- Brief talks between Iran and the P5+Germany on the Iranian nuclear program ended yesterday in Geneva without any substantive progress, though the parties agreed to meet again in Instanbul in January. The current issue of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists is worth a look for its forum on the Iran 'quagmire'. Carnegie also has a good Q&A contextualising the discussions, including the impact of the Wikileaked cables and the state of Iranian domestic politics.
- The IAEA Board of Governors has approved a plan for the establishment of a nuclear fuel bank under IAEA control, as proposed by the Nuclear Threat Initiative. The IAEA Secretariat will now settle on the access, location and structure of the fuel stock; it has released a useful Fact Sheet explaining eligibility requirements and obligations of fuel recipients.
- There was no call for a special inspection of the site of the Syrian reactor bombed by the Israelis in 2007 from the IAEA Director-General at the Board meeting last week. This despite the persistent refusal of Syrian authorities to allow IAEA inspectors back in, and US calls (official and unofficial) for such an inspection.
- As Areva moves closer to signing a US$9 billion nuclear deal to build reactors and supply fuel in India, with a view to making India into a nuclear export hub, we may see increased conventional arms sales from France to India, according to Charles Ferguson's finding that civil nuclear assistance and conventional arms sales go hand in hand.
- Was President Obama's tax cut deal with congressional Republicans a quid pro quo for ratifying START?
The Nuclear Reactions column is supported by the Nuclear Security Project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, as part of a wider partnership between the NSP and the Lowy Institute.
