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WASHINGTON/PARIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - For nearly two years the United States has tried and failed to negotiate a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal yet Washington and its European allies refuse to close the door to diplomacy. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under which Tehran reined in its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. A U.S. intelligence estimate disclosed in late 2007 assessed with high confidence that Iran was working to develop nuclear weapons until the fall of 2003, when it halted the weapons work. "We will continue with the pressure while keeping the door open for a return to diplomacy," U.S. special envoy for Iran Robert Malley told reporters in Paris last month, adding that if Iran crossed "a new threshold in its nuclear program, obviously the response will be different." Even if the 2015 nuclear deal cannot be resurrected, the senior Biden administration official said other diplomatic solutions might be possible.

☆ U.S. wrongly revoked Oppenheimer security clearance: Biden admin
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration on Friday reversed a 1954 decision by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to revoke the security clearance of Robert Oppenheimer, known as the “father of the atomic bomb” for his work on the Manhattan Project. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a written order that the since-dissolved AEC acted out of political motives when it revoked Oppenheimer’s security clearance nearly 70 years ago. He oversaw the first atomic bomb detonation in the New Mexico desert, code-named “Trinity,” before the weapons were used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Following the war, Oppenheimer opposed nuclear proliferation and development of the hydrogen bomb, stances that Granholm suggested in her order led the AEC to revoke his security clearance. of Energy Granholm for vacating the AEC’s flawed 1954 decision to revoke Robt Oppenheimer’s security clearance,” Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said on Twitter.

☆ Russia installs shield over Zaporizhzhia nuclear storage site
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. MOSCOW, Dec 17 (Reuters) - A shield is being set up over a storage site for spent nuclear waste at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine to protect it from shelling and drones, a Russian-installed official said on Saturday. Fighting over Europe's largest nuclear power station in 10 months of conflict has raised fears of a possible Chornobyl-style nuclear disaster. Both Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of recklessly shelling the plant, whose six reactors are all off line. Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden admin says U.S. wrongly revoked Oppenheimer's security clearance in 1954
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Friday reversed a 1954 decision by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to revoke the security clearance of Robert Oppenheimer, known as the "father of the atomic bomb" for his work on the Manhattan Project. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a written order that the since-dissolved AEC acted out of political motives when it revoked Oppenheimer's security clearance nearly 70 years ago. He oversaw the first atomic bomb detonation in the New Mexico desert, code-named "Trinity", before the weapons were used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Following the war, Oppenheimer opposed nuclear proliferation and development of the hydrogen bomb, stances that Granholm suggested in her order led the AEC to revoke his security clearance. of Energy Granholm for vacating the AEC’s flawed 1954 decision to revoke Robt Oppenheimer’s security clearance," Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said on Twitter.

The flag of Iran is seen in front of the building of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Headquarters on May 24, 2021 in Vienna, Austria. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog will send a delegation to the Iranian capital of Tehran on Dec. 18 to clarify outstanding 'safeguards' issues, linked to nuclear particles discovered at Iranian nuclear sites. Earlier on Dec. 14, Iranian state news agency Irna reported IAEA officials would visit Iran in the coming days. It cited Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as expressing hope that this interaction would remove obstacles and ambiguities. The visit from the IAEA comes as Iran is enriching uranium at the highest levels in its history — one technical step away from weapons-grade, the nuclear watchdog agency has warned.

☆ North Korea says it tested 'high-thrust solid-fuel motor' for apparent ICBM development
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A view of a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor" test to develop a new strategic weapon, at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, December 15, 2022, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 16 (Reuters) - North Korea has tested a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor", state media reported on Friday, as the isolated country seeks to develop a new strategic weapon and speeds up its nuclear and missile programmes. The static firing test proved the motor's reliability and stability, providing a "guarantee for the development of another new-type strategic weapon system", KCNA added. North Korea has been working to build more solid-fuel missiles, which are more stable and can be launched with almost no warning or preparation time. North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, including an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, despite international bans and sanctions.

☆ IAEA chief says to make all-out effort to stop North Korea's nuclear programme
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Rafael Grossi (L), director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), speaks during a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (not pictured) at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea December 15, 2022. Jung Yeon-je/Pool via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 15 (Reuters) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday the IAEA would make an all-out effort to stop North Korea's nuclear programme and preserve international non-proliferation, according to South Korea's presidential office. Grossi said that he shares the international community's concern about the North Korea nuclear issue, South Korea's presidential office said. North Korea is believed to have completed preparations for the first nuclear test since 2017, according to officials from South Korea and the United States. The IAEA has not had access to North Korea since the secretive communist state expelled its inspectors in 2009.

☆ How nuclear fusion works, and why it's a big deal for green energy that scientists made a 'breakthrough'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US Department of Energy scientists produced a nuclear fusion reaction with a net energy gain. The US Department of Energy officially announced the milestone in fusion energy research on Tuesday. For the first time, researchers created a nuclear fusion reaction that produced more energy than they put into it. What is fusion energy and why is it a big deal? This illustration shows how lasers heat a target to the necessary conditions for nuclear fusion to occur.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest news: Putin cautions about challenges in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

* Speaking on Security Services Day, widely celebrated in Russia, Putin ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders as Moscow tries to regain momentum in its war against Ukraine. * Putin and his Belarusian counterpart President Alexander extolled the benefits of cooperation, but they hardly mentioned the Ukraine war at their joint news conference. [1/11] A local resident Mykola Kobzarenko inspects the remains of his garage, destroyed during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Stari Bezradychi, in Kyiv region, Ukraine December 19, 2022. * Ukraine's atomic energy agency accused Russia of sending a "kamikaze" drone over part of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant in the Mykolaiv region overnight. * Washington and its allies need do more to help Ukraine keep the power on, a senior U.S. diplomat said.

☆ China, Saudi Arabia stress importance of oil market stability as Xi visits Riyadh
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese President, Xi Jinping (L) is welcomed by Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 8, 2022. China and Saudi Arabia stressed the importance of global oil market stability and Riyadh's role in achieving this balance, following a three-day Saudi visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. China is the world's largest crude oil importer, while Saudi Arabia is the greatest exporter of such resources and chairs the influential OPEC+ producers' alliance. Xi met both King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and his heir, Crown Prince and Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, according to Chinese official news agency Xinhua. The Chinese head of state has extended an invitation for King Salman to visit China "at a mutually convenient time," the statement said.

CNN —Nearly 10 months after his invasion of Ukraine began, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday acknowledged that the conflict is “going to take a while,” as he also warned of the “increasing” threat of nuclear war. And without categorically ruling out the first use of nuclear weapons, Putin said he viewed the Russian nuclear arsenal as a deterrent rather than a provocation. “Nevertheless, we have a strategy… namely, as a defense, we consider weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons – it is all based around the so-called retaliatory strike,” he said. We are aware of what nuclear weapons are. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant been rocked by explosions in recent months amid fighting nearby, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other for the attacks.

☆ Russia's Shoigu says Ukraine committing 'nuclear terrorism' over Zaporizhzhia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 6 (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Ukraine was continuing to shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, deliberately creating the threat of a possible nuclear catastrophe. Shoigu said Russian forces were taking "all measures" to ensure the safety of the power plant, Europe's largest, in the face of what he called "nuclear terrorism" from Kyiv. "Our units are taking all measures to ensure the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," Shoigu told his military chiefs in a conference call, an abridged transcript of which was published by the defence ministry. Most had been intercepted by Russian air defences, he said, though "some still hit objects that affect the safe operation of the nuclear power plant". "We classify these attacks by Ukrainian troops as nuclear terrorism," he added.

☆ IAEA says deal over Ukrainian nuke plant "almost there"
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A deal aimed at safeguarding Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is close at hand, the head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday. Europe's largest power plant, which was seized by Russia shortly after its invasion of Ukraine, has since come under repeated shelling, drawing condemnation from the IAEA, which has called for a safety zone to be created around the site. .. Now we have a proposal on the table which simply put is aiming to stop the folly of bombing the largest nuclear power plant in Europe," IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told a conference in Rome. Earlier on Friday, Russia's RIA news agency said Moscow had outlined its position on the creation of a safety zone around the plant and was awaiting a response, citing the head of the state-run nuclear energy agency Rosatom. Reporting by Crispian Balmer; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why Silicon Valley is so hot on nuclear energy and what it means for the industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Pallava Bagla | Corbis News | Getty ImagesVenture capitalists in Silicon Valley and other tech hubs are investing money in nuclear energy for the first time in history. This surge of private investment will be a positive for the industry, agrees John Parsons, an economist and lecturer at MIT. Nuclear energy is "a very complex science, and it's been supported by the federal government and at these national labs. In the 1960s and 1970s, large conglomerates constructed big nuclear power plants, and those projects often ran over budget. New generations of nuclear reactors will have different sizes, different coolants and different fuels, explained Matt Crozat, senior director of policy development at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine: latest news
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 2 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to talks on a possible settlement in Ukraine but the West must accept Moscow's demands, the Kremlin said on Friday, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden said he would be willing to speak with Putin on ending the war. FIGHTING* Ukraine's armed forces have lost somewhere between 10,000 and 13,000 soldiers so far in the war against Russia, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told a Ukrainian television network. * Russia's Defence Ministry and the head of Ukraine's presidential administration said the two countries had swapped 50 service personnel in the latest prisoner exchange between the two sides. * Ukraine's armed forces reported heavy shelling of a number of eastern frontline villages near the city of Bakhmut. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein 1 2 3 4 5DIPLOMACY, FOREIGN RESPONSE* Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a phone call on Friday that the German and Western line on Ukraine was "destructive" and urged Berlin to rethink its approach, the Kremlin said.

☆ Russia promotes engineer to head of seized Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it had promoted the chief engineer of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to become its director, after Kyiv said the plant's previous boss was abducted by Russian authorities. The nuclear power plant, Europe's biggest, has been occupied by Russian forces since March. Moscow said in October it was putting the plant under the control of Russian nuclear authorities, a move the Ukrainian government says is illegal. "The new director of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and first deputy general director of the Zaporizhzhia power plant operating company is Yuriy Chernichuk," said Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the CEO of Russian state energy organisation Rosenergoatom, according to Russian state Rossiya 24 TV. Kyiv also accuses Moscow of hiding military equipment at the plant, which Russia denies.

☆ Welders wanted: France steps up recruitment drive as nuclear crisis deepens
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Benjamin Mallet | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

EDF estimates that France's nuclear industry needs to recruit between 10,000 and 15,000 workers a year over the next seven years. Despite relatively high unemployment, France's manufacturing, construction, engineering and IT industries complain they can't get the workers they need. These people work with molten metal at 1,500 degrees Celsius, and sometimes have to stand upside down," said one welder in the nuclear industry, who asked not to be identified. Before the war in Ukraine, successive administrations sought to reduce France's reliance on nuclear energy, not build new reactors, they say. For a long time, France was Europe's nuclear energy champion - and its biggest electricity exporter.

☆ Workers who won't sign Russian contracts banned from nuclear plant - Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military said on Monday Moscow had banned Ukrainian technicians who have refused to sign contracts with Russia's atomic energy firm from entering the vast Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that Russian forces seized in March. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which is in Ukraine's partially-occupied southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, has been operated by Ukrainian technicians throughout the war despite being under Russian control. "According to available information, starting today, the occupiers have forbidden entry to the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP to ... workers who refused to sign contracts with Rosatom," Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily war update. A spokesperson for Ukraine's Energoatom nuclear firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reporting by Max Hunder; writing Tom Balmforth; editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Vast Ukrainian nuclear plant remains under Russian control - Russia-installed authorities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine remains under Russian control, authorities installed by Moscow in the nearby city of Enerhodar said on Monday, after a Ukrainian official suggested Russian forces were preparing to leave. "The media are actively spreading fake news that Russia is allegedly planning to withdraw from Enerhodar and leave the (plant). The head of Ukraine's state-run nuclear energy company said on Sunday there were signs that Russian forces might be preparing to vacate the vast Zaporizhzhia plant which they seized in March, soon after invading Ukraine. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency), wants to create a protection zone around the nuclear power station, which is Europe's largest. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said late on Sunday that he had no doubt that Russian forces would leave the plant, where Ukrainian staff are still operating.

☆ Ukraine nuclear boss says he sees signs Russia may leave occupied plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The head of Ukraine's state-run nuclear energy firm said on Sunday there were signs that Russian forces might be preparing to leave the vast Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which they seized in March soon after their invasion. Repeated shelling around the plant has spurred fears of a nuclear catastrophe. "In recent weeks we are effectively receiving information that signs have appeared that they are possibly preparing to leave the (plant)," Petro Kotin, head of Energoatom, said on national television. Asked if it was too early to talk about Russian troops leaving the plant, Kotin said on television: "It's too early. On Friday, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Ukraine's three nuclear plants on government-held territory had been reconnected to the grid, two days after a Russian missile barrage forced them to shut for the first time in 40 years.

☆ Ukraine's four nuclear power plants reconnected to grid - IAEA
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Ukraine's four nuclear power plants have been reconnected to the national power grid after completely losing off-site power earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday. In a statement, the IAEA nuclear watchdog said Ukraine had informed it on Friday that its Rivne, South Ukraine and Khmelnytskyy plants had been reconnected. Ukraine reconnected its vast Zaporizhzhia plant on Thursday, Kyiv said earlier. The Zaporizhzhia plant, which was seized by Russia in the early phase of its Feb. 24 invasion, was shut down in September, but still needs electricity to keep up essential safety work. Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Dan Peleschuk; editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Korea's flurry of missile tests has South Korea talking about the nuclear option
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Robert Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

North Korea has done dozens of missile tests this year, including an ICBM test last week. We should always keep talking to North Korea — it is too dangerous to ignore — but there is little realistic hope that North Korea will deal profoundly with its nukes or missiles at this point. South Koreans watch a news report on North Korean missile tests. The current South Korean president, Yoon Seok-yeol, suggested, as a candidate, that South Korea might preemptively air-strike North Korean missile sites in a crisis. The South Korean conservative party has suggested that South Korea should withdraw from the NPT if the North conducts a seventh nuclear test.

☆ Iran expands uranium enrichment at underground nuclear site amid violent crackdown on protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Iran has started expanding uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity at an underground site in Fordow days after foreign governments accused Tehran of failing to cooperate with a U.N. investigation into its past nuclear work. Iran last year already embarked on enrichment up to 60 percent elsewhere at an above ground site in Natanz. The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in return for an easing of U.S. and international sanctions on Iran. As Iran defied the provisions of the 2015 nuclear deal, it faced renewed international criticism over its response to a wave of anti-regime protests that erupted in September.

DUBAI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Iran has begun enriching uranium to 60% purity at its underground Fordow nuclear site, the government's nuclear chief said on Tuesday, a move that may irk Western powers pushing Tehran to roll back its nuclear work by reviving a 2015 pact. "We had said that Iran will seriously react to any resolution and political pressure ... that is why Iran has started enriching uranium to 60% purity from Monday at the Fordow site," said Mohammad Eslami, according to Iranian media. The semi-official ISNA news agency reported Iran had informed the agency in a letter about the decision to use "IR-6 advanced centrifuges to produce 60% enriched uranium" at Fordow, a site buried inside a mountain. In June, Reuters reported that Tehran was enhancing its uranium enrichment further by preparing to use IR-6 centrifuges, which can easily switch between enrichment levels, at the Fordow site. "Iran has also started the process of injecting gas into two cascades of IR-2m and IR-4 advanced centrifuges at the Natanz site," state TV reported.

☆ Ukrainians warned energy blackouts could last for months; Kherson residents told to evacuate over winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

There are "no immediate safety or security concerns" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant following heavy shelling throughout the weekend, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. However, while key equipment remained intact, the assessment team found widespread damage across the site. Operating and maintenance staff are already repairing some of the damage and plant personnel are cleaning up the site, the IAEA said. Grossi has repeatedly warned against fighting near the site, most recently saying that whoever was responsible for the attacks was "playing with fire." The renewed attacks on and around the nuclear site have intensified Grossi's calls for a protection zone, which would prevent shelling near the plant.

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