters.com/article/usa-northkorea- pompeo/no-u-s-north-korea-talks-possible-by-end- Europe september-pompeo-idINKBN1WB2I6 France Oil shipping rates soar as U.S. France to give iodine to more supertanker sanctions rattle crude people living close to nuclear trade plants Florence Tan, Chen Aizhu, Jonathan Saul, Reuters, September 17, 2019 Reuters, September 27, 2019 France will offer free iodine tablets to Key oil freight rates from the Middle East to around 2.2 million people living close to Asia rocketed as much as 28% on Friday in nuclear plants to help protect them from a global oil shipping market spooked by radiation in case of an accident. Nuclear United States sanctions on units of Chinese regulator ASN said on Tuesday people giant COSCO for alleged involvement in living within 10-20 km of one of utility ferrying crude out of Iran. EDF’s 19 nuclear plants, as well as some In what the State Department called “one 200,000 institutions such as schools, will of the largest sanctions actions the U.S. has receive a letter in coming days informing taken” since curbs were re-imposed on Iran them that they can pick up free iodine in November last year, two units of COSCO tablets from pharmacies. Five years after were named alongside other companies in the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan claims of involvement in sanctions-busting in 2011, France distributed free iodine to shipments of Iranian oil. people living within 10 km of a nuclear plant, but is now widening that radius. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear- French daily Les Echos quoted a nuclear usa-cosco-energy/oil-shipping-rates-soar-as-u-s- information official as saying that in 2016 supertanker-sanctions-rattle-crude-trade- only about half of the people targeted idUSKBN1WC07F bothered to pick up their iodine. 21 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

Nuclear accidents typically release official said a deal was in the works and radioactive iodine in the atmosphere. When was expected to be signed in coming inhaled or swallowed, it is absorbed by the weeks. thyroid gland, where it can lead to cancer in later years. By saturating the thyroid gland https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france- with stable iodine, it will no longer absorb germany-arms/france-germany-closing-in-on- radioactive iodine. The ASN said that in case arms-exports-pact-idUSKBN1W42I7 of a nuclear accident, people living nearby need to seek shelter in buildings, monitor the France says Houthi claim of Saudi situation via the media and not go and pick attack lacks credibility up their children at school. They also should Reuters, September 19, 2019 limit telephone communication, take iodine and prepare for a possible evacuation. France on Thursday appeared to dismiss claims by Yemeni Houthi rebels that they https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-nuclear were behind an attack on Saudi oil power-iodine/france-to-give-iodine-to-more-people- facilities, and said Paris would renew living-close-to-nuclear-plants-idUSKBN1W2257 efforts to defuse tensions between the U.S. and Iran at next week’s U.N. General France, Germany closing in on arms Assembly. France has been scrambling exports pact with its European partners to ease tensions between Washington and Tehran for Tangi Salaün, Leigh Thomas, Reuters, months, but last weekend’s attack has September 19, 2019 jeopardized those efforts, diplomats have France and Germany said on Thursday they said. were close to an agreement on how to The Trump administration and Saudi remove obstacles to exporting weapons Arabia have pointed the finger at Iran for manufactured in joint programs, after the Sept. 14 raids, which hit the world’s French firms called for easing German biggest crude oil processing facility and export restrictions. German curbs on arms initially knocked out half of Saudi output. exports to non-European Union or non- Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement NATO countries have been a thorn in has claimed responsibility for the attack. bilateral co-operation for years. Germany’s Iran, which supports the Houthi group, SPD party, part of the ruling coalition, is has denied any involvement in the attacks. particularly concerned about the trade. French firms, such as Nexter and Arquus, “The Houthis ... announced that they previously known as Renault Trucks launched this attack. That lacks Defense, say the restrictions have hindered credibility,” French foreign minister Jean- deals and have urged the authorities to allow Yves Le Drian, told C News television, the export of equipment with German parts adding that at this stage Paris would not without requiring Berlin’s green light. draw conclusions that Iran was behind it. “There is an international investigation, Germany’s ruling coalition agreed in 2018 let’s wait for its results. I don’t have a to ban arms sales to countries involved in specific opinion before these results.” conflicts unless a waiver is granted. Germany extended by six months an He said the Saudi investigation would be embargo on sales to parties in the Yemen fast. France’s Armed Forces Ministry conflict, seen as a proxy war between Saudi spokeswoman said seven of its experts in Arabia and Iran. “On the issue of weapons’ explosives, surface-to-air defenses and exports, we have a narrow dialogue with missile trajectory had been sent to Saudi our German friends,” French Finance and Arabia to help make an independent Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told a assessment of the attack. news conference with his German counterpart. “We have found an agreement https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco- on this subject,” he said, without france/france-says-houthi-claim-of-saudi-attack- elaborating. A French finance ministry lacks-credibility-idUSKBN1W40L6 22 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

France says main priority is to de- to U.S. duress. As a result, European and escalate U.S.-Iran tensions Gulf officials expect Washington to keep tightening its vise on Iran’s economy and John Irish, Reuters, September 23, 2019 foresee more attacks in the Gulf - like the France’s foreign minister said on Sunday his Sept. 14 strikes on Saudi oil facilities - that country’s main aim at this week’s U.N. the West blames on Tehran despite its General Assembly meeting is to de-escalate denials. French President Emmanuel tensions between the United States and Iran Macron and British Prime Minister Boris and that a meeting between their presidents Johnson teamed up on Tuesday to urge was not the top priority. “The meeting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to meet between (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump U.S. President Donald Trump while they and (Iranian) President (Hassan) Rouhani were all in New York this week for the U.N. is not the number one subject. The priority General Assembly. subject is whether we can restart a de- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran- escalation path with the different actors,” deadlock/despite-french-british-pleas-few-signs- Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters. of-u-s-iran-detente-idUSKBN1WC0BE France has led a European effort to try to defuse tensions between Washington and UK Tehran. But those efforts have stalled, with Boris Johnson calls for ‘Trump Iran reducing its commitments to a 2015 deal’ to replace Iran nuclear nuclear deal with world powers, from which Washington withdraw last year, and the agreement United States refusing to ease sanctions that Rob Merrick, Independent, September 23, have strangled Iran’s economy. An attack 2019 on Saudi oil facilities, which the United States has blamed on Iran, has also complicated Boris Johnson has called for a new “Trump matters. Hopes at the end of August that deal” to replace the Iran nuclear Trump and Rouhani could meet at the agreement, winning praise from the US United Nations appear to have all but died. president and potentially shattering EU unity. In extraordinary comments in New https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco- York, the prime minister attacked the france/france-says-main-priority-is-to-de-escalate- existing “bad deal” – ending four years of u-s-iran-tensions-idUSKBN1W70TM the UK backing it as the best way to stop Tehran building a bomb. And he went Despite French, British pleas, few further, telling US television: “I think signs of U.S.-Iran detente there’s one guy who can do a better deal, and one guy who understands how to get Parisa Hafezi, John Irish, Arshad Mohammed a difficult partner like Iran over the line, Reuters, September 27, 2019 and that is the president of the United Britain and France all but begged Iran to States. jump into the waters of a negotiation with the United States this week. Neither “So I hope that there will be a Trump deal, antagonist, however, showed much desire to be totally honest with you.” The to discuss the many issues dividing them, comments delighted the US president, who from Iran’s reawakening nuclear program lauded Mr Johnson by saying: “That’s why to the U.S. sanctions squeezing the Iranian he’s a winner. That’s why he’s a man economy. who’s going to be successful in the UK. “Boris is a man, who…number one, he’s a The absence of dialogue - let alone a friend of mine, number two, he’s very presidential meeting - shows neither is yet smart, very tough.” willing to abandon core elements of policy: the U.S. belief that pressure will bring Iran https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ to its knees, and Iran’s refusal to capitulate politics/boris-johnson-trump-iran-deal-saudi- arabia-oil-attack-a9117521.html 23 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

Britain, France, Germany blame Boris Johnson announces funding Iran for Saudi attack: statement for world’s first nuclear fusion Reuters, September 24, 2019 plant France, Britain and Germany said on Owen Bennett, The Telegraph Monday it is clear Iran was responsible for Boris Johnson has announced the funding an attack on Saudi oil facilities on Sept. 14 of the world’s first nuclear fusion plant, and called on Tehran to agree to negotiations which could power entire towns without on its nuclear and missile programs as well creating greenhouse gases or radioactive as regional security issues. “The time has waste. The Government will spend £220 come for Iran to accept a long term million on the project, which it hopes will negotiation framework for its nuclear play a key role in reducing the UK’s program, as well as regional security issues, greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by which include its missile programs,” the 2050. Nuclear power currently comes from three governments said in a joint statement. the fission process. Fusion power is a zero- carbon, combustion-free source of energy French President Emmanuel Macron, British that generates electricity using hydrogen. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met during the https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/09/ annual United Nations gathering of world 27/boris-johnson-announces-funding-worlds- leaders to coordinate their strategy on Iran first-nuclear-fusion/ as the European parties seek to save a 2015 nuclear deal and defuse tensions between Britain is ‘at war every day’ due to Washington and Tehran. “It is clear to us constant cyber attacks, Chief of that Iran bears responsibility for this attack. the Defence Staff says There is no other plausible explanation,” a statement by the three leaders said.With The Telegraph, September 29, 2019 Johnson laying the blame on Iran earlier in The Chief of the Defence Staff has said that the day, it was the first time Paris and Berlin Britain is “at war every day” due to had done so. constant cyber attacks from Russia and https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran- elsewhere. Distinctions between peace and europe/britain-france-germany-blame-iran-for- war “don’t exist any longer” in the modern saudi-attack-statement-idUSKBN1W82I5 world, General Sir Nick Carter has warned. Speaking at the Cliveden Literary £3bn surge in cost of Hinkley Festival alongside former US General and nuclear plant ‘could trigger industry CIA Director David Petraeus, the head of crisis’ the armed forces stressed that it is no longer possible to draw a clear line between The Telegraph, September 25, 2019 competition and conflict. “The changing character of warfare has exposed the Ashock £3bn surge in the cost of building distinctions that don’t exist any longer Britain’s next nuclear power plant could between peace and war,” General Carter herald a crisis in the industry, former Energy said. Secretary Ed Davey has warned. The Hinkley Point C reactor being developed by https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/29/ French firm EDF is now projected to cost britain-war-every-day-due-constant-cyber- up to £22.5bn - £2.9bn more than initially attacks-chief-defence/ expected - and could take more than a year longer than first hoped to build. It is due to come online in 2025.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/09/25/ edf-warns-cost-hinkley-point-c-nuclear-power- plant-could-rise/ 24 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

Russia Novovoronezh II-2 passes acceptance tests Permission to dock: Russia’s floating nuclear power plant World Nuclear News, September 17, 2019 reaches Arctic port it was built for The unit was brought to the minimum Russia Times, September 15, 2019 controlled power level on 22 March, was first connected to the grid on 1 May and After a 5,000-km sea ride, Russia’s started pilot operation in June. It is pioneering floating nuclear power plant has expected to be put into commercial reached its final destination on the Arctic operation by year-end. coast and will soon deliver megawatts and gigajoules of energy to consumers on land. The acceptance tests were completed on The Akademik Lomonosov was towed from schedule and demonstrated the safe and Murmansk, a major port city in northwestern reliable operation of the unit’s equipment Russia, all the way to the far eastern region and systems, Vladimir Povarov, director of Chukotka, reaching a small town called of the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant Pevek on Saturday. The trip lasted 22 days project, said. The unit has completed and required a couple of tow boats to move nearly five months at all stages of power the barge, which lacks its own propulsion, supply and pilot operation, he added. The and an icebreaker to deliver the convoy results of the tests will now be submitted safely through the chilly Arctic waters. to regaulator Rostekhnadzor ahead of receiving an operating licence. https://www.rt.com/russia/468845-floating- nuclear-plant-docks/ The five units at the existing Novovoronezh nuclear power plant were World sleepwalking into total commissioned between 1964 and 1980. nuclear war as callous elites fear no The first and second units were bloodshed – Russian scholar permanently decommissioned in 1988 and 1990. Unit 3 was decommissioned in 2016, Russian Times, September 16, 2019 while unit four was shut down for modernisation works and has since Limiting nuclear arsenals doesn’t make the resumed operation. Unit 5 has recently world safer – not while the elites, who have undergone an upgrade and is licenced to never seen a big war, complacently believe operate until 2035. they never will. This dangerous illusion invites apocalyptic conflict, a renowned https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ scholar believes. Novovoronezh-II-2-passes-acceptance-tests

Humankind’s history might be a history of U.S. Says It Has Plans to ‘Take wars, but for several decades there was a sort of lull, with no really big armed conflict Down’ Western Russian Region’s affecting leading world powers. That is, in Air Defenses part, thanks to nuclear weapons. Fear of The Moscow Times, September 20, 2019 their power kept the Cold War from becoming a hot one and restricted the actual The United States military has a secret fighting to proxy conflicts. And that, in turn, blueprint targeting the air defense system has led to a situation where many of those protecting Russia’s westernmost territory currently in power don’t take the threat of of Kaliningrad, according to the U.S. Air war with the gravity it deserves, says Sergey Force’s top commander in Europe. Karaganov, a researcher of international relations and a dean at Moscow’s Higher NATO members perceive Russia’s missile School of Economics. deployments in Kaliningrad as a threat at a time when tensions between Russia and https://www.rt.com/news/468899-nuclear-war- its Western neighbors are running high strategic-weapons/ over Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea 25 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

from Ukraine. Kaliningrad is a Baltic exclave processing and storage of the used nuclear bordered by Poland and Lithuania, both fuel from units 1, 2 and 3, which is required members of the Western military alliance. for the decommissioning of the Chernobyl plant. Harrigian, who commands the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said the plan “would be Completion of cold testing was marked by a multi-domain, very timely and effective the demonstration on 29 August of full capability that we would bring to ensure we functionality of the facility with no major have the access we need in that issues or impediments to its licensed environment.” operation, Holtec said. This was confirmed at a working meeting by State Nuclear https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/20/us- Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine on 6 says-it-has-plans-to-take-down-western-russian- September. regions-air-defenses-a67360 ISF-2 will formally enter commissioning Russian Participants of Nuclear- once the operator - Chernobyl Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Conference Denied Power Plant (ChNPP) - obtains an US Visas – UN Ambassador individual operation licence from the regulator. This will initiate the campaign Sputnik, September 23, 2019 to dismember each of Chernobyl’s more than 21,000 fuel assemblies into three parts The United States has denied visas not only - two fuel bundles and an activated to members of the Russia delegation connecting rod - in a purpose-built ‘hot planning to participate in the UN General cell’ and place them in interim dry storage. Assembly, but also to participants of a planned conference on the Comprehensive https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), Russian Chernobyl-used-fuel-store-ready-for-commis- UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has sioning announced.

Russian upper house’s Foreign Affairs Cleanup Crews Filmed Removing Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachev Russian Nuclear Blast Debris said the US authorities did not provide visas The Moscow Times, September 25, 2019 to him and several other members of the Russian delegation. Kremlin spokesman Helicopters, excavators and people Dmitry Peskov said that the visa refusal was wearing hazmat suits have been filmed a direct violation of the United States’ near the site of a mysterious nuclear international obligations. explosion at a Russian military site that has raised international concerns and https://sputniknews.com/us/ safety fears. 201909251076883124-russian-participants-of- nuclear-test-ban-treaty-conference-denied-us- A liquid propulsion system blast on Aug. visas—un-ambassador/ 8 at a naval missile test facility in Nyonoksa has killed seven people and led Chernobyl used fuel store ready for to a brief radiation spike nearby. Reports commissioning citing U.S. intelligence and photographs from the site suggested that the blast World Nuclear News, September 24, 2019 happened during a mission to salvage a The principal contractors on the ISF-2 facility nuclear-powered cruise missile from the project are Ukraine’s UTEM, Germany’s bottom of the sea. BNG and Italy’s Maloni. The project, https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/25/ supported by the Nuclear Safety Account cleanup-crews-filmed-removing-russian- managed by the London-headquartered nuclear-blast-debris-a67430 European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, will provide for the 26 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

First fuel from Lepse leaves Nerpa in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, told a news shipyard conference on Friday. World Nuclear News, September 25, 2019 “Possibly we will achieve some positive solution [concerning the JCPOA] over The Lepse was a service ship for the Soviet several months to come, or else the icebreaker fleet from 1934 to 1988. It was situation will continue to get worse,” used to refuel the nuclear icebreaker fleet Ulyanov said. from 1963 to 1981 and has since been used for the storage of used fuel and radioactive He recalled that tensions had soared after waste. The vessel was moved in September the United States on May 4 introduced a 2012 to the Nerpa shipyard in new package of sanctions against Iran’s Snezhnogorsk in the Murmansk region of oil industry. Ulyanov believes that if Russia for dismantling. It held 639 damaged Washington agrees to get back to the level and distorted used nuclear fuel assemblies of sanctions that existed at the end of which could not be removed from their April, the situation might improve specialised storage facilities and represented considerably. a serious radiological hazard for the region. Its decommissioning is being carried out with https://tass.com/politics/1080186 the support of the London-headquartered EBRD. West Asia

The Lepse was dismantled to form two large Iran storage packages, one of which held the used fuel and was moved into a containment Through seeking talks with Iran, shelter constructed for defueling operations Trump intends the region to and equipped with removal tools. The fuel recognize Israel: ex-diplomat is to be sent for reprocessing at the Mayak Tehran Times, September 15, 2019 Chemical Combine in the Urals. Ahmad Dastmalchian, Iran’s former The EBRD announced today that the first ambassador to Lebanon, has said that U.S. shipment of six casks of used fuel assemblies President Donald Trump’s objective in was transported on board the Serebyanka seeking talks with Iran is a recognition of service ship from the Nerpa shipyard to the Zionist regime of Israel in the Middle Atomflot’s site in Murmansk. From there it East. “The United States seeks recognition will be transported for long-term safe storage of the Zionist regime in the region and uses at the Mayak nuclear facility. It is planned various countries as slave on this path that a further five shipments of fuel will be such as the view it has about Saudi Arabia, completed by mid-2020 ensuring the and seeking talks with Iran is in line with complete removal of all used nuclear fuel this objective of the United States,” ISNA from the Lepse. quoted Dastmalchian as saying on Sunday. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ First-fuel-from-Lepse-leaves-Nerpa-shipyard “However, the resistance front counters them. The United States seeks to divide the Solution over nuclear deal with Iran regional countries, but the resistance front may be achieved within months, makes efforts for the countries to be Russian envoy says independent from the United States and the Zionist regime,” he remarked. In a TASS News Agency, September 27, 2019 phone conversation with French President A positive solution for the Joint Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, Comprehensive Plan of Action dispute may President Hassan Rouhani said it makes be achieved within months, or else the no sense to hold talks with the United situation will continue to get worse, Russia’s States when sanctions against Iran are in representative at international organizations place. 27 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

“From the viewpoint of the government, against Iran ”will not be the one who parliament and the people of Iran, finishes it” as he said the U.S. is negotiations with the United States make no “posturing” by sending troops and defense sense when sanctions remain,” Rouhani said. equipment to Saudi Arabia following the Rouhani noted that the U.S. refrained from September 14 attacks on a major Saudi fulfilling its commitments by withdrawing Arabia oil facility. “I think it’s posturing. I from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally called think it’s all going the wrong direction in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. addressing this issue,” Zarif said in Pointing to Iran’s third step in reducing its response to a question on how Iran sees commitments under the deal, he said that the the development in an interview that was action has been done under the supervision set to air Sunday on CBS’ “Face the of the International Atomic Energy Agency Nation.” (IAEA) and is reversible. Rouhani said on September 3 that holding “bilateral” talks The Trump administration has blamed with the U.S. is not on the agenda. Iran for the attack by the Yemenis on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq plant and its https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440179/ Khurais oil field that adversely affected up Through-seeking-talks-with-Iran-Trump-intends- to half of the supplies from the world’s the-region-to biggest oil exporter. President Donald Trump on Friday approved the Zarif: U.S. must return to nuclear deployment of U.S. troops and missile deal if it wants a place at defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and negotiating table the United Arab Emirates. Tehran Times, September 18, 2019 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said the attacks were an “act of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah war” while Trump announced he would Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that there will “substantially increase” sanctions on Iran. be no negotiations between Iran and the Zarif denied that Iran had anything to do United States at any level or any place. “All with the attacks and said if the United officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran Nations launches an impartial unanimously agree that there will be no investigation into the attack “the outcome negotiations with America at any level either will be that it was not launched from Iran” in New York or any other place,” the Leader told his theology students. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440389/ Zarif-Whoever-starts-war-will-not-be-the-one- He noted that the U.S. seeks to impose its who-finishes-it demands through negotiations and prove that “policy of maximum pressure” against Iran has worked.”Policy of maximum Macron’s efforts to yield result if pressure against the Iranian people is quite Trump lifts sanctions: Rouhani worthless and all the officials of the Islamic Tehran Times, September 24, 2019 Republic of Iran unanimously believe that there will be no talks with the United States Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on at any level,” he said. Tuesday that French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to save the 2015 nuclear https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440228/ deal, known as the JCPOA, will yield result Ayatollah-Khamenei-No-negotiations-with-U-S- only if U.S. President Donald Trump lifts at-any-level sanctions against Iran. Talking to reporters in New York, Rouhani said, “The Zarif: Whoever starts war will not continuation of sanctions that have been be the one who finishes it imposed as maximum pressure means setting preconditions to negotiation by the Tehran Times, September 22, 2019 United States, while we believe that any Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad precondition must be removed before any Zarif has said any country that starts a war negotiation.” 28 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

He also said, “It is a shame that the basis for No new deal before compliance accusing Iran of attacking Aramco is simply with current one, Zarif says that they do not want to accept that the Yemeni army has the capability to launch Tehran Times, September 24, 2019 missile and drone strikes.” The president Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad added, “This means that those who accuse Javad Zarif has said that there will be no Iran have no realistic estimation of the talks on any new deal before compliance Yemeni military progresses, and have closed with the 2015 nuclear deal, officially their eyes, relying merely on speculation”. known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan The president said strikes on the Saudi oil of Action (JCPOA). “No new deal before facilities shows the inefficiency of weapons compliance with the current one,” Zarif that the U.S. has sold to the Saudi kingdom. wrote on his Twitter account.

Rouhani said, “The weakness of American Zarif’s tweet came as a response to a joint radars and massive defense equipment on statement by leaders of Britain, France and the alleged route of these missiles and drones Germany on Monday in which they said, cannot be denied and the Yemenis have in “The time has come for Iran to accept fact humiliated the United States and negotiation on a long-term framework for warned suppliers of weapons to Saudis.” In its nuclear program as well as on issues 2018, the Saudi military expenditure related to regional security, including its reached about 70 billion dollars, coming after missiles program and other means of the United States and China. delivery.”

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440489/Macron-s- https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440487/No- efforts-to-yield-result-if-Trump-lifts-sanctions-Rouhani new-deal-before-compliance-with-current-one- Zarif-says Jannati says Iran will never surrender to U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ Rouhani, Merkel discuss HOPE, Tehran Times, September 24, 2019 accelerating INSTEX The United States intends to impose its wish Tehran Times, September 25, 2019 on the Islamic Republic through negotiations Iranian president and the German but Iran will never surrender to chancellor discussed the necessary Washington’s “maximum pressure”, measures for saving the 2015 nuclear deal Assembly of Experts Chairman Ahmad – Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – as Jannati said on Tuesday. “The Americans well as Iran’s regional peace plan, ‘HOPE’. negotiate to make us agree to whatever they President Hassan Rouhani and German say and we wouldn’t emerge victorious in Chancellor Angela Merkel had a meeting such negotiations,” Jannati said, Tasnim Tuesday noon in New York on the reported. “They want to tie our hands and sidelines of the 74th Session of the United make us surrender but the Leader of the Nations General Assembly and discussed Revolution has said ‘we won’t give in to deepening economic cooperation, as well maximum pressure’,” the top cleric added. as bilateral relations.

Jannati made the remarks while addressing Rouhani and Merkel also discussed the a periodic session of the Assembly of Experts Hormuz Peace Initiative (HOPE) and the in Tehran on Tuesday. He underlined the critical regional conditions, emphasizing effectiveness of “active resistance” when the development of relations in different facing the enemies, saying such strategy has fields of mutual interest. The Iranian enabled the Lebanese Hezbollah to bring the president also stated that Germany has Israeli regime and the U.S. to their knees. always been a very important partner to Iran and stressed the continuation of the https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440474/ Jannati-says-Iran-will-never-surrender-to-U-S- long-standing friendly relations between maximum-pressure the two countries. Rouhani went on to 29 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

highlight the responsibilities of other is the message of regional peace and end signatories to the JCPOA, including of any interference in the sensitive regions Germany, for saving the important of the Persian Gulf and the Middle East,” international agreement after the United Rouhani said upon arrival at John F. States’ unilateral withdrawal. He also Kennedy International Airport. described the recent statement by France, Britain and Germany baseless accusations https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440491/ against Iran. Trump-threatens-to-tighten-US-sanctions- against-Iran https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440496/ Rouhani-Merkel-discuss-HOPE-accelerating- Iran commits new breach of INSTEX fraying nuclear deal, expands enrichment - IAEA Trump threatens to tighten US sanctions against Iran Francois Murphy, Reuters, September 26, 2019 Tehran Times, September 24, 2019 Iran has committed a further breach of its “As long as Iran’s menacing behavior nuclear deal with major powers by continues, sanctions will not be lifted. They enriching uranium with advanced will be tightened,” Trump said Tuesday at centrifuges, and plans to install more of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly those advanced machines than previously in New York. Trump repeated his baseless announced, a U.N. nuclear watchdog accusations against Iran’s civilian nuclear report showed on Thursday. and ballistic missile programs, as well as Tehran’s support for the people in the war- “On 25 September 2019, the Agency ravaged countries of Syria and Yemen. The verified that all of the (centrifuge) cascades US president also continued to criticize the already installed in R&D lines 2 and 3 ... 2015 nuclear agreement that he withdrew were accumulating, or had been prepared from last year, PressTvreported. to accumulate, enriched uranium,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said French President Emmanuel Macron in the report to member states obtained by expressed hope in late August that a long- Reuters.Iran is breaching the restrictions anticipated meeting between the presidents of its landmark nuclear deal with major of Iran and the United States would take powers step by step in response to U.S. place at the UN General Assembly. However, sanctions imposed on it since Washington Iran has firmly stated that it won’t sit for pulled out of the agreement last year. The bilateral talks with Trump but is open to a deal only allows Iran to accumulate multilateral meeting with the P5+1 - enriched uranium with its first-generation including the US - only if Washington ends IR-1 centrifuges. its economic war against the Iranian nation. Trump’s speech follows escalating tensions https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran- in the Middle East following attacks on Saudi nuclear-iaea/iran-commits-new-breach-of- Arabia’s oil facilities. In his speech, Trump nuclear-deal-expands-enrichment-iaea-report- accused Iran of carrying out the attacks. idUSKBN1WB237

Iran has rejected claims of involvement in Iran must not be the only party Yemen’s retaliatory attacks on the loyal to JCPOA: Rouhani kingdom’s heart of the oil industry. Iranian Tehran Times, September 27, 2019 President Hassan Rouhani arrived in New York on Monday to attend the UN General Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Assembly, where he plans to convey the Thursday that the European countries message of Middle East peace to the world. have either been unable or shown no will “We hope in the very sensitive situation of to save the 2015 nuclear deal, formally the region today we would be able to convey known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan the message of our regional nations, which of Action. Talking in a press conference in 30 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

New York at the conclusion of his visit to Islamic establishment, firstly led by the the annual UN General Assembly, he said U.S., and next by the European countries,” Iran cannot be the only country that pays the khamenei.ir quoted the Leader as the price for keeping the JCPOA alive. Under saying. He said that the motives of the the JCPOA, Iran agreed to put limits on its European states do not differ from the nuclear activities in exchange for the motives behind the U.S. actions. termination of economic and financial changes. “These few European countries openly show hostility to the Islamic Republic. On Iran’s move to scale back its Their motives for hostility with the Islamic commitments, Rouhani said, “We reduced Republic are not inherently different from our commitments in two phases. We also those of the United States; even though, started the third phase. We hope that we the United States is quite peculiar,” he would reach an agreement by the end of the stated. two-month deadline. We will take the next steps if Europeans are not able to fulfill their https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440555/ duties.” “We were living up to our Leader-Europeans-have-practically-stayed- commitments fully and they kept decreasing committed-to-U-S-sanctions their commitments. We wanted to create a balance, just as they were decreasing their U.S. offered to remove all commitments, we wished to decrease ours sanctions on Iran in exchange for as well,” CNN quoted him as saying, adding talks -Iran president that the JCPOA included a formula that allowed for that. Reuters, September 27, 2019 The United States offered to remove all https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440554/Iran- sanctions on Iran in exchange for talks, must-not-be-the-only-party-loyal-to-JCPOA- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Rouhani Friday upon returning to Tehran from the United Nations General Assembly in New Leader: Europeans have practically York, according to his official website. stayed committed to U.S. sanctions “The German chancellor, the prime Tehran Times, September 27, 2019 minister of England (Britain) and the president of France were in New York and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah all insisted that this meeting take place. Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that And America says that I will lift the the Europeans have failed to meet their sanctions,” Rouhani said. “It was up for nuclear commitments and Iran should not debate what sanctions will be lifted and pin hope on them. “Despite their they had said clearly that we will lift all commitments, the Europeans have sanctions.” practically stayed committed to sanctions of the United States and have taken no action. He added: “But this action wasn’t in a It is very unlikely that they will be able to do manner that was acceptable, meaning that anything for the Islamic Republic. So, we in the atmosphere of sanctions and the should not pin hope on the Europeans,” he existence of sanctions and the toxic said during a meeting with members of the atmosphere of maximum pressure, even Assembly of Experts. if we want to negotiate with the Americans in the 5+1 framework, no one “We must not at all place hope and trust on can predict what the end and result of this anyone except for the domestic forces.” negotiation will be.”

“As frequently mentioned before, we should https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-iran- not at all place hope and trust on anyone sanctions/u-s-offered-to-remove-all-sanctions- except for the domestic forces, in particular, on-iran-in-exchange-for-talks-iran-president- not on those that have raised the flag of idUSL5N26I3K0 hostility against the Islamic Republic and the 31 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

Lavrov: U.S. violated UN Resolution historic outcome is not derailed,” CNN 2231 endorsing the Iran nuclear deal quoted Wang as telling the UN General Assembly. Tehran Times, September 28, 2019 https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440604/ “The U.S. pulled back from the JCPOA, Chinese-FM-urges-Persian-Gulf-states-to-form- embraced by United Nations Resolution platform-for-dialogue 2231, renounced its commitments and began requesting from others to play by American Finland says considers nuclear principles,” Lavrov said in a speech to the deal as basis for increasing ties UN General Assembly. In May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the Tehran Times, September 28, 2019 JCPOA struck between Iran and world power according to which Iran was Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto obligated to limit its nuclear activities in has said that Helsinki considers the 2015 exchange for termination of economic and nuclear deal, formally known as the financial sanctions. Lavrov said Washington JCPOA, as the cornerstone of expanding has killed other UN resolutions on the Middle ties with Iran. “We support the JCPOA. East. We are concerned about the United States’ withdrawal from the deal and also Iran’s “It suggested waiting for some sort of ‘Deal steps towards quitting the JCPOA,” he of the Century’, meanwhile it is taking told IRNA in an interview published on unilateral decisions on Jerusalem and the Saturday. Golan Heights,” he stated, alluding to Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Haavisto added, “We consider the JCPOA the capital of Israel and also accepting the a good basis for bilateral cooperation. We Golan Heights as part of Israel. believe that Europe can help Iran find a way out of the current crisis. Undoubtedly, https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440605/ we should continue dialogue and good Lavrov-U-S-violated-UN-Resolution-2231- relations.” In May 2018, President Donald endorsing-the-Iran-nuclear Trump abandoned the nuclear deal and returned the previous sanctions and Chinese FM urges Persian Gulf imposed new harsh ones. He even has states to form ‘platform for introduced a total ban on Iran’s oil dialogue’ exports. Tehran Times, September 28, 2019 https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440597/ Finland-says-considers-nuclear-deal-as-basis- The remarks by Wang came two days after for-increasing-ties the Iranian president at the UN headquarters in New York invited the countries directly Malaysian PM slams U.S. affected by the recent incidents in the unilateral sanctions as ‘privilege Persian Gulf region to join the “Hormuz of the rich and powerful’ Peace Endeavor (HOPE)”. China’s Wang says it is necessary to “ensure that this Tehran Times, September 28, 2019 historic outcome (JCPOA) is not derailed.”Wang also said the 2015 deal on Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Iran’s nuclear program has an effect on Mohamad has criticized the United States global peace and security and asked all for trying to force all countries to stop doing parties signatory to the deal to work jointly business with Iran. “We do not know to keep it alive. under what laws sanctions are applied. It appears to be the privilege of the rich and “The Iranian nuclear issue affects world the powerful,” Mahathir said, addressing peace and security. All parties need to work the 74th session of the United Nations together to uphold the Joint Comprehensive General Assembly in New York on Friday. Plan of Action (JCPOA) and ensure that this According to the AFP, the outspoken 94- 32 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

year-old leader urged greater international market. control of sanctions, saying, “If you want to have sanctions, let us have a law to govern https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440579/ them.” NIOC-to-offer-2m-barrels-of-gas-condensate-at- IRENEX-on-Tuesday “The fact is that when sanctions are applied to a country, other countries get sanctioned Iran calls sanctions ‘crime against as well. Malaysia and many others lost a big humanity’ market when sanctions were applied on Iran.” U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Tehran Times, September 29, 2019 out of the Iran nuclear deal, formally known Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh, Tehran’s as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ambassador and permanent (JCPOA), in May 2018. He has since imposed representative to the UN office in Geneva, more than 1,000 individual sanctions on has called the consequences of unilateral Tehran, which culminated with an oil sanctions against Iran “crime against embargo this May. Zarif himself is also humanity”. During a speech at the 42th sanctioned. session of the UN Human Rights Council, https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440592/ he urged the United Nations to take Malaysian-PM-slams-U-S-unilateral-sanctions- actions in stopping the sanctions. U.S. as-privilege-of President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal NIOC to offer 2m barrels of gas in May 218 and restored the previous condensate at IRENEX on Tuesday sanctions against Iran and ordered new ones. Trump has described his Tehran Times, September 28, 2019 government’s sanctions against Iran an “economic war”. National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) will offer two million barrels of gas condensate To strangulate the Iranian economy, at Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX) on Trump has acknowledged that his Tuesday, IRIB reported. As announced by administration has slapped the “harshest NIOC, the base price will be $58.58 per sanctions” against Iran that its kind has barrel in this round of offering gas never been seen in history. In an interview condensate at IRENEX which is the eleventh with CNN aired on September 24, Foreign round. Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that sanctions are war. The least amount of purchase for land transportation is set to be 1000 barrels or 110 https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440636/ tons and buyers can receive their cargo up Iran-calls-sanctions-crime-against-humanity to three months after the transaction, and the delivery of the cargo in other regions is Nuclear deal ‘worthless’ if it does subject to NIOC approval. Offering gas not benefit Iran: Vaezi condensate at IRENEX came after the successful offering of crude oil at this market. Tehran Times, September 29, 2019 The first offering was done on February 13, Presidential chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi which failed to attract customers. Since the says the nuclear deal, also known as U.S.’s withdrew from Iran’s nuclear pact in Barjam in Iran, is worthless if it does not May 2018, vowing to drive Iran’s oil exports benefit Iran. Vaezi accompanied President down to zero, the Islamic Republic has been Rouhani during his trip to New York for taking various measures to counter the U.S. the Annual UN General Assembly actions and to keep its oil exports levels as conference. While in New York, Rouhani high as possible. One of the main strategies held separate meetings with leaders of that Iran chose to execute to help its oil Germany, France and Britain whose exports afloat has been trying new ways to countries are signatory to the 2015 nuclear diversify the mechanism of oil sales, one of agreement. which is offering oil at the country’s stock 33 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

“Barjam without its benefits is worthless for Turkey us and we told the Europeans that in order to preserve the agreement they should fulfil Turkey’s Erdogan says nuclear their commitments and shoulder the U.S. power should either be free for all burden as well,” Vaezi said on Sunday, or banned ISNA reported. He warned that Iran will continue to scale back its commitments Reuters, September 24, 2019 under the nuclear deal if the other Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on signatories to the deal do not fulfil their Tuesday said nuclear power should either commitments. “We have announced loud be free for all states or banned completely, and clear that if they fail to take any action and warned that the “inequality” between we will take the next step,” the presidential states who have nuclear power and who chief of staff pointed out. do not undermines global balances.Turkey signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440619/ Treaty in 1980, and has also signed the Nuclear-deal-worthless-if-it-does-not-benefit-Iran- 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Vaezi Treaty, which bans all nuclear detonations for any purpose. Erdogan has hinted in Rouhani is not entitled to make the past that he wanted he same protection changes to the JCPOA, says top MP for Turkey as Israel, which foreign analysts say possesses a sizable nuclear arsenal. Tehran Times, September 29, 2019 Israel maintains a policy of ambiguity A top lawmaker has said President Hassan around the nuclear issue, refusing to Rouhani is not entitled to make any changes confirm or deny its capabilities. to the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal struck in “The position of nuclear power should 2015 between Iran and six world powers. either be forbidden for all or permissible for everyone,” Erdogan told the United “The president cannot add or remove even Nations General Assembly annual a word from Barjam (JCPOA) without gathering of world leaders. In his speech, permission from the Majlis,” Mehr on Erdogan also called on the international Sunday quoted Mohammadreza Pour- community to help securing peace and Ebrahimi as saying. “Raising these subjects safety in the Syrian city of Idlib, adding is with the intention of creating a that establishing a “safe zone” in northern psychological war so that the Islamic Syria will save millions of lives. Turkey, Republic of Iran retreats from its principal which hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, stances and its rightful demands,” he added. controls parts of northern Syria where it says 350,000 Syrians have already According to Reuters, Rouhani told media returned. Turkey plans to resettle 1 million in New York on Tuesday that he would be refugees in northern Syria and has warned open to discussing with major powers “small that it may reopen the route for migrants changes, additions or amendments” to the into Europe if it does not receive adequate nuclear deal if sanctions were taken away. international support for the plan. However, Parviz Esmaeili, the presidential office’s director for communications and https://www.reuters.com/article/un-assembly- information, later criticized Reuters for turkey/turkeys-erdogan-says-nuclear-power- misquoting Rouhani. “What Reuters quoted should-either-be-free-for-all-or-banned- Rouhani as saying about his readiness to idUSKBN1W924L amend and make changes to the JCPOA is not accurate,” Esmaeili said in a tweet.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440612/ Rouhani-is-not-entitled-to-make-changes-to-the- JCPOA-says-top 34 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

East Asia enrichment facility located in Yongbyon, though no indications of reprocessing North Korea activities were detected at the Russia detains two North Korean radiochemical lab in the plant. Mining, milling and concentration activities also vessels after one opens fire: reports appeared to have continued at “locations Reuters, September 17, 2019 previously declared as the Pyongsan uranium mine and the Pyongsan uranium Russian border guards have detained two concentration plant,” it said. The agency North Korean boats in Russian territorial noted that it did not have access to waters in the Sea of Japan after one of them Yongbyon and other facilities and that it attacked a Russian patrol, local media cited cannot confirm the operational status or the Federal Security Service (FSB) as saying the purpose of the cited activities without on Tuesday. such access. The IAEA used other information, such as satellite imagery, to A Russian border patrol discovered two monitor the North’s nuclear program. North Korean schooners and 11 motorboats “The continuation of the DPRK’s nuclear fishing illegally off its far eastern coast and programme is a clear violation of relevant detained the first vessel, prompting the UN Security Council resolutions and is second one to open fire, the FSB was quoted deeply regrettable,” the report said, urging as saying. “Both vessels have been detained,” Pyongyang to comply with its obligations local media cited the FSB as saying, adding under the resolutions. DPRK stands for the later that more than 80 North Koreans had North’s official name, the Democratic been detained. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign People’s Republic of Korea. Affairs called in a top North Korean diplomatic representative in Moscow over http://www.koreaherald.com/ the incident and he was later seen entering view.php?ud=20190918000356&ACE_SEARCH=1 the ministry, RIA news agency reported. North Korea chief negotiator https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia- welcomes Trump’s call for ‘new northkorea-incident/russia-detains-two-north- korean-vessels-after-one-opens-fire-reports- method’ at talks idUSKBN1W21GQ Hyonhee Shin, David Brunnstrom, Reuters, September 20, 2019 NK nuclear reactor shut down for North Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator enough time for re-fuelling: IAEA welcomed on Friday U.S. President Donald Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 18, 2019 Trump’s suggestion that a “new method” be used in talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear North Korea’s main plutonium-producing weapons programs. Kim Myong Gil reactor has been shut down for enough time praised Trump’s “wise political decision” for it to be re-fuelled, the International to seek a new approach to the stalled talks Atomic Energy Agency said in a recent without a “troublemaker” in the U.S. report, stressing Pyongyang’s nuclear administration - an apparent reference to activities remain a cause for “serious John Bolton, Trump’s hawkish former concern.” The 5-megawatt reactor at the national security adviser, who was fired North’s Yongbyon nuclear complex showed last week. signs of intermittent operation between mid- August and late November last year, but Trump said on Wednesday Bolton’s there have been no indications of operations suggestion for a Libyan model of there since early December, the agency said denuclearization for North Korea “set us in the report submitted for its general back very badly,” while his own conference this week. diplomacy had resulted in the country freezing nuclear tests and returning The latest IAEA report also said there have remains of U.S. soldiers missing from the been signs of use at the centrifuge 1950-53 Korean War. “So I think John 35 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

really should take a look at how badly first while building trust in each other they’ve done in the past and maybe a new would be the best option,” Kim said method would be very good,” Trump said, when asked about news reports saying that http://www.koreaherald.com/ Bolton thought talks with North Korea were view.php?ud=20190923000711&ACE_SEARCH=1 doomed to failure. Trump says N. Korea must https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea- denuclearize to tap potential usa/north-korea-chief-negotiator-welcomes- trumps-call-for-new-method-at-talks- Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 25, 2019 idUSKBN1W50RT US President Donald Trump said Tuesday Trump’s ‘new method’ on North that North Korea must denuclearize in order to tap its “tremendous” economic Korea may indicate nuclear weapon potential. In a speech to the UN General first approach Assembly in New York, Trump said he Park Han-na, Korea Herald, September 23, delivered that message to North Korean 2019 - 17:03 leader Kim Jong-un. His remarks come as the United States and North Korea are The mood for dialogue between the US and expected to resume working-level North Korea has been heightened with US denuclearization negotiations in the President Donald Trump’s recent comment coming weeks. “I’ve told Kim Jong-un what on the possible employment of a “new I truly believe — that, like Iran, his country method” to break the deadlock in nuclear is full of tremendous, untapped potential, talks with Pyongyang. A “new method but that to realize that promise, North would be very good,” Trump said on Sept. Korea must denuclearize,” Trump said. 18, criticizing the maximalist approach maintained by former US national security http://www.koreaherald.com/ adviser John Bolton, who advocated the view.php?ud=20190925000083&ACE_SEARCH=1 “Libyan model” in denuclearizing the regime. North Korea says lack of progress casts doubt on prospects for future Trump fired Bolton, who was described as summit with U.S.: KCNA a “war monger” by the North, two weeks ago over policy disagreement. Pyongyang Joyce Lee, Reuters, September 27, 2019 has been demanding the US come up with a “new calculation method” before year-end North Korea said on Friday that a lack of for their talks to make progress following the progress in implementing agreements collapse of a second summit between Trump made between U.S. President Donald and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong February. North Korean diplomat Kim Un cast doubt on prospects for a future Myong-gil, who will be leading a planned summit, state news agency KCNA said. working-level talks with Washington, “The U.S. has done nothing for welcomed Trump’s remark and hoped that implementing the joint statement” from it signals a shift in Washington’s stance the first summit between Trump and Kim away from its demands at the February in Singapore last year, KCNA said, summit. Trump walked away from making quoting North Korean Foreign Ministry a deal after North Korea rejected the US advisor Kim Kye Gwan. proposal that the regime give up its entire The official criticized the joint military nuclear weapons program as well as its drills between U.S. and South Korea, as chemical and biological weapons. “At the well as strengthened sanctions and moment I am not quite sure what he implied pressure on North Korea. Negotiations in his suggestion of ‘new method,’ but to me aimed at dismantling North Korea’s it seems he wanted to imply that a step-by- nuclear and missile programs have stalled step solution starting with the things feasible since a failed second summit between 36 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

Trump and Kim in February. Pyongyang has diplomat said Washington’s statement said it is willing to restart working-level talks, that international sanctions against the but no date or location have been set. regime would remain in place contradicted its claims of openness to Trump said on Monday that he would want dialogue and trust-building. to know what would result from a third summit with Kim before agreeing to hold it. “Denuclearization will become increasingly The official’s statement also pointed out that unavailable as long as the US maintains its “politicians in Washington are obsessed hostility towards us,” he said. Since early with” the assertion that North Korea can September, in a series of statements get access to a bright future only when it published under the name of North abandons its nukes first, and the view that Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son- sanctions led North Korea to dialogue was hui and Foreign Ministry adviser Kim Kye- “twisted.” gwan, among others, Pyongyang has pressured Washington to take a new https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea- approach to produce a breakthrough in usa/north-korea-says-lack-of-progress-casts-doubt- the stalled nuclear diplomacy process. on-prospects-for-future-summit-with-u-s-kcna- idUSKBN1WB2YG http://www.koreaherald.com/ view.php?ud=20190929000177&ACE_SEARCH=1 North Korea urges US to turn words into action North Korea won’t give up nuclear weapons: ex-Trump adviser Bolton Park Han-na, Korea Herald, September 29, 2019 David Brunnstrom, Doina Chiacu, Reuters, A North Korean envoy called on the United September 30, 2019 States to translate its promises into action ahead of upcoming working-level talks North Korea has no intention of giving up between the two countries to discuss the its nuclear weapons and Pyongyang denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. benefits from stalling in its standoff with “The US should implement the North Korea- Washington, U.S. President Donald US joint agreement with sincerity and bold Trump’s ousted national security adviser decision after great deliberation,” Ri Ki-ho, John Bolton said in a speech on Monday. a counselor at North Korea’s Permanent “It seems to be clear that (North Korea) Mission to the United Nations in New York, has not made a strategic decision to give said at the 2019 Global Peace Forum on up its nuclear weapons. In fact, I think the Korea, held at Columbia University in New contrary is true,” Bolton, a hardliner York on Saturday. Speaking at the forum, towards North Korea and Iran who was held under the theme “Meaning of June 12 fired by Trump three weeks ago, said at North Korea-US joint agreement and Washington’s Center for Strategic and prospect of North Korea-US relations,” he International Studies think tank. said Pyongyang had shown through concrete action its willingness to keep the Under current circumstances, Bolton said, pledges its leader Kim Jong-un and US North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “will President Donald Trump signed after their never give up the nuclear weapons first summit in Singapore last year. voluntarily.” In firing Bolton, Trump said he “disagreed strongly with many of his Ri was referring to the suspension of nuclear suggestions” and that the former adviser and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, the had made mistakes by demanding that shutdown of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site Kim follow a “Libyan model” in which he and the return of the remains of US soldiers would have to give up all his nuclear killed during the Korean War. “On the other weapons unilaterally. hand, the United States did not take any action to implement the joint statement, https://reuters.com/article/us-usa-northkorea-bolton/ saying that it would improve relations only north-korea-wont-give-up-nuclear-weapons-ex- in words,” Ri said. The North Korean trump-adviser-bolton-idUSKBN1WF1IE 37 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

G-77 adopts statement urging lifting to denuclearize at previous inter-Korean of sanctions on Pyongyang: NK and U.S.-North Korea summits. media There is a rationale that what Kim has Yonhap, Korea Herald, September 30, 2019 done so far since the beginning of the process represents the opposite, given the The members of the Group of 77 developing continued missile testing. The United countries have adopted a statement States Forces Korea (USFK) recently opposing “unilateral” economic sanctions on confirmed that North Korea’s Hwasong- North Korea that hamper its development 15 inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) and prosperity, Pyongyang’s state media has the capability to strike targets on “any said Monday. During the ministerial meeting part of the U.S. mainland.” This enhanced of the G-77 held in New York on Friday on warhead delivery technology when the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, coupled with the 100 nuclear warheads ¯ the member states adopted a statement an estimate by the U.S.-based think tank calling for the immediate lifting of sanctions RAND ¯ that Pyongyang would have by on North Korea, according to the North’s 2020, could enhance its retaliatory threat. radio network Korean Central Broadcasting From that perspective, many think Kim Station. can’t afford to drop what’s widely considered as the “only protection” to The G-77 is an intergovernmental shield his regime from external aggression. organization of developing countries in the UN that aims to promote economic interests http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/ of the member countries. The group was 09/113_275576.html launched in 1964 with 77 founding members and has since been expanded to 134 member Moon’s mission in New York: ‘Get nations. Delegations from some 120 countries took part in the latest session, nuke talks restarted’ where the North’s representative also Kim Yoo-chul, Korea Times, September 15, delivered an address vowing to further 2019 cooperate with other G-77 member states, the report said. North Korea is under a wide President Moon Jae-in will face his biggest array of international sanctions for its challenge in New York next week in his nuclear and ballistic missile programs, signature “engagement-centric” North including a UN-imposed cap on imports of Korean policy, as he will be tasked with refined petroleum products persuading U.S. President Donald Trump and leaders of allied countries for a “new http://www.koreaherald.com/ approach” to restart nuclear disarmament view.php?ud=20190930000229&ACE_SEARCH=1 talks with Pyongyang. Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said Moon will South Korea fly to New York Sept. 22 to attend this year’s United Nations General Assembly meeting. Seoul asked to offer ‘big promises’ to North Korea During his stay, the President plans to hold a meeting with Trump, while preparatory Korea Times, September 15, 2019 work is underway for a possible trilateral The government is asking the United States summit with Trump and Japanese Prime and the governments of regional allies to Minister Shinzo Abe, presidential aides promise not to launch military offensives said Sunday. Cheong Wa Dae will against North Korea in order to convince announce the key discussion points for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. Moon and Trump during their upcoming Providing sanctions relief alone may be summit after it confers with the White insufficient, as North Korean leader Kim House. Exploring ways to strengthen Jong-un might not have thought out a clear trilateral cooperation between cut plan regarding his regime’s nuclear Washington, Seoul and Tokyo will be an disarmament despite repeated commitments issue at the bilateral and possible trilateral 38 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

talks as optimism has risen on rebooting Previously unidentified talks with Pyongyang over denuclearization. underground facilities identified http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/ at Yongbyon complex: 38 North 09/113_275563.html Korea Herald, September 21, 2019 Seoul stresses ‘flexibility’ to Two previously unidentified underground advance denuke talks complexes have been identified at North Korea’s mainstay nuclear compound in Kim Yoo-chul, Korea Times, September 19, 2019 Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, a US Ahead of working-level denuclearization website monitoring the communist state talks between the United States and North has said. In an expert analysis of satellite Korea, a senior South Korean diplomat said imagery by Frank V. Pabian, 38 North on “flexibility” was a key prerequisite to making Thursday revealed the underground “substantive progress. “If Washington and complexes, located east and southeast of Pyongyang want to keep the negotiations Yongbyon across the Kuryong River, alive and make substantive progress, they saying their purposes remain unknown. should show more flexibility,” Lee Do-hoon, The findings are based on the presence of Seoul’s chief nuclear envoy, told reporters tunnel entrances and visible spoil piles, at Incheon International Airport before departing for Washington, D.C., for talks which 38 North said have become far less with his U.S. counterpart Stephen Biegun, obvious with time. “While it is impossible scheduled for Saturday (KST). “As North to remotely discern their purposes, their Korea has confirmed its willingness to return location within Yongbyon’s security to the negotiations, there will be plenty of perimeter and subsequent camouflaging discussion points for Seoul and Washington. qualify them as subjects of interest for I plan to pass on some of our government’s future inspection teams,” the website said suggestions regarding the new round of talks in the analysis. between Pyongyang and Washington,” Lee said without elaborating. One tunnel complex lies directly across the river from the 5 megawatt nuclear reactor, Lee added he doesn’t plan to contact the as indicated by the presence of excavated North Koreans during his visit to spoil piles, the website said. The other Washington. “We’ve been told about North tunnel was excavated under a hillside Korea’s position in the upcoming dialogue along the Kuryong River, northeast of the from different viewpoints. South Korea will abandoned 50 megawatt reactor area, it review this and discuss these mixed added. The analysis came as Washington messages with the United States.” North and Pyongyang are preparing to resume Korea recently laid out “conditions” for their working-level nuclear negotiations as denuclearization ahead of the planned talks early as this month. Their talks may touch with the U.S. Its official Korean Central on the dismantlement of the Yongbyon News Agency said Pyongyang was “hoping facilities in return for US concessions. that the working-level negotiations will be held in a few weeks.” A few days after this, http://www.koreaherald.com/ a North Korean diplomat handling U.S. view.php?ud=20190921000045&ACE_SEARCH=1 affairs called for “a complete removal of threats and hurdles regarding Pyongyang’s 70% of S. Koreans expect Kim system security” as a condition for the talks. Busan trip to be positive for That raised speculation that the North could ask the U.S. for a security guarantee and nuclear talks, cross-border ties sanctions relief. The foreign ministry said Korea Herald, September 26, 2019 Lee will meet other officials from the White House, State Department and think tanks About 70 percent of South Koreans think during his visit. that a trip to the South by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit with http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/ Southeast Asian leaders would have a 09/113_275825.html 39 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

positive impact on denuclearization talks S. Korea, Bulgaria to strengthen and inter-Korean relations, a survey partnerships on nuclear energy, showed. On Tuesday, the country’s spy ICT agency raised the possibility that Kim could visit the southern port city of Busan for the Korea Herald, September 27, 2019 special summit that South Korea is to host The leaders of South Korea and Bulgaria in November for the leaders of the 10-nation agreed Friday to bolster strategic Association of Southeast Asian Nations. partnerships between the two nations in According to the survey of around 1,000 various fields, including nuclear energy, adults by the National Unification Advisory ICT and arms production. The accord Council, 69.7 percent of those polled said came at summit talks here between that Kim’s trip could have positive impact President Moon Jae-in and visiting Prime on denuclearization talks and inter-Korean Minister Boyko Borissov, according to relations, with 22.8 percent of them saying Cheong Wa Dae. Moon began the Cheong that the impact could be huge. Wa Dae summit by expressing his gratitude for Sofia’s help in the search for http://www.koreaherald.com/ missing South Koreans in a May river view.php?ud=20190926000252&ACE_SEARCH=1 cruise boat sinking on the Danube River in Budapest. S. Korean, Chinese foreign ministers reaffirm cooperation on He then noted that Bulgaria is actively seeking to draw more foreign direct North Korea investment, expand renewable energy use Park Han-na, Korea Herald, September 26, and modernize its weapon systems. “The 2019 two countries have great potential for broadening substantive cooperation in the The foreign ministers of South Korea and trade, investment and energy fields,” China met in New York on the sidelines of Moon said in his opening statement, the United Nations General Assembly and which pool reporters were allowed to agreed to continue their cooperation for cover. In response, the Bulgarian prime denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, minister expressed hope for closer ties on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the education of a skilled workforce as well Thursday. as trade and economy.

In the 30-minute talks, Foreign Minister http://www.koreaherald.com/ Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese view.php?ud=20190927000629&ACE_SEARCH=1 counterpart Wang Yi exchanged views on the current situation, including North Japan Korea’s nuclear program. “The two sides agreed that it is imperative to make Tokyo refuses Seoul’s help over substantive progress in denuclearization of North Korea firing the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace through the swift Yi Whan-woo, Korea Times, September 15, resumption of US-North Korea working- 2019 level talks,” the ministry said in a press Japan did not ask South Korea for release. The US and North Korea are intelligence on North Korea’s recent expected to resume working-level talks in launch of two “unidentified projectiles” early October on abandoning Pyongyang’s after Seoul ended its military information nuclear weapons. sharing pact with Tokyo. Political analysts in Seoul said Sunday the key motivation http://www.koreaherald.com/ view.php?ud=20190926000739&ACE_SEARCH=1 behind the silence was because it did not want to be viewed as seeking help to acquire classified information after the termination of the pact, commonly known 40 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

as GSOMIA, Aug. 22. However Tokyo seems SDF, U.S. Army stage first drill fully capable of monitoring North Korea’s using missiles to avert sea attack military activities in cooperation with the United States and does not need to work The Asahi Shimbun, September 18, 2019 with South Korea, they added. Japanese and U.S. ground forces for the Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) first time staged a simulated attack against and Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) have yet to an enemy ship using land-to-ship missiles finalize their assessment of the projectiles’ at a training site in Kyushu. The joint maximum altitude and speed ¯ two key exercise on Sept. 17 at the Oyanohara pieces of information when analyzing the training area in Kumamoto Prefecture had specifications of North Korean missiles or China in mind as a potential target of future projectiles. “I think Japan is curious to know operations. It was the first joint exercise about North Korean projectiles last week but in Japan between the U.S. Army and the does not want to appear to be begging for Ground Self-Defense Force involving land- help from the South,” Shin In-kyun, to-ship missiles. president of the Korea Defense Network A similar joint exercise was held last year said. “This is why Japan has not asked for in the United States. The U.S. side operated related information on the projectiles. It is the high-mobility artillery rocket system as simple as that.” (HIMARS) during the drill, which forms http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/ part of Orient Shield 19 joint exercises 09/113_275568.html being held in various locations. A GSDF unit handled Type 12 surface-to-ship Koizumi hopes son will push for missiles (SSM) in the exercise, with the training area serving as an outlying island abandonment of nuclear power under attack from a warship at sea. The Asahi Shimbun, September 16, 2019 China’s growing maritime presence in the region was likely a key factor behind the Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi joint exercise, analysts said. said he hopes his son in his new position in the Cabinet will wean Japan from nuclear http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/ power and expand the use of natural AJ201909180030.html energy. In a speech here on Sept. 15, Koizumi said he was happy that his son, Japan embassy posts radiation Shinjiro, 38, was appointed environment levels in Seoul and Fukushima minister, his first Cabinet post, last week. “He has studied things more than I did,” Koizumi The Asahi Shimbun, September 26, 2019 said. “The environment is the most pressing The Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Sept. issue. I want him to abandon nuclear power 24 posted radiation levels in Fukushima and turn Japan into a nation that can Prefecture, site of the 2011 nuclear disaster, develop on natural energy.” on its website to assuage safety concerns Koizumi also reiterated that he made a in South Korea. The website in Korean mistake when he promoted nuclear power and Japanese rates radiation levels in the when he was prime minister from 2001 to cities of Fukushima and Iwaki, Fukushima 2006. Pro-nuclear advocates had said that Prefecture, Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward and nuclear power was safe, low-cost and clean, Seoul. It says radiation levels in the three but Koizumi said the accident at the Japanese cities are “on par with” major Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in overseas cities, including Seoul. 2011 “proved all three ‘virtues’ false.” On Sept. 25, the following air dose rates http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/ were detected: 0.133 microsievert per hour AJ201909160016.html in Fukushima; 0.062 in Iwaki; 0.036 in Tokyo and 0.119 in Seoul. The data was provided by the Fukushima prefectural 41 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

government, the Tokyo metropolitan Taiwan government, and the government-affiliated Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety just south Fault lines should nix reactor of Seoul. The embassy said the data will be proposal: group updated daily except on days when the Taipei Times, September 24, 2019 diplomatic mission is closed. A geological survey shows that there are http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/ five active fault lines near New Taipei AJ201909260023.html City’s Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, an academic said. The nation’s Fourth Japan lists China as bigger threat Nuclear Power Plant should not be than nuclear-armed North Korea activated, because a geological survey has confirmed that it sits close to active fault Tim Kelly, Reuters, September 27, 2019 lines, activists said yesterday. The survey China’s growing military might has replaced shows that there are five active faults near North Korean belligerence as the main the mothballed power plant in New Taipei security threat to Japan, Tokyo’s annual City’s Gongliao District, which has never defense review indicated on Thursday, been put into operation, National Taiwan despite signs that Pyongyang could have University Department of Geosciences nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. The professor Chen Wen-shan said at a news document’s security assessment on China conference. comes after a section on Japan’s ally, the United States, the first time Beijing has For safety reasons, the plant should not achieved second place in the Defense White be activated as recommended by Paper and pushing North Korea into third Kaohsiung Mayor and Chinese Nationalist position. Russia, deemed by Japan as its Party (KMT) presidential candidate Han primary threat during the Cold War, was Kuo-yu, as well as some advocates of in fourth place. “The reality is that China is nuclear energy, Chen added. If the rapidly increasing military spending, and so government ultimately decides to proceed people can grasp that we need more pages,” with the project, the plant would be Defense Minister Taro Kono said at a media incapable of withstanding a strong briefing. earthquake because it is not designed to do so, he said. “China is deploying air and sea assets in the Western Pacific and through the Tsushima However, the survey that was carried out Strait into the Sea of Japan with greater by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ frequency.” China’s Foreign Ministry Central Geological Survey (CGS) has not expressed displeasure with the report. China been made public, he said. In 2011, soon will not accept Japan’s “groundless after a powerful earthquake and tsunami criticism” of its normal national defense and triggered the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear military activities, spokesman Geng Shuang power plant disaster in Japan, the said at a press briefing in Beijing. Japan has government instructed state-run Taiwan raised defense spending by a tenth over the Power Co (Taipower) to task the CGS with past seven years to counter military conducting a survey of the Fourth Nuclear advances by Beijing and Pyongyang, Power Plant area, Chen said. including defenses against North Korean http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ missiles which may carry nuclear warheads, archives/2019/09/24/2003722818 the paper said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-defence/ japan-promotes-china-as-bigger-threat-than- nuclear-armed-north-korea-idUSKBN1WC051 42 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

Op-Ed has intensified, with constantly growing asymmetries between India and Pakistan India over the last two decades.

India’s ‘No First Use’ Nuclear Imran Khan has repeatedly flagged the Doctrine possibility of a ‘nuclear war’ in the last one month. Highlighting the nuclear factor by Rajiv Nayan, Institute for Defence Studies Pakistan displays its immaturity and and Analysis, September 16, 2019 desperation to attract global attention The August 16 statement of Defence Minister towards Kashmir. Abrogation of Article Rajnath Singh has once again brought 370 by India did leave Pakistan surprised India’s ‘no first use’ (NFU) nuclear doctrine and it has been reacting furiously on into the limelight. This was his first public various fronts, displaying its anxiety to statement on the issue after he assumed deal with Jammu and Kashmir’s new charge as Defence Minister in the second status. Pakistan has launched a government of Prime Minister Narendra propaganda/narrative war and is making Modi, reelected in May 2019. aggressive efforts to fallaciously project India as a state run by ‘Nazi ideology’ Earlier in November 2016, then Defence under Prime Minister Modi. Highlighting Minister Manohar Parrikar had also made Kashmir at every possible international a statement on India’s NFU policy, which forum, it is leaving no opportunity/space was twisted by sections of the media. to remind its economically stifled Parrikar became a victim of an uninformed population about their right to fight for media trial. What he stated had been in Kashmir and Kashmiris. Even though discussion among sections of the strategic Pakistan is struggling with a low growth community for a long time. The idea of rate, high inflation and rising debt figures, doctrinal change was mute but not and Imran’s party has failed to deliver completely absent during the United most of its election promises, the leading Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government. As agenda for Imran is Kashmir and the UPA Government was committed to communication restrictions in the Valley. mainstreaming India in the nuclear non- proliferation regime, any down blending of https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/ NFU policy was considered akin to diluting decoding-pakistan-s-nuclear-brinkmanship/ India’s image as a responsible state. 834037.html Although mainstreaming India in the global non-proliferation regime was an important India vs. Pakistan Could Be a task, the Indian policy making process failed Nuclear War Where Billions Die to strike a balance between foreign policy and security imperatives. Kyle Mizokami, National Interest Blog, September 22, 2019 https://idsa.in/idsacomments/indias-no-first-use- It’s distinctly possible that any future war nuclear-doctrine-rajiv-nayan-160919 between India and Pakistan would involve limited action on the ground and Decoding Pakistan’s nuclear full-scale fighting at sea and in the air. brinkmanship India has the upper hand in both, Shalini Chawla, The Tribune, September 18, particularly at sea where it would have 2019 the ability to blockade Pakistani ports. Pakistan imports 83% of its gasoline Pakistan’s nuclear posturing suffered a blow consumption, and without sizable to some extent with India’s airstrikes in reserves the economy would feel the effects Balakot on February 26 in retaliation to the of war very quickly. An economic victory, Pulwama terror attack. But it seems that not a purely military one might be the best Pakistan’s reliance on nuclear weapons to way to decisively end a war without the serve its strategic objectives has not been use of nuclear weapons. altered. Its reliance on nuclear deterrence 43 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

With that scenario in mind, let’s look at the India is estimated to have spent over $500 five Indian weapons Pakistan would fear million (£408million) on the research and most in a war. INS Vikramaditya Aircraft development of hypersonic weapons, Carrier Commissioned in November 2013, according to an analysis published by INS Vikramaditya is the newer and more Jane’s at IHS Markit last month. Programs modern of India’s two aircraft carriers. In include Shourya, Brahmos II and the event of war, Vikramaditya would lead Hypersonic Technology Demonstrating an offensive at sea designed to sweep the Vehicle (HSTDV), with India Pakistani Navy from the field. The nightmare collaborating with Russia for the scenario for Pakistan would be development of Bramhos II. Funding for Vikramaditya parked off the coast of the Indian hypersonic weapons programs Karachi, Pakistan’s largest port, enforcing is expected to grow as they are still at the a naval blockade. Originally built for the development and testing stage. Soviet Navy as the anti-submarine aviation cruiser Baku, Vikramaditya was mothballed https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1180236/ in 1996 after it became clear post-Cold War india-pakistan-nuclear-narendra-modi-imran- Russia could not afford to operate her. The khan-china-hypersonic-missiles-ww3 ship was purchased by India in 2004, to be upgraded by Russian shipbuilders to a true Tactical Nuclear Weapons: A vital aircraft carrier complete with angled flight cog in Islamabad’s scheme of deck. The updated design deleted all cruiser things armament, including two 100mm deck guns, 192 SA-N-9 surface to air missiles and 12 Vikas Sv, One India, September 23, 2019 SS-N-12 Sandbox anti-ship missiles. Pakistan has developed Tactical Nuclear weapons for a specific reason and it has a https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/india-vs-pakistan- big role to play in its strategy to counter could-be-nuclear-war-where-billions-die-82601 India in the event of war. There is nothing new about Imran Khan hinting that India vs Pakistan nuclear showdown: Pakistan could lose a conventional war Modi’s £400m hypersonic push risks with India. Pakistan’s military disastrous conflict establishment always knew about it and has made contingency plans. The only Ciaran Mcgrath, Express UK, September 22, thing new about it is that a leader at such 2019 a prominent post speaking about it openly. India is “sending a serious message” to China, as well as paving the way for a https://www.oneindia.com/india/tactical- nuclear first strike on neighbours Pakistan, nuclear-weapons-a-vital-cog-in-islamabad-s- scheme-of-things-2952663.html with its estimated investment of more than £400million on cutting edge hypersonic weapons, an expert has warned, amid PM’s message of peace vs Imran’s Islamabad leader Imran Khan’s vow to warning of war at UNGA “fight to the death” if tensions boil over into Anirban Bhaumik, Deccan Herald, conflict. September 28, 2019 However, while Yogesh Joshi, a research Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, underlined India’s message of peace and at the National University of Singapore, harmony in his address at the United acknowledged India’s Prime Minister Nations, even as his Pakistani counterpart Narendra Modi was aiming to ensure his Imran Khan used the same podium to country had a place at the table in future warn the world of a nuclear war between international arms control talks, the strategy the two South Asia. also increased the risks of a potentially deadly future confrontation by upsetting the With tension between the two neighbours delicate balance of power in south Asia. escalating over Jammu and Kashmir over 44 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

the past few weeks, the UN was expected social media by the People’s Liberation to witness a war of words between India Army Rocket Force as part of the and Pakistan, as Prime Ministers of the two celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the South Asian nations were to address the founding of the People’s Republic of China, General Assembly on the same day which falls on Tuesday.

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national- The film contained a two-second clip in politics/pm-s-message-of-peace-vs-imran-s- which an unidentified missile with an warning-of-war-at-unga-764643.html unusual design is seen being fired from a launcher truck. However, in the later Crude hate speech, medieval version, the scene is replaced with footage mindset: India tears into Imran of two separate missile launches in a desert Khan’s UN address setting. The editing did not go unnoticed by China’s military observers, several of Shubhajit Roy, Indian Express, September 29, whom suggested that the weapon in the 2019 original film might have been a never- before-seen supersonic cruise missile. In Hours after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran the clip the missile appears to have slim Khan repeated his nuclear threat against dorsal fins, foldable tail fins and additional India and warned of a “bloodbath” in propellant, all of which, according to one Jammu & Kashmir, New Delhi, in a sharp expert who asked not to be identified, response, said Indian citizens did not need suggests it is designed to fly long distances others to speak for them — and definitely and faster than the speed of sound. “The not those who had “built an industry of new missile would probably have a range terrorism from the ideology of hate”. of more than 1,000km [680 miles],” the “Pakistan’s virulent reaction to the removal person said. of an outdated and temporary provision that The PLA already has a land-attack was hindering development and integration subsonic cruise missile – the Changjian-10 of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir – that has an operational range of more stems from the fact that those who thrive than 1,500km (932 miles), which is on conflict never welcome the ray of peace. equivalent to that of a medium-range While Pakistan has ventured to upstream ballistic missile. Ballistic and cruise missiles terrorism and downstream hate speech differ in a number of ways but the latter there, India is going ahead with tend to fly at lower altitudes and at slower mainstreaming development in Jammu and speeds, making them more vulnerable to Kashmir,” India said. defence systems. However, the Rocket Force has made significant progress in the https://indianexpress.com/article/india/imran- development of glider vehicles for its khans-unga-address-india-reply-kashmir-6037732/ ballistic missiles, like the Dongfeng-17 (DF- 17), which is now capable of gliding in China outer atmosphere at upwards of five times Did China just accidentally show the speed of sound, making it more able off its new supersonic cruise to evade missile defence systems. missile? https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/ article/3030552/did-china-just-accidentally- Liu Zhen, South China Morning Post, show-its-new-supersonic-cruise September 27, 2019 China’s military on Wednesday published Could China’s strict cyber controls a video containing a clip of what appeared gain international acceptance? to be the launch of a new type of supersonic Simone McCarthy, South China Morning cruise missile, only to withdraw the film and Post, September 30, 2019 replace it with a version with that scene trimmed out. The original footage, which China’s statement to the UN was followed ran for just over a minute, was released on by one from a group of 27 nations calling 45 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

for a “free, open” cyberspace. Photo: China’s space program could not have Shutterstock. When an open-ended working imagined one day sending a spacecraft to group met at the United Nations in New Mars when, back in the 1950s and ’60s, York in mid-September to discuss the future they struggled with great difficulty to of cyberspace it did so with little fanfare. Just establish the country’s space industry. seven member states had submitted working Ordinary Chinese, who in those days papers to that meeting outlining their vision mostly dreamed of having a small for what countries should and should not television set or a bicycle, had not thought be allowed to do to each other and their own about possibly seeing some of their people in the online world. One of the compatriots eventually traveling in space. countries to put forward its position was Today, Mars is one of the destinations on China, which used the forum to make what China’s agenda. The space authorities observers said was its most important UN have even worked with the local submission on the topic yet – a detailed government in Gansu province to vision of its style of cyber governance in construct a Mars simulation base in the which states have sovereign right to barren, wind-swept hills of the province. maintain strict controls on internet and The base was opened to the public in April. technology infrastructure for “social Researchers are racing against time to stability”. Under such a system, states have prepare for the country’s first exploration the right to censor, collect data, and restrict mission to Mars, scheduled for 2020. online access within their borders. According to the China National Space Administration, China’s first Martian Domestic political considerations have probe will conduct scientific investigation played an influential role in how China of the Martian soil, geological structure, wants to shape global policies on information environment, atmosphere and water. and communications technology, according Zhang Rongqiao, chief scientist of the Mars to Helena Legarda, an analyst at the exploration program, said the farthest Mercator Institute for China Studies.”If distance between Earth and Mars is about Beijing wants a [domestic] cyberspace that 400 million kilometers, so a probe must is secure and controllable, that would be travel about seven months before reaching substantially easier if it were able to the Martian atmosphere in 2021. introduce that concept of cyber sovereignty in international cyber governance,” she said. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201909/30/ Since the governance conversations WS5d916982a310cf3e3556e535.html happened at the UN, “China is very involved” there, she said. But a closed or Pakistan open internet is not the only battleground What does Pakistan’s energy mix for the duelling ideologies of China and the bloc of 27. There are differences in how look like and what is its future? countries view tangible national security Jack Unwin, Power Technology, September concerns such as cyber warfare. The major 25, 2019 Western countries broadly maintain that existing international laws, including those According to US government statistics, that justify war in some situations, should Pakistan’s energy mix is formed of 64% be applied to the cyber realm. fossil fuels, 27% hydropower and 9% other renewables and nuclear power. While https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ Pakistan has strong potential for article/3030758/could-chinas-strict-cyber- producing renewable energy it is still far controls-gain-international behind much of the world in developing these sources. In a country where over 50 Reaching for the STARS million people still don’t have adequate access to electricity, how is Pakistan’s Zhao Lei, China Daily, September 30, 2019 energy mix evolving? China’s rapidly developing space program https://www.power-technology.com/features/ sets sights on Mars, Jupiter. The founders of pakistan-energy-mix/ 46 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

Beware the nuclear con man India has chosen to reconsider its no-first- use of nuclear weapons against Pakistan. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Dawn, September 28, 2019 Pakistan became a nuclear power precisely because the unresolved issue of Jammu Indian leaders of unbridled ambition and and Kashmir threatened war between it meagre wisdom have recently suggested and its much larger adversary, India. After that India might revoke its earlier policy of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan No First Use (NFU) of nuclear weapons. and within a year of Pakistan acquiring They should be forgiven. To stay in the nuclear weapons status the Kargil conflict public eye, South Asia’s street-smart occurred. Since then Pakistan has faced politicians need to make a lot of noise all the increasing accusations of terrorism, time. Most did not do very well in school undergone sanctions and lost credibility and even fewer made it to college or with many people in IOK. university (and some ended up playing sports there). https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/533031- moment-of-truth India’s hint at moving away from NFU towards counterforce owes to its increased USA military advantage over Pakistan. But hubris often paves the way to overconfidence and During the Cold War, America disaster. As every military commander Almost Had Its Battleships Carry worth his salt knows, all plans look fine until the battle begins. Last week a ragtag Houthi Nuclear Weapons militia took out 50 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s Kyle Mizokami, National Interest Blog, oil-producing capacity, underscoring how Sept 16, 2019 even a relatively ill-equipped force can wreck an adversary bristling with the most Although eventually abandoned, plans in advanced weapons that limitless oil dollars the 1980s called for nuclear-armed could buy. Sellers of snake oil and con men battleships that would also carry U.S. do not deserve anyone’s ears or respect. Marines and Harrier jets. Nearly 900 feet Whoever advocates a nuclear first strike should long and displacing close to 60,000 tons, be quickly locked up in a mental asylum. the battlewagons could fire a nine-gun broadside sending 18 tons of steel and https://www.dawn.com/news/1507802 explosives hurtling towards their targets.

Moment of truth The battleships were modernized to include cruise missiles, ship-killing missiles Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, The News and Phalanx point-defense guns. Returned International, September 28, 2019 to the fleet, the ships saw action off the coasts of Lebanon and Iraq. At the end of The moment of truth is upon us. Who are the Cold War the battleships were retired we? What do we stand for? What is the again. All were slated to become museums. worth of our word? Narendra Modi’s miserable decision of August 5, 2019 to https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/during- eviscerate the political identity of Kashmiris cold-war-america-almost-had-its-battleships- confronts Pakistan with these questions. carry-nuclear-weapons-80936 Pakistan’s policies and arguments should rest on the overriding imperatives of America’s Nuclear Missile international human rights law and Submarines May Get Smaller international humanitarian law. India’s Tactical Nukes escalating atrocities have already compelled John R. Harvey, National Interest Blog, Genocide Watch to issue a Genocide Alert September 16, 2019 regarding the situation in IOK. This raises the inherent risk of war between two Low-yield nukes would give Washington nuclear weapons countries. Significantly, more ways to deter its rivals, but also 47 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

might raise the chance of a nuclear device goes toward precision strike or offensive being used. weapons, as opposed to missile defense programs. Next year’s DoD budget for Just last month, in light of the upcoming overall hypersonic investments is House-Senate debate on U.S. nuclear approximately $2.6 billion, with defensive modernization, Sen. Elizabeth Warren along developments making up only about six with seventeen Democratic Senators wrote percent ($157.4 million) of that investment to the Senate Armed Services Committee budget. Moreover, the budgetary figure for urging support for three nuclear initiatives defensive developments will drop by that were adopted in the House defense bill. almost a quarter in the coming years, from Specifically, the initiatives (1) express the $157.4 million next year to $122 million sense of Congress that the United States by 2024. seeks to extend the New START Treaty with Russia, (2) deny funding for new INF-type https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/reason- missiles “until diplomatic and strategic why-america-isnt-ready-protect-itself-russian- planning steps are taken”, and (3) prohibit hypersonic-missiles-81461 deployment of a lower-yield warhead for the Trident D-5 submarine-launched ballistic How the Top 5 Strange Myths missile (SLBM). About America’s Nuclear Triad Are Wrong We break it down. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/americas- nuclear-missile-submarines-may-get-smaller- Robert Gard Philip Coyle Greg Terryn John tactical-nukes-80926 Isaacs, The National Interest, September 18, 2019 The Reason Why America Isn’t The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Ready to Protect Itself from Russian announced last week that it has decided Hypersonic Missiles to move its famed “Doomsday Clock” three minutes closer to midnight or, in Bishop Garrison and Preston Lann, National Interest Blog, September 18, 2019 effect, closer to the “end of humanity.” While this year, the Bulletin focused on the Russia is developing hypersonic nuclear threat from climate change, a spokesperson weapons, and Putin claims he offered to sell added that “a nuclear arms race resulting one to President Donald Trump. While the from modernization of huge arsenals pose conversation between the two leaders was extraordinary and undeniable threats to presented light-heartedly, the very real the continued existence of humanity.” threat from Russian and Chinese hypersonic Indeed, nuclear weapons still play a weapons systems continues to grow as both limited, yet very expensive, role in our make significant advances in the national security. The Congressional development of hypersonic weapons that Budget Office announced last week that can escape and evade the Department of the United States will spend about $350 Defense’s (DoD) Ballistic Missile Defense billion over the next decade to upgrade System. To counter this emerging hypersonic and maintain its arsenal. threat, the DoD’s 2019 budget has allocated more than $2 billion for hypersonic weapons But at the same time, there are also development. However, the DoD’s misconceptions about the purpose, status hypersonic weapons program currently and effectiveness of our arsenal. Let’s suffers from large disparities in research and disarm some of those myths: 1. Nuclear budget between its offensive and defensive weapons are the highest priority U.S. capabilities development. While offensive military forces: Out-going Secretary Hagel capabilities are important, a strong perpetuated this myth during his press defensive capability remains important to the conference announcing the results of a protection of interests and assets. recent nuclear review: “Our nuclear deterrent plays a critical role in ensuring The majority of DoD’s funding for U.S. national security, and it’s DOD’s hypersonic weapons development currently highest priority mission. No other 48 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

capability we have is more important.” While countries went to companies that nuclear deterrence has been a vestige of U.S promoted large reactor designs that were defense policy since World War II, it clearly supposed to power a “Nuclear does not represent today’s highest priority Renaissance.” That renaissance flopped, for the DOD in terms of attention, planning and the cost and time overruns of these or funding. reactor designs at their flagship sites are, even by the standards of nuclear power, https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-top-5- extraordinary - more than thrice the strange-myths-about-americas-nuclear-triad-are- advertised costs and delays of up to a wrong-81466 decade. These failures have led to the financial collapse of the two largest reactor How Artificial Intelligence Could vendors, Westinghouse and Areva. Make Nuclear War More Likely https://www.theitem.com/stories/opinion-the- Shravan Kumar reddy Apparigani, Herald truth-behind-small-modular-reactors,334082 Publicist, September 25, 2019 AI received’t begin a nuclear conflict— Trump’s Close-Call Diplomacy however nations uncertain about their with Iran’s President deterrence skills, or the capabilities of a rival nation utilizing AI, simply may. Galerie Robin Wright, The New Yorker, September 30, 2019 Bilderwelt/Getty Photographs On the evening of Tuesday, September In fact, each computing energy and class 24th, the President of France, Emmanuel have grown by leaps and bounds since Macron, went to see his Iranian Ronald Reagan’s first time period. Right this counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, at the moment’s common shopper smartphone is Millennium Hilton Hotel, across the street nearly unfathomably extra highly effective from the U.N. headquarters, in New York. than Chilly Conflict-era nuclear weapons’ The hotel is one of only three places that command-and-control expertise. Over the the Iranian leader could go in the city, subsequent yr, the Pentagon will spend $1 because of U.S. sanctions. Macron billion to develop synthetic intelligence (AI) intended to set up a three-way telephone expertise that can “compete, deter and, if conversation with Rouhani and President vital, struggle and win the wars of the longer Trump. A team of technicians arrived to term”—together with, presumably, an set up a secure line, in a meeting room on apocalyptic state of affairs of the sort Petrov, Rouhani’s floor, for the call at 9:30 p.m. a human, averted. The telephone conversation was supposed to cap twenty-four hours of frenetic https://heraldpublicist.com/how-artificial-intelli- gence-could-make-nuclear-war-more-likely/ diplomacy—including personal appeals to Rouhani by the British, Japanese, and Pakistani Prime Ministers and the German Opinion: The truth behind small Chancellor—after months of quiet French modular reactors diplomacy. Steve Thomas The Sumter Item, September Earlier in the day, Macron, alongside the 27, 2019 British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had When things are going badly for nuclear urged Rouhani to talk with Trump. Their power, the nuclear industry offers the exchange was caught on video. “If he promise of new technologies. The latest leaves the country without meeting example is the Small Modular Reactor, with President Trump, honestly, this is a lost significantly lower power outputs compared opportunity,” Macron directed an to established reactor designs. As always interpreter to tell Rouhani, amid a scrum with nuclear technologies, the public will be of diplomats and photographers. footing the bill for this latest folly. “Because he will not come back in a few months and President Trump will not go An earlier round of public funding in many to Tehran.” Rouhani threw his head back 49 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

and laughed. “So they have to meet now!” document that supposedly lays out the Macron insisted. Johnson chimed in, as purpose and future of the U.S. nuclear cameras flashed, “You need to be on the side arsenal. Like previous U.S. reviews of the swimming pool—and jump at the conducted in 1994 and 2002, it sank same time.” without a trace. The fact of the matter is that nuclear weapons and their mission https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/ simply do not matter much to post–Cold donald-trumps-close-call-diplomacy-with-irans- War American leaders. Nuclear weapons, president-hassan-rouhani however, certainly matter to the Russians.

Russia Nuclear arms have always been the source of superpower status for both Soviet and Explained: Why Russia built a Russian leaders. This is especially true floating nuclear plant; why some are today: the Soviet collapse left the Russian nervous Federation a country bereft of the usual indicators of a great power, including The Indian Express, September 18, 2019 conventional military force or the ability On Saturday, a Russian-built floating to project it. Little wonder that Moscow nuclear power plant completed its 5,000-km still relies on its nuclear arsenal as one of journey along the Northern Sea Route, the last vestiges of its right to be considered causing excitement in the energy sector, but more than merely—in President Obama’s sparking fears among environmentalists over dismissive words—a “regional power.” the safety of the Arctic region. The (Or in the caustic words of Senator John Akademik Lomonosov is a first-of-its-kind McCain: “A gas station masquerading as floating nuclear power station built in St a country.”) Today, nuclear weapons Petersburg, the Russian port city on the Gulf have retained not only their pride of place of Finland. Three tugboats pulled it from the but an actual role in Russian military northern port of Murmansk for 5,000 planning. Unlike the Americans, who see kilometres to Chukotka, in Russia’s far east. little use for nuclear weapons in the absence of the Soviet threat, the Russians— Named after the 18th-century Russian wisely or not—continue to think about scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, the 21,000- nuclear arms as though they are useful in tonne floating plant is 144 m long and 30 m military conflicts, even the smallest. Some wide, and contains two nuclear reactors of of this might only be the bluster of officers 35 MW each. It is a small plant compared to who have never overcome their Soviet conventional land-based nuclear projects. training, but some of it is also clearly based on the Russian General Staff’s https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/ understanding of Russia’s military explained-why-russia-has-built-a-floating- weakness against far superior adversaries, nuclear-plant-why-some-are-nervous-6003209/ including the United States and NATO.

Everything You Wanted to Know https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/every- About Russia’s Nuclear Weapons thing-you-wanted-know-about-russias-nuclear- and Strategy Class is now in weapons-and-strategy-81476 session. Russia’s Planned 85,000 Ton Tom Nichols, The National Interest, September 18, 2019 Aircraft Carrier Was Enormous Americans don’t think very much about Paul Richard Huard, National Interest nuclear weapons, and they certainly don’t Blog, September 20, 2019 think very often about their own arsenal, at As a great power, Russia thought it least until something goes wrong with it, like deserved a great aircraft carrier. Had the recent scandals involving the U.S. ICBM she ever sailed, the Soviet force. The Obama administration completed supercarrier Ulyanovsk would have been a nuclear posture review in 2010, a a naval behemoth more than 1,000 feet 50 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

long, with an 85,000-ton displacement and What prompted the Pennsylvania plant’s enough storage to carry an air group of up early shutdown? Abundant, cheap to 70 fixed and rotary wing aircraft. With a natural gas — thanks to fracking, which nuclear-powered engine—and working in has been a huge boon to the Keystone conjunction with other Soviet surface State’s economy. So cheap that the nuclear warfare vessels and submarines—the power wasn’t cost-competitive without a supercarrier would have steamed through subsidy from the state. the oceans with a purpose. https://nypost.com/2019/09/22/three-mile- https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russias- islands-recent-closure-shows-what-people-dont- planned-85000-ton-aircraft-carrier-was-enor- realize-about-nuclear-power/ mous-81651 See This Strange Tank? It Was Russia and America Wanted Russia’s Plan to Fight Tank Battles ‘Nuclear Reactors’ with Wings During a Nuclear War Caleb Larson, National Interest Blog, Robert Beckhusen, National Interest Blog, September 21, 2019 September 25, 2019 The 1950s and 1960s were the United States’ Nuclear war and tanks are not exactly a and Soviet Union’s nuclear heyday. winning combo. In a war that never Unlocking the power of the atom was happened, formations of heavy and rather supposed to usher in a new era in human odd-looking Soviet tanks would have achievement. In many ways, it did— powered through atomic explosions in harnessing nuclear power offered nearly breakthrough attacks into West Germany. unlimited energy to countries in the Enter the Object 279 tank, a curious oddity exclusive nuclear club. But could the nuclear from the late 1950s which was obsolete — age transform aviation as well? The United despite its design principles deliberately States and USSR certainly thought so. Meet reflecting the fear of a nuclear battlefield the Tu-95LAL and the Convair NB-36H— — by the time it was produced. both of which carried onboard nuclear reactors. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/see- strange-tank-it-was-russias-plan-fight-tank- https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russia-and- battles-during-nuclear-war-83211 america-wanted-nuclear-reactors-wings-82496 West Asia Three Mile Island’s recent closure shows what people don’t realize Iran about nuclear power Rouhani: If U.S. seeks talks with New York Post, September 22, 2019 Iran, ‘it must create the needed conditions’ Did you know that the Three Mile Island nuclear plant only shut down last Friday? Tehran Times, September 25, 2019 Just like the coming closure of New York’s Indian Point plant, it’s bad news in the drive In an interview with Fox News aired on to reduce carbon emissions. The 1979 partial Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani said meltdown at TMI’s Unit Two is infamous if the U.S. administration is really seeking as “America’s worst nuclear disaster,” often dialogue with Iran “it must create the listed along with Russia’s Chernobyl and needed conditions.” Iran has been insisting Japan’s Fukushima disasters. But it’s a not- that the only path to negotiations between so-bad “worst” when you learn that Unit Tehran and Washington is that the United One was completely undamaged, and States must lift all the sanctions that it has indeed could have chugged along for illegally and unilaterally imposed on another 15 years. Iran. Rouhani said U.S. President Donald Trump has put away trust when he was 51 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

asked about a potential meeting in New accord. “No new deal before compliance York. Rouhani is in New York to attend the w/ current one,” Zarif wrote on his 74th UN General Assembly. Twitter account. Following the meeting with the Iranian president, Merkel said He said, “Why would we bump into one Iran’s demands for U.S. sanctions relief another? If we seek to pursue higher goals were “unrealistic”. “I would welcome it to benefit both countries, both people, it if it came to talks between the United must be planned, and talks must be based States and Iran but it won’t work that all on those plans.” Rouhani continued, “Well, sanctions are first taken off the table and once we carried on negotiations with the then there are talks. I think that is not United States of America for two years, and realistic,” Merkel said on the sidelines of during a 17-day period, the foreign minister the UN General Assembly. of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the U.S. Secretary of State had continuous talks https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440533/ without returning to their countries. Does-Merkel-follow-Trump-s-footsteps-on-Iran

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440498/ The Mossad Spy Chief Who Stole Rouhani-If-U-S-seeks-talks-with-Iran-it-must- create-the-needed Iran’s Secret Nuclear Archives #1: Yossi Cohen Does Merkel follow Trump’s Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post, footsteps on Iran? September 29, 2019 Tehran Times, September 27, 2019 It was not the first time Mossad director Yossi Cohen took the elevator up to the It was Angela Merkel’s first meeting with CIA director’s office on the seventh floor an Iranian president as she had avoided of the building known as Langley. But this such meetings since coming to office in 2005. meeting in March 2018 was different. This German media had attributed Merkel’s was not a regular courtesy call. Cohen was reluctance to meet Iranian officials to what about to update one of his closest allies – they described as Iran’s international and CIA director Mike Pompeo – with regional stances, including its policy towards information that had the potential to Israel. The meeting came shortly after more change the world and the course of signs emerged pointing to collapse of the history. In his three-and-a-half years as the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Germany, Mossad’s spy chief, Cohen, 58, has France and the UK joined the U.S. in transformed the organization into a hard- blaming Iran for the September 14 attacks hitting, risk-taking, history-altering on Saudi Arabia’s key oil plants which machine. Yemeni Houthis claimed responsibility. This applies to the Iran arena, to hunting In a joint statement they also said they down Hamas’s weapons development, continue to support the 2015 nuclear deal and to convincing African nations as well with Iran but they added the time has come as Sunni Arab states to go more public for Iran to start talks on a longer-term, more about their ties with Israel. He is the gutsy comprehensive agreement dealing with spy who personally ordered and managed Iran’s nuclear program, its regional and the Mossad’s daring raid to steal Iran’s missile program, just as Donald Trump’s secret nuclear archives from the heart of administration has pushed. Tehran in January 2018. His meeting with The statement drew a strong condemnation Pompeo two months later, but before from Iran and Iran’s Foreign Minister anything was publicly revealed, was to Mohammad Javad Zarif responded that update him on what the Mossad had Britain, France and Germany’s “paralysis in found. fulfilling their obligations w/o US https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Yossi- permission has been clear since May 2018,” Cohen-The-Mossad-spy-chief-who-stole-Irans- when Washington withdrew from the secret-nuclear-archives-602811 52 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

East Asia Taiwan is in the best interest of the United States. Ian Easton On Taiwan: Why the US defends Taiwan http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ archives/2019/09/16/2003722357 Taipei Times, September 24, 2019 Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, OPCON transfer and Ronald Reagan cut deals with Beijing Korea Herald, September 19, 2019 - 16:56 at the expense of Taipei. The result was the three US-PRC communiques. To their credit, Retired South Korean generals recently George W. Bush and Barack Obama avoided proposed delaying the country’s retaking the pitfall of signing a fourth communique. of wartime operational control of its troops However, both presidents were responsible from the US and relocation of the South for arms sales freezes and sought to curry Korea-US Combined Forces Command’s favor with China by keeping Taiwan at a headquarters until North Korea’s distance. There were concerns that President denuclearization is completed. Confirming Trump might follow in his predecessors’ the proposal had been made to Cheong footsteps, or worse. He has a track record of Wa Dae, a presidential spokesperson said being openly critical of democratic allies and Monday that it was “just one of many skeptical of burdensome defense opinions.” But the view expressed by commitments. He’s prone to ignore nearly all former generals who served as Congress, the intelligence community, and deputy CFC commanders is not something even his own foreign policy advisors. He’s to be ignored. famous for his unpredictable and ruthless Seoul and Washington are now eyeing dealmaking, and he has demonstrated a 2022 as the target year for OPCON high degree of tolerance for dictators like transfer, which calls for a South Korean Chairman Xi. Indeed, at one point, Trump general to command the CFC with a US reportedly challenged his advisors to tell him general taking a supportive role. The two why the US should defend Taiwan. allies have also tentatively agreed to It is not clear what the president’s advisors relocate the CFC headquarters in central told him. What is clear is that Trump Seoul to a sprawling US military complex subsequently signed the landmark Taiwan in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, 65 Travel Act, sent Marines to guard the AIT kilometers south of Seoul, by 2021. (the de facto American Embassy in Taipei), http://www.koreaherald.com/ and personally approved a historic sale of view.php?ud=20190919000299&ACE_SEARCH=1 new F-16 jet fighters to the island. By all accounts, US-Taiwan relations have never been better than they are now, and they are Appeasing North Korea likely to get better still in the years ahead. Donald Kirk, Korea Times, September 19, This has all happened despite a massive 2019 Chinese influence and intimidation campaign. So, why does the United States Moon is not inclined to do more for them government, even in one of its most and might even like to do less while hoping idiosyncratic leadership moments, continue for ever more contact with the North. It’s to consider Taiwan’s future worth fighting out of the question that he would openly for? At this point, we can only guess what talk about North Korea’s horrendous President Trump really thinks about human rights violations, the quickest way Taiwan. He has yet to address the public on to trigger a volley of denunciations in the this issue. But if actions speak louder than North Korean media. Moon’s reluctance words (and tweets), then he must see to stand up against Kim Jong-un carries tremendous value in this island democracy. risks for his own political future. The What follows are six reasons why any chasm between right and left in South American president should think defending Korea is deepening in the wake of his 53 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

insistence on appointing a justice minister the Chinese-language Defense Situation for whom he has a deep affection dating Monthly on Aug. 30 about the back to their days as dissidents fighting government’s proposed legislative conservative governments. Cries for the amendments to bar Chinese Communist ouster of the new minister after his wife’s Party (CCP) agents. The article indicated indictment for forging a certificate for her that China has been gaining a lot of daughter, amid reports of financial attention in the past few years by using shenanigans, are going to intensify in the “sharp power” to infiltrate and divide run-up to National Assembly elections in democratic societies. In response, the US, April, the first and best test of Moon’s power. Australia and other nations have enhanced or formulated new laws against Through it all, South Korea should remain foreign agents and infiltration. a safe haven for those fleeing the North. South Korean negotiators, in talks with the Thanks to the rapid development of mass North Koreans, should be reminding them media and telecommunications of the South’s policy of protecting and technologies, the leaders of the aggressor shielding North Koreans who get to the and the opposition can influence people’s South. The South Koreans should also never awareness and the collective subconscious stop demanding that China view defectors more effectively to trigger large-scale as victims of the North’s inhumane policies disturbances, illegal conduct and rather than as economic migrants. Moon clandestine destructive actions. The most may be less inclined to talk about refugee prominent characteristic of hybrid issues with the Chinese than he is with the warfare is that the aggressor uses all North Koreans. He counts on China’s available resources — technology, capital President Xi Jinping to restrain Kim to and personnel — to launch an invasive encourage North-South talks and also war. The goal is to bring about the collapse another summit between Kim and President of the enemy state from within and destroy Donald Trump. It is also essential that China its military and economic potential make a show of enforcing UN sanctions through continuous psychological warfare against North Korea as a brake on Kim’s aimed at achieving the greatest possible ambitions even though the Chinese go on effect, seeking to achieve political goals providing the North with almost all its oil with as little military involvement as and much of its food while buying North possible. These tactics go beyond military Korean coal and other products. occupation. In Taiwan, the fifth column consists of minor political parties that have Moon’s policy of appeasement of North fallen victim to China’s “united front” Korea is not likely to produce substantive tactics, such as the New Party and the results. For sure Kim is not giving up his China Unification Promotion Party, and nuclear program. There is no excuse for other organizations affiliated with the South Korea to stop welcoming refugees Chinese Communist Party (CCP), such as from the North, for not doing all possible to the Concentric Patriotism Association and integrate them into life in South Korea and the dismantled CCP shrine in Changhua to make certain they have resources on County’s Ershuei Township. which to fall back in hard times. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/ archives/2019/09/21/2003722647 09/137_275733.html Fruitless trip Opposing China’s ‘hybrid warfare’ Korea Herald, September 26, 2019 Shawn Chen, Taipei Times, September 21, President Moon Jae-in’s latest trip to the 2019 US for the UN General Assembly ended The Institute for National Defense and with no results to speak of. His calls for Security Research, the Ministry of National peace with North Korea sounded hollow Defense’s think tank, published an article in and naive. His summit with US President 54 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

Donald Trump, held on the sidelines of the the IAEA and ASEAN work together to assembly in New York on Monday, was develop and implement projects and pointless. “Both leaders evaluated North research activities, exchange information Korea’s will to resume dialogue positively, and share experiences and best practices, and reaffirmed that the spirit of the and cooperate on training and capacity- agreements of the US-North Korea building projects, including fellowships, Singapore summit is still valid,” Cheong Wa scientific visits and expert missions. Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said. “The Arrangements substantially broaden There was reportedly no mention of Trump’s the areas of cooperation between our two “new method” to break the deadlock in organisations, including on the promotion nuclear talks with the North. Before the of peaceful uses of nuclear science and summit, the words caused concern that technology,” said Feruta. “They not only Washington might accept Pyongyang’s include policymakers and nuclear demands for considerable sanctions relief in regulators who deal with nuclear safety, exchange for the dismantlement of its old security and safeguards but also nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, while leaving stakeholders from national and regional its atomic bombs unaddressed. There was institutions working on social and social no concrete talk, either, about security development in Southeast Asia.” guarantees for the current North Korean regime. There was no mention of Seoul’s https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ decision to terminate the General Security IAEA-and-ASEAN-strengthen-cooperation of Military Information Agreement with Japan, a bilateral accord on sharing military IAEA Concludes Long Term intelligence mostly on North Korea. Operational Safety Review at Washington had expressed its strong South Africa’s Koeberg Nuclear dissatisfaction with the decision, Power Plant denouncing the Moon administration for trying to knock down a military cooperation International Atomic Energy Agency, channel among the US, South Korea and September 16, 2019 Japan. If there was one meaningful An International Atomic Energy Agency statement at the summit, it was that (IAEA) team of experts has completed a “sanctions must be maintained.” review of long term operational safety at http://www.koreaherald.com/ the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) view.php?ud=20190926000585&ACE_SEARCH=1 in South Africa. The Pre-SALTO (Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation) review Misc/World mission was requested by the Government of South Africa’s Department of Energy. IAEA and ASEAN Koeberg is South Africa’s only nuclear strengthen cooperation power plant. It consists of two units and World Nuclear News, September 16, 2019 is operated by the public utility Eskom. Unit 1 went into commercial operation in The use of nuclear science and technology 1984 and Unit 2 in 1985. Eskom is planning for peaceful purposes is to become more to extend operation of the units by 20 years widespread in Southeast Asia following the for a total operational lifetime of 60 years signing today of Practical Arrangements each. The plant is currently carrying out a between the International Atomic Energy Periodic Safety Review to identify safety Agency (IAEA) and the Association of improvements for the Long Term Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). These Operation (LTO) period. Arrangements set out a framework for cooperation in areas of nuclear science, https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/ technology and applications, as well as of iaea-concludes-long-term-operational-safety- nuclear safety, security and safeguards, for review-at-south-africas-koeberg-nuclear-power- a period of five years. They envisage that plant 55 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

5 Terrible Ways That a Nuclear War Agency (IAEA), the first of its kind in the Might Actually Happen Asia-Pacific region, the state-run institute. KAERI said it was chosen for the IAEA’s Tom Nichols, National Interest Blog, International Centres based on Research September 18, 2019 Reactors (ICERR) program on the sidelines Of course, nuclear war is extremely unlikely. of the international nuclear energy control body’s 63rd general conference held in Although the Bulletin of the Atomic Vienna, Tuesday (local time). Scientists has placed the hands of its famous clock at five minutes to midnight, that The ICERR program was launched in 2014 doesn’t mean very much and never has. to provide scientists with access to research The fact of the matter is that world nuclear reactor infrastructure and opportunities to inventories, led by reductions in the United carry out nuclear research. With the States and Russia, have never been lower, designation, KAERI will be able to offer a and none of the major powers expects a wide range of nuclear science facilities nuclear conflict in the way they did during including its High-flux Advanced Neutron the Cold War. To crib a line from Captain Application Reactor (HANARO) and Jack Sparrow, however, nuclear war is not education and training activities in nuclear impossible, it’s improbable, and a nuclear science to researchers from IAEA members. war could take place in more ways than you might think, sparked by any number of The IAES recognized the advancement of occurrences from a pure accident to an the HANARO saying the reactor “was a intentional strike. highly versatile research reactor which can be used for applications ranging from A small regional war, awful as it would be, neutron activation analysis to the testing would not destroy the United States nor of new nuclear fuel types.” “The ICERR threaten the end of the human race. A scheme is designed to foster international nuclear conflict of any serious size in the cooperation and contribute to capacity- Northern Hemisphere, however, would building by facilitating access to world- effectively mean the end of the modern era. class research reactors and associated Further human progress would be facilities,” said Cornel Feruta, acting subordinated to the basic needs of survival director general of the IAEA. for years, if not decades, to come. A war between India and Pakistan would kill http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2019/ millions and pollute the earth for an eternity. 09/129_275759.html But it would not threaten to bring the entire global system to a halt, or potentially lead NICE Future Initiative encourages to the release of thousands of warheads integrated approach against of hundreds of cities across the globe, the “unthinkable” war for which World Nuclear News, September 18, 2019 Americans spent decades preparing, and for Nuclear and renewable generation should which we still maintain an arsenal of be used in combination to make the most strategic weapons deliverable by air, land, of their synergies in integrated systems to and sea. help the world meet carbon reduction https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/5-terrible- goals and limit temperature rise, leaders ways-nuclear-war-might-actually-happen-81471 from governmental and non- governmental organisations and industry KAERI becomes Asia’s 1st IAEA- said yesterday. Innovative nuclear designated research center technologies will play their part in integrated systems alongside renewables, Baek Byung-yeul, Korea Times, September with combined uses of heat and power, 18, 2019 hydrogen production, desalination and industrial decarbonisation. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been designated as a research Nuclear Energy in Clean Energy Solutions - center of the International Atomic Energy Telling our Story was hosted by NICE 56 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

Future at the 63rd IAEA General Conference in New nuclear countries face Vienna. The initiative - the name stands for integrated challenges Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy Future - was launched in May 2018 at the 9th Clean World Nuclear News, September 19, 2019 Energy Ministerial in Denmark with the aim Spotlight on emerging and expanding of ensuring nuclear energy is included in the nuclear countries, a side event to the 63rd forum’s discussions about innovation and IAEA General Conference in Vienna, was advanced clean energy systems of the future. organised by Brazil with the support The initiative, now in its second year, will of World Nuclear Association. The event encourage a vision for new, clean and provided a forum for discussion by a panel reliable energy solutions for the near and of speakers drawn from the nuclear long term. industry, governments and international organisations. The Flexible Nuclear Campaign, which has now been launched as part of the NICE The event was opened by Brazil’s Future initiative, aims to share experiences, Ambassador Marcel Fortuna Biato, provide role models and communicate the President of Brazil’s National Commission performance requirements for integrated for Nuclear Energy (CNEN) Paulo Roberto systems of nuclear alongside renewables, Pertusi, International Atomic Energy session chair and US Department of Energy Agency Deputy Director General Mikhail Office of Nuclear Energy Senior Advisor Chudakov, and World Nuclear Suzie Jaworowski said.They discussed the Association Director General Agneta role that small modular reactors (SMRs) in Rising. Chudakov said the event was particular could potentially play in “timely” for the sharing of experience as integrated systems that also make full use the world stands at a crossroads, with of the technology’s attributes for non- scientists warning of the consequences of electricity generation applications, such as global warming at the same time as energy desalination, hydrogen generation, and the demands are increasing. Nuclear energy decarbonisation of industrial processes. was a reliable and sustainable source of energy, but a national programme https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/NICE- required careful planning and a deep Future-Initiative-encourages-integrated-appro understanding and commitment to Uganda says Russia to help it ensuring safety in operation, he said. develop nuclear energy https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ New-nuclear-countries-face-integrated-challenges Reuters, September 18, 2019 Uganda said on Wednesday it had signed Dynamic contracted for ITER an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) Tokamak Assembly with Russia to help the East African country build capacity to exploit nuclear technology World Nuclear News, September 30, 2019 for energy, medical and other peaceful The ITER Organisation is coordinating the purposes. The government of President construction of the International Yoweri Museveni has previously said it is Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor at eager to use the country’s uranium deposits Cadarache. This is a major international to boost energy production capacity. project to build a 500 MW In May last year Uganda also signed a tokamak fusion device (requiring an input memorandum of understanding with China of 50 MW) designed to prove the feasibility National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free help Uganda build capacity in the use of source of energy. The European Union is atomic energy for peaceful purposes. contributing almost half of the cost of its construction, while the other six members https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uganda-russia/ (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia uganda-says-russia-to-help-it-develop-nuclear- and the USA) are contributing equally to energy-idUSKBN1W328N the rest. 57 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

The TAC2 work will include complex lifting, Think Tanks positioning, welding and inspection of components and sub-systems such as the Optimizing IAEA Assistance: toroidal field coils, vacuum vessel sectors, Consolidated Plan for Safety thermal shields and ports, first in the Presented at IAEA General Assembly Hall and then in the central Conference Tokamak Pit. Laura Gill, International Atomic Energy https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ Agency, September 18, 2019 Dynamic-contracted-for-ITER-Tokamak-Assem- bly A new, consolidated approach developed by the IAEA will streamline the Agency’s Experts from Korea, Kazakhstan support to countries in the field of nuclear safety. The Consolidated Plan for Safety shed light on denuclearization was presented today during the Kim Bo-gyung, Korea Herald, September 30, Sixth Global Nuclear Safety and Security 2019 Network (GNSSN) Plenary Meeting, on the sidelines of the IAEA 63rd General Defense and nuclear experts from South Conference. The Consolidated Plan for Korea and Kazakhstan shed light on Safety, or CPS, will help the IAEA and its Kazakhstan’s denuclearization process in Member States address challenges more the 1990s as a reference for North Korea’s efficiently and comprehensively, denuclearization, experts said. “North consolidating efforts and stakeholders that, Korea’s denuclearization negotiation in the past, coexisted separately. seemed to have hit a phase of stagnation, but recently there are signs of hope of https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/optimiz- reviving the talks,” said Lee Geun, president ing-iaea-assistance-consolidated-plan-for-safety- of the Korea Foundation, in the opening presented-at-iaea-general-conference remarks at the second Korea-Kazakhstan Denuclearization Forum in central Seoul last How Trump Can Escape His Iran week. “You may know Kazakhstan is South Jam Korea’s strategic partner across sectors, including politics, economy and culture. We Aaran David Miller, Steven Simon, Richard expect the serious ‘denuclearization’ issue Sokolsky to strengthen the relations of the two Carnegie Endowment for International countries,” Lee added. Peace, September 24, 2019 The Korea Foundation and the Foundation President Donald Trump has no good of the First President of the Republic of options with Iran in response to its recent Kazakhstan-Elbasy jointly hosted the forum, strikes on critical Saudi oil facilities. The a follow-up to an earlier forum held in April choices, thanks to his administration’s in Kazakhstan, to exchange in-depth diplomatic malpractice and campaign of opinions on the role of Kazakhstan in North maximum pressure, range from very bad Korea’s denuclearization and the future of to worse: Not responding forcefully gives denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. some administration officials a severe case of reputational anxiety; in their telling, http://www.koreaherald.com/ America will be exposed as a paper tiger view.php?ud=20190930000892&ACE_SEARCH=1 if it fails to stand up to Iranian aggression and defend its regional partners. But a direct U.S. military strike against Iran would be infinitely worse because it would be untethered from any viable strategy to deter Iran from further attacks and could easily spiral out of control. The three of us 58 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

spent a combined total of 80 years working In other news: climate crisis, in government on U.S. Middle East policy. chemical weapons, nuclear We are, therefore, acutely aware of the U.S. brinksmanship, etc. obsession with maintaining its credibility by Thomas Gaulkin , Bulletin of Atomic being tough. But it’s our conviction that the Scientists, September 27, 2019 only way out of this mess—if indeed there is one—is through negotiations, however The UN General Assembly opened its 74th poor their current prospects. If the U.S. and session this week with the usual Iran can’t find a way to climb down from marathon of speeches by world leaders the ladder of escalation they’re on, the and meetings on issues ranging from situation with Iran will likely go from really climate change to the elimination of bad to a lot worse. Aaron David Miller nuclear weapons. But in case you Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the somehow missed it, the big news Carnegie Endowment for International capturing most of the nation’s attention Peace, focusing on U.S. foreign policy. this week are the revelations about Donald Trump’s potentially incriminating call with https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/09/24/how- the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr trump-can-escape-his-iran-jam-pub-79912 Zelenskiy. Nancy Pelosi’s move to open an impeachment inquiry into the Much Ado About India’s No-first- matter effectively preempted Trump’s use Nuke Policy speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday. Toby Dalton, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 26, 2019 Given the media frenzy around these developments, you might have also missed Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh some other stories this week from around made headlines in August when he the UN meeting that would likely be appeared to nullify India’s nuclear weapons making bigger headlines if they weren’t no first use (NFU) policy. “Till today, our competing with the possible upending of nuclear policy is ‘no first use’. What happens the American presidency. Here are just a in future depends on the circumstances,” he few items worthy of your attention: said. In the context of Prime Minister Modi’s effort to project a more muscular image, https://thebulletin.org/2019/09/in-other-news- Singh’s comments played well among Indian climate-crisis-chemical-weapons-nuclear- hawks. Internationally, however, a more brinksmanship-etc/ aggressive Indian nuclear policy is raising concerns anew about nuclear conflict in Interviews and Original Documents South Asia. Iran-related Designations; An NFU policy essentially constitutes a Issuance of Iran-related promise, backed by a survivable nuclear Frequently Asked Question arsenal, to only use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack. The logic is U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office Of simple and effective: you don’t nuke me, and Foreign Assets Control, September 25, 219 I won’t nuke you. India and China both oday, the Department of the Treasury’s have declared no-first-use policies, whereas Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Pakistan and the United States, among is publishing a new FAQ relating to a others, do not rule out the first use of nuclear determination by the Secretary of State that weapons in a conflict. COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co. and https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/09/26/much- COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) ado-about-india-s-no-first-use-nuke-policy-pub- Seaman & Ship Management Co. met the 79952 criteria for the imposition of sanctions under E.O. 13846. In addition, OFAC has updated its Specially Designated 59 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

Nationals (SDN) List with the information will prevail. Accusations will not be below. The following individuals have been conducive to a solution in our region. There added to OFAC’s SDN List: LI, Yi (Chinese is a war that has been going on for four Simplified: NgUY), and half years in Yemen.

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanc- Q: The UAE is actually pulling back. tions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20190925.aspx A: The UAE is sort of hedging, but they Iran-related Designations; Counter are moving in the right direction. We hope Designations that Saudis will also understand. Nobody wants a humiliating situation for anybody U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office Of because that is not sustainable. We want Foreign Assets Control, September 25, 219 a situation where everybody feels that they have won. The following entities have been added to OFAC’s SDN List: ETEMAD TEJARATE Q: I know, because you have been doing PARS CO., No. 101 Sohrevardi St., Tehran, a lot of interviews and you have Iran; Additional Sanctions Information - denied point blank that Iran was Subject to Secondary Sanctions [SDGT] responsible either for the tankers in June, (Linked To: MINISTRY OF DEFENSE AND July or for the Saudi oil fields. Are you just ARMED FORCES LOGISTICS). going to say it again despite the evidence? NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND OF IRAN (a.k.a. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT A: There is no evidence. And it would be FUND OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN a miracle to produce evidence, because it (Arabic: ÕäÏæÞ ÊæÓÚå ãáÌ ÌãåæÑÌ ÇÓáÇãÌ did not take place. Had we been behind ÇÌÑÇä)), No. 25 Gandhi St., Building this, it would have been disaster for Saudi National Development Fund of Iran, Tehran Arabia. Nothing that they could have been 15176-55911, Iran; Additional Sanctions repaired. The reason I am taking this to Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Yemen is because it is Yemen. It is the Yemeni war. “Very few people are not https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanc- ready to say that the most sophisticated tions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20190920.aspx American weaponry has been defeated by the Yemenis.”Q: Do you think Yemenis did Sanctions are war, Zarif says it? They said they did it.

Tehran Times, September 24, 2019 Q: They said it but very few people believe Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad it. Zarif has said that the United States’ A: Because very few people are not ready sanctions on Iran are “war”. to say that the most sophisticated Q: You have said there is possibility of all- American weaponry has been defeated by out war. Can you expand on that? the Yemenis.

A: Well, I said if there is an attack on Iran, Q: You say you did not do it. I want to there will be an all-out war. But I am trying react to some of the statements coming as a diplomat and I think every other from Iran. One of your top commanders diplomat including my American in response to all of this has made threats counterpart should be trying the same to to the United States and to the U.S. bases avoid war. This is our job. within range. Why would they making threats if they are not engaged in this kind Q: And do you think that war is in the of offensive action or you might call it edge? You smell war or you smell a retreat defensive? from a military offensive? A: Because the United States has A: Well, I do not call it a retreat. I want to threatened to use force against Iran. This call it prudence and I hope that prudence is the practice of the United States to say 60 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

all military options are on the table. Secretary States’ saying that they want negotiations. Pompeo was the first which is absolutely The re-designation of our central bank has incredible for a diplomat to make an made it almost impossible for the United accusation against Iran hours after the States to remove the central bank from the incident in Saudi Arabia. I have said it too. list. That means that not only this president We have said it in a note to the United States but even the next president are boxed in that if the United States starts a war, it will this scenario of perpetual hostility against nit the one ending it. We won’t start a war. Iran. So, what is it to negotiate about if I can promise you that our military will not this president is incapable of undoing start a war. But we are very clear that if we something that he did the day before are attacked, we will defend ourselves and yesterday? there will not be a limited war. Q: Foreign Minister, are you saying that Q: Another one of your commanders seem there’s a plan afoot to close the doors to to be taunting the United States, saying the negotiation by the U.S. president? U.S. essentially nothing yet, we still have so many cards on the table. Again this A: I think the only reason they re- statement seems to suggest that if it is not designate our central bank is to make it your government, maybe the revolutionary impossible or very difficult for this guards or hardliners are in fact to take on president or his successor to remove their the U.S., Saudi Arabia? name from the list. The war is very high now and I think those who propose to A: That is their job. If our country is President Trump wanted to close the door attacked, then they have to defend the to negotiations not during his presidency country. And the threat is coming from the but even after his presidency. United States. So, we have to respond to the threat.

Q: Do you think that there’s a new Q: So, let’s just sort of take that piece by opportunity for diplomacy? piece. I just first want to ask you one thing about the president having said that they A: I always have to believe as a diplomat were going to respond militarily and then that there is new opportunities for calling it off at the last moment. In public, diplomacy. I think what is important is to alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stop terrorizing the people of Iran through he floated this notion back then that it sanctions that are targeting the people of wasn’t an order from the government, that Iran. Sanctions that have been targeting food this was a commander who shot down the and medicine of the people of Iran. So, if drone. He was trying to say that this was the United States is serious about its offers a stupid act. I’m not going to respond to it of diplomacy, they would not have taken because I bet it wasn’t the government’s measures that they took the day before intention. Was it the government’s yesterday. Putting our central bank under intention to shoot down that drone? new sanctions. Because as you know our central bank has been under sanctions for A: The government does not take a over a year. decision on a case by case basis because we don’t have time to make a decision. You Q: But the United States feels that it’s either need to have a general order to the military sanctions or war. person sitting in front of the missile system or behind it, depending on how you want Sanctions are war. Because in a war, usually to shoot it. military targets are chosen. In sanctions, civilians are the targets. So, it’s war. It’s more https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440485/ than war. Let me go and address the United Sanctions-are-war-Zarif-says 61 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

U.S. Iran policy unlikely to change Libyan model (where Colonel Qadhafi got dramatically with Bolton ouster: rid of his rudimentary nuclear program Jahanpour and was then attacked and killed). In an op-ed that Bolton penned in the Wall Javad Heirannia, Tehran Times, September Street Journal in February 2018, entitled 18, 2019 “The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First”, he argued that the threat from Professor Farhang Jahanpour, a part-time North Korea was imminent and the tutor on Middle Eastern affairs in the United States had to launch a preventive Department of Continuing Education at the war before it was too late. University of Oxford, says “although Bolton led the most extreme stance against Iran in He was apparently the main force behind the Trump administration, he certainly was the cancellation of the landmark INF not the only person to hold such views (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) towards Iran.” Treaty, which had been signed by President Reagan and President Jahanpour, who was also a senior research Gorbachev and had prevented the two scholar at Harvard University, argues that superpowers from developing “U.S. policy towards Iran is not likely to intermediate-range nuclear weapons change very much as the result of Bolton’s which would have made nuclear war dismissal.” more likely, with Europe being caught in Following is the full text of the interview: the middle. The cancellation of that treaty has made the world a much more Q: What is your assessment of John dangerous place. Bolton’s dismissal? Will the militant faction become a minority with his The final straw was his hawkish stance removal? towards Afghanistan and the Taliban. U.S. forces have been fighting in A: As is well-known, John Bolton was one Afghanistan for 18 years with tens of of the most hawkish officials in the current thousands killed on both sides at a cost of U.S. administration. Even under President over one trillion dollars. The result of all Gorge W. Bush when the 9/11 attacks had that sacrifice is that the Taliban is created a strong feeling of nationalism and resurgent, occupying more than half of the the desire for vengeance against the country. If that war continues for another perpetrators of that crime, the U.S. Congress 18 years the situation will be the same or refused to ratify Bolton’s nomination as U.S. worse. It is clear that there is no military ambassador to the United Nations and he solution to the Afghan tragedy. President was appointed for a short time to that post Trump’s instinct was to withdraw U.S. during recess. forces and to reach some sort of the deal with the Taliban, something that Bolton Bolton never saw a war that he did not like opposed. and he always pursued very hostile policies not only towards Iran but also towards Therefore, he was a very hawkish person China, Russia, North Korea, and even the with very dangerous extreme views, and European Union. His main policy was his dismissal certainly is a welcome move, “bomb first, ask questions later.” He was the but whether his firing will mean that the man who led the disastrous failed coup militant faction will become a minority against President Nicolas Maduro of faction in the Trump administration Venezuela, which greatly embarrassed the remains to be seen. U.S. administration, while probably strengthening President Maduro. Q: What effect will Bolton’s dismissal have on U.S. policy toward Iran? Bolton sabotaged the nuclear deal with North Korea by saying that the only A: While Bolton adopted a negative and satisfactory deal would be one based on the extremist stance towards many 62 Volume 11, Number 19 October 15, 2019

international issues, he harboured a special hostility towards Iran. His views of Iran mirrored those of Israel and Saudi Arabia, and maybe he was even less realistic than they were in his hostility. In a speech that he gave to the conference of the terrorist organisation, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), in 2017 he described them as a good alternative to the current Iranian government. He even promised he would celebrate their victory in Tehran with them before the year 2019. Meanwhile, he received tens of thousands of dollars in speaking fees from that organisation (or its backers).

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/440265/U-S- Iran-policy-unlikely-to-change-dramatically- with-Bolton 63 Nuclear, Missile & Space Digest

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