Arms Control Assoc

NEWS: 'NNSA Charts Buildup as Delays Mount' The National Nuclear Security Administration has set ambitious targets for increasing #nuclearweapons production. In #ACT, Senior Analyst @XiaodonLiang outlines the agency's objectives & their current setbacks. ow.ly/lGN750YEGOo

NEWS: 'Finland to Join New European Nuclear Deterrent Concept' In line with other moves to enhance European nuclear & conventional military planning, Finland announced its intention to lift its full ban on hosting nuclear weapons. Full #ACT story at ow.ly/eosn50YCVMZ.

🚨 Save the Date: ACA 2026 Annual Meeting Join us at the National Press Club in Washington, DC for our panel series on today's nuclear nonproliferation, disarmament, and weapons-related security challenges. • Tuesday, June 2nd • 9am-3pm EST Register: Armscontrol.org/2026AnnualMeet…

NEWS: 'Syria Pursues Plan to Complete CW Elimination' The Syrian government has launched an initiative to assess and demilitarize residual elements of the chemical weapons program developed by the deposed government of Bashar al-Assad. More in April #ACT: ow.ly/9p9Q50YCSVm

NEWS: 'States Gather for 11th NPT Review Conference' The month-long meeting faces a myriad of challenges as it tries to strengthen the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Read more in the News & Analysis section of the April 2026 #ArmsControlToday. ow.ly/Bvmv50YCvIh

NEWS: 'Trump Seeks Deal With Iran to End War' Is Tehran willing to negotiate? Would Israel agree to a ceasefire? The answers to these questions are unclear, but ACA's Director for Nonproliferation Policy Kelsey Davenport addresses the uncertainty in #ACT. ow.ly/Kwum50YCvE2

"On Easter, Pope Leo delivers commanding message of peace to a world at war" wapo.st/4m8Zu1f “Let those who have weapons lay them down!” the first American pope declared.

The IAEA has been informed by Iran that a projectile struck close to the premises of the Bushehr NPP this morning, the fourth such incident in recent weeks. Iran also informed the IAEA that one of the site’s physical protection staff members was killed by a projectile fragment and that a building on site was affected by shockwaves and fragments. No increase in radiation levels was reported. IAEA DG @rafaelmgrossi expresses deep concern about the reported incident and says NPP sites or nearby areas must never be attacked, noting that auxiliary site buildings may contain vital safety equipment. Reiterating call for maximum military restraint to avoid risk of a nuclear accident, DG Grossi again stresses the paramount importance of adhering to the 7 pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security during a conflict.

News-In-Brief: 'Russia Concocts Fresh Ukrainian Bomb Claims' Russia has levied new accusations against France & the United Kingdom concerning the suspected transfer of #nuclearweapons to Ukraine. See April #ACT for reactions & the escalatory implications: ow.ly/KqeO50YCVnT

Zarif the former Iranian foreign minister puts forward a sweeping peace plan. He may get pilloried inside Iran and who knows whether the US president will understand it. “Iran should offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions—a deal Washington wouldn’t take before but might accept now. Iran should also be prepared to accept a mutual nonaggression pact with the United States in which both countries pledge to not strike each other in the future. It could offer economic interactions with the United States, which would be a win for both the American and the Iranian people.” On nuclear he repeats Iran offer made in Geneva to downblend highly enriched uranium stockpile. Proposes “China and Russia, together with the United States, could help establish a fuel enrichment consortium with Iran and interested neighbors in the Persian Gulf, which should then become the sole fuel enrichment facility for West Asia. Iran would transfer all its enriched material and equipment to that space. As another regional component of the peace plan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen—together with permanent members of the Security Council and possibly Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey—should begin cooperating on a regional security network to ensure nonaggression, cooperation, and freedom of navigation throughout West Asia.”

'Does the Trump administration understand how ‘enriched’ uranium is made into weapons?' from @CNN, ft. ACA Director for Nonproliferation Policy @KelseyDav. Available here: cnn.com/2026/04/01/us/…

NEWS: 'North Korea Seeks Nuclear Recognition for U.S Talks' According to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, any bilateral talks would require that the US recognizes North Korea as a nuclear-armed state. Visit ow.ly/ZjlP50YCw4q for more on his remarks in the April #ACT.

April 2026 #ArmsControlToday now online! This month's topics include the diplomatic failure of US-Iran nuclear negotiators, states gathering for the 11th NPT Review Conference at the UN, and Syria's plan to eliminate chemical weapons. armscontrol.org/aca/2312

"Analysis: U.S. Negotiators Were Ill-Prepared for Serious Nuclear Talks With Iran," by Kelsey Davenport in the April issue of Arms Control Today armscontrol.org/act/2026-04/fe…

"Securing Iran's enriched uranium by force would be risky and complex, experts say." Yes, and it could have been secured through smart diplomacy, but Trump and Co. are apparently not capable of smart diplomacy. apnews.com/article/iran-n…