Dear Friend,

It’s been a difficult first six months of 2026 for global nuclear security. The unstable cease fire in the middle east over the past several weeks and murky negotiations with Iran leave the fate of its highly enriched nuclear material, like its broader nuclear program, as uncertain as ever. This state of affairs mirrors the equally disappointing and unsurprising failure of member states of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to achieve consensus at the 11^th Review Conference despite the best efforts of the diplomats chairing the discussions. Meanwhile drones have become a more salient menace to nuclear security not just in Ukraine and Iran but in the UAE as well. The nonproliferation community lost two leaders in June, Stimson Center President and CEO Brian Finlay and James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies scholar and mentor George Moore, both of whom made outsize contributions to the field. Their legacy is a challenge to all of us to keep doing what we can to strengthen the principles and practices of nuclear security and non-proliferation,  especially when the picture seems least rosy.

Warm wishes,

Christina

Director, International Nuclear Security Forum

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Updates

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Nuclear Security News

Impact: Iran

Associated Press
10 June 2026

IAEA demands urgent Iran cooperation and access to nuclear sites

The U.N. atomic watchdog’s board demanded that Iran fully cooperate with the agency, provide complete information about its stockpile of near weapons-grade nuclear material and grant its inspectors access to Iranian nuclear sites.

CBS News
12 June 2026

U.S. military making plans to secure Iran’s nuclear materials if deal is reached, sources say

Amid volatile diplomacy and tit-for-tat strikes between the United States and Iran, American military planners have discussed contingencies that would involve U.S. forces helping secure Iran’s nuclear materials if a deal is reached, according to U.S. officials familiar with knowledge of the ongoing planning.

The New York Times
23 June 2026

Clashing U.S. and Iranian Claims on Nuclear Inspection Show Challenge Ahead

The United States and Iran offered differing accounts over whether Tehran had agreed to allow international nuclear inspectors to visit its most sensitive nuclear sites, underscoring the complexity of the negotiations to reach a lasting peace.

Impact: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine      

Arms Control Association
1 June 2026

U.S. and G-7 Commit to Secure Chernobyl

The U.S. Department of State announced it would provide up to $100 million in foreign assistance toward coordinated G7 efforts to ensure the continued containment of fissile nuclear material at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, after drone strikes damaged the New Safe Confinement arch protecting Chornobyl’s destroyed reactor. The United States and G7 partners have supported Chornobyl’s security for three decades, with total U.S. funding toward the NSC arch exceeding $365 million.

EU Today
7 June 2026

Russian Drone Strike Hits Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility Near Chornobyl

Russia struck a building at Ukraine’s Centralised Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility near Chornobyl. The drone strike partially destroyed a container reception building at the facility in Kyiv region; a fire broke out over about 40 square metres and was later extinguished. Energoatom reported no casualties and radiation levels remained within normal limits.

Security Culture

Türkiye Today
5 May 2026

Türkiye enacts new nuclear cybersecurity rules as Akkuyu hits safety milestone

Türkiye issues new cybersecurity regulations for nuclear facilities as the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant completes passive heat removal system work at its first power unit, marking a key safety milestone.

IAEA
11 May 2026

Cyber Threats, AI and Nuclear: IAEA Hosts Conference on Computer Security

The IAEA is hosting an international conference on preventing, detecting and responding to cyber threats targeting nuclear facilities and nuclear and other radioactive material. The International Conference on Computer Security in the Nuclear World: Securing the Future (CyberCon26) brings together over 500 experts in Vienna from 11 to 15 May to discuss emerging technologies in computer security and their potential impact on the security of critical nuclear infrastructure.

IAEA
22 May 2026

Turkmenistan Hosts Nuclear Security Workshop

The first IAEA interregional workshop on materials outside regulatory control (MORC) brought together experts from Asia and Europe to share knowledge and experience on strengthening prevention, detection and response to criminal or unauthorized acts involving nuclear and other radioactive material.

Threats

BBC
17 May 2026

UAE reports drone strike near Abu Dhabi nuclear power plant

A drone strike caused a fire at an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the UAE’s Al Dhafra region. No injuries were reported and radiation levels remained normal. The UAE’s Defense Ministry said three drones entered from the western border; two were intercepted and one hit the generator. The UAE called it an ‘unprovoked terrorist attack’ and launched an investigation.

UN News
17 May 2026

Nuclear terror threat ‘has never been so high’

The widespread availability of new technology, such as militarized drones and artificial intelligence, means that the current threat of nuclear terrorism is higher than it has ever been, according to UN counter-terrorism officials speaking on the sidelines of the 2026 NPT Review Conference.

Al Jazeera
4 June 2026

N Korea’s Kim Jong Un calls for ‘exponential’ expansion of nuclear arsenal

North Korea unveiled a new facility to produce nuclear bomb fuels as leader Kim Jong Un called for an ‘exponential’ expansion of his country’s atomic arsenal. During a visit to the facility, Kim said production capacity for weapons-grade nuclear material was more than double its level of five years ago, citing worsening security threats and long-term confrontation with what he called his country’s ‘most ferocious enemies.’

Advanced Reactors

World Nuclear News
6 May 2026

Urenco’s Capenhurst site produces LEU+ in first trial run

Urenco has completed its first trial production run for LEU+ (low-enriched uranium plus) fuel at its Capenhurst facility in the UK, with plans to make it commercially available in the near future.

The New York Times
26 May 2026

U.S. Aims to Give Cold War Plutonium to Start-Ups for Nuclear Fuel

The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to provide Cold War-era plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads to companies that want to convert the dangerous material into fuel for nuclear power plants. The plan has generated debate and some unease among nonproliferation experts; if finalized, it would mark the first time the U.S. government has made weapons-grade plutonium available to private companies.

Nuclear Newswire
3 June 2026

IAEA schedules August launch of ATLAS maritime nuclear initiative

The IAEA intends to launch the Atomic Technologies Licensed for Applications at Sea (ATLAS) initiative at a ministerial-level event hosted by the United States in Washington, D.C. on August 26–27. ATLAS aims to support the maritime industry’s exploration of small modular reactors to power civilian ships and provide offshore energy, encouraging cooperation between the maritime industry, the nuclear industry, and the IAEA to address challenges to applying nuclear power at sea.

NPR
29 June 2026

Red, white, and glowing blue: Trump’s push for new reactors reaches the finish line

A little over a year ago, President Trump set an ambitious goal to build at least three new experimental nuclear reactors by July 4, 2026, and with less than a week to go, two companies have already reached the goal of switching on their reactor.

Emerging Technology

World Nuclear News
19 May 2026

The Nuclear Company launches nuclear-specific security platform

The Nuclear Company has launched NOS Security, a next-generation integrated cybersecurity platform designed specifically for the nuclear industry, aimed at modernising the protection of nuclear energy infrastructure, construction sites, and operating facilities across the USA and allied nations.

Nuclear Newswire
8 June 2026

INL reports findings on unusual quantum behavior of plutonium

Scientists at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered that plutonium hexaboride (PuB6) displays an unusual quantum property called a topological Kondo insulating state, in which exterior surfaces strongly conduct electricity while interiors block it; the findings, published in Physical Review Research and supported by DOE Office of Science funding, could lead to practical developments improving nuclear reactor safety and security and extending the lives of nuclear materials.

Weapons, Materials, and Facilities

IAEA
8 May 2026

IAEA Helps Transport High Enriched Nuclear Fuel from Venezuela to the US | IAEA

The IAEA has played a key role in the successful shipment of 13 kilograms of high enriched uranium (HEU) from Venezuela to the United States, in a carefully planned joint mission carried out under tight security. The UK, US, and Venezuela worked closely with the IAEA to safely transport the material — which poses a proliferation risk if it falls into the wrong hands — from a legacy research reactor to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

U.S. Department of Energy
16 June 2026

U.S. Department of Energy streamlines American civil nuclear exports to Thailand

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued a determination on April 13, 2026, adding Thailand to the list of destinations to which U.S. companies are generally authorized to export certain controlled nuclear technology and assistance, bringing the total number of generally authorized destinations to 51.

IAEA
22 June 2026

IAEA Releases First Public Tool to Map the World’s Spent Nuclear Fuel

The global total of used nuclear fuel produced by nuclear power plants is about 448,000 tonnes of heavy metal, with three quarters in storage and one quarter reprocessed, according to the IAEA’s first interactive tool showing how much used nuclear fuel the world has — and where it is stored — by country.

The Times of Central Asia
23 June 2026

Central Asia’s Nuclear Push: Uzbekistan Starts Construction as Kazakhstan Plans at Least Three Plants

Uzbekistan has poured concrete for its first nuclear power plant, while Kazakhstan has signed a $16.5 billion agreement for a two-reactor facility near Lake Balkhash and approved a site for a second plant. Kazakhstan’s long-term strategy calls for at least three nuclear power plants by 2050, with a fourth possible.

International Architecture

Arms Control Association
16 June 2026

NPT Review Conference Falls at Last Hurdle

The 11th NPT Review Conference ended without consensus on a final outcome document, marking the third consecutive review conference to fall short of agreement. Conference President Do Hung Viet announced that consensus on the draft outcome document was not possible amid disputes among a handful of states.

Analysis and Opinion

Council on Foreign Relations
6 May 2026

Iran Nuclear Talks: Three Lessons From the War for Negotiators

Drawing on hard lessons from the Iran war, Erin D. Dumbacher from the Council on Foreign Relations identifies three core principles that negotiators must apply when seeking nuclear security agreements with adversarial states.

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
11 May 2026

China’s Nuclear Energy Priorities Under Its 15th Five-Year Plan

China’s 15th Five-Year Plan aims to further establish the country in the global nuclear energy markets through expanded domestic capacity, supply chain integration, and technology exports.  Jane Nakano and Yu-Hsuan Yeh from CSIS argue that this strategy will challenge Western influence over global nuclear governance.

Stimson Center
9 June 2026

Bushehr, Barakah, and the Future of Nuclear Security in the Persian Gulf

Mehran Haghirian and Ludovica Castelli argue that strikes on nuclear infrastructure in the Persian Gulf risk eroding the norms and physical conditions necessary to maintain nuclear security in the region, turning local incidents into broader concern.

Clean Air Task Force
12 June 2026

Poland’s nuclear plan (PPEJ) advances, but unresolved questions risk delay, CATF says

CATF welcomes Poland’s 6-9 GW nuclear energy target and coal-region siting progress, but warns that delayed decisions on the second plant, unclear SMR policy, and fuel reprocessing risks could undermine delivery.

Global Security Review
16 June 2026

The Interconnection of Nuclear Energy and Quantum Technology

One might think nuclear energy and quantum technology are unrelated, with one concerning power plants, uranium, and electrical grids, and the other revolving around next-generation computing. This article explores the growing connections between the two fields and their implications for global security.

Member Organization Announcements and Updates

Bellona Foundation

As Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its fourth year, a new report from the Bellona Environmental Transparency Center argues that Rosatom has become one of the Russian state’s most important geopolitical instruments, extending its influence far beyond the nuclear sector despite years of sanctions and international isolation.

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

CACNP Communications Associate and host Farah Sonde sat down with Marc Finaud, Senior Advisor and Associate Fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy; Francesca Giovannini, Executive Director at the Project on Managing the Atom; and John Erath, Senior Policy Director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, to discuss France’s new approach to its nuclear arsenal, how it aligns with French tradition and how the United States should respond.

Global Nuclear Security Partners

GNSP’s activity in Ukraine supported Nuclear Risk Insurers, the Ukrainian Nuclear Insurance Pool, and Energoatom in delivering the first insurance survey of a Ukrainian operating NPP since 2018.

GNSP delivered the nuclear security overview lecture to the Nuclear Threat Reduction-Network (www.ntr-net.uk) Summer School.

GNSP moderated a roundtable for the Australian Perth USAsia Centre on risk of nuclear escalation in the Indo-Pacific, and Australia’s role in the region.

International Institute for Strategic Studies

Daniel Salisbury published an Online Analysis piece titled “A nuclear order under strain?” reflecting on the NPT Review Conference.

Daniel Salisbury published an online analysis titled “Strategic stability and nuclear risks in the Asia-Pacific,” about a nuclear-arms race and the role of the Asia-Pacific.

Morgan Michaels, Daniel Salisbury and Evan A. Laksmana published a research paper about “Simulating Southeast Asia’s Nuclear-security Crisis Responses” analyzing how Southeast Asian states might respond to a regional nuclear-security crisis.

Joseph Dempsey and Karl Dewey published a Military Balance blog, titled “Deepening deterrence: India’s expanding SSBN capability,” about India’s expanding fleet of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

A new episode of the Arms Control Primer podcast was published, “Better know a non-nuke: Brazil.”

James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies

Stephen Herzog, Allison Berke, YanLiang Pan, William C. Potter, and Douglas B. Shaw published an analysis titled “AI is changing biological and nuclear risks; governance must change accordingly.”

CNS released principles for its landmark Asilomar Process, aiming for sustained cross-sector dialogue on early AI governance.

Nuclear Threat Initiative

NTI President and CEO Christine Wormuth published a statement on U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding. NTI has published Rising to the Challenge: Emerging Leaders in Nuclear Security, a new collection of essays by early- and mid-career practitioners to highlight how the next generation of experts are grappling with today’s most urgent nuclear security challenges.

The Stimson Center

Distinguished Fellow David Kenneth Smith published a commentary titled “The Next Iran Nuclear Deal: Lessons from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and North Korea,” arguing that only sustained, intrusive monitoring anchored in the IAEA’s Additional Protocol can expose, deter, and prevent Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

CBRNE World magazine published an interview with Senior Fellow and International Nuclear Security Forum director Christina McAllister on the challenges of dealing with Iran’s nuclear program and alleged chemical and biological weapons programs.  Christina McAllister co-authored a commentary with Syed Ali Zia Jaffery on the issues at play at the 2026 Review Conference for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and published a preview of the chances that the Trump-Xi summit would address nuclear arms control issues.

Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

The VCDNP launched a project on how nuclear verification is negotiated. The project aims at building understanding and capacity to negotiate verification systems capable of supporting future arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation regimes. Special emphasis was on building capacity among non-nuclear States.

On 29 April 2026, the VCDNP held a side event at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Conference on Effective Nuclear and Radiation Regulatory Systems, focused on artificial intelligence (AI), quantum sensing, computing and encryption, and outer space technologies and their impact on the civilian nuclear sector.   

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held the International Conference on Computer Security in the Nuclear World: Securing the Future from 11 to 15 May 2026. A VCDNP delegation participated in the conference, organizing a side event and delivering a presentation during a technical session.  

On 27 May 2026, the VCDNP, within the framework of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI), hosted a virtual event titled “Reflecting on the Outcomes of the NPT: a Conversation with EU Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Stephan Klement.”

The VCDNP, the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique (FRS), the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the UN (Vienna), the Permanent Mission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the UN (Vienna), and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria co-organized a side event titled, “The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC) and Space Launch Technologies: Opportunities and Concerns” at the Vienna International Centre on 28 May 2026.  

On 16 June 2026, the VCDNP, on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC), convened the 2026 UN Disarmament Fellows for a half-day of briefings on key international security issues at the T.M.C. Asser Institute for International and European Law in The Hague.   On 17 June 2026, the VCDNP hosted a panel discussion on priorities and expectations for the first Review Conference of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), scheduled to take place in New York from 30 November to 4 December 2026.

Individual Member Updates

Tahir Azad published a new analysis:

• 23 June 2026: Trump Administration, Nuclear Security Governance, and the Costs of Strategic Disengagement

Bahram Ghiassee published an analysis, interviewed with RadioLiberty/RadioFarda, and interviewed with Voice of America Persian:

• 13 May 2026: The Radioactive Fallout from the Iran War – Diplomacy Must Prevail (Henry Jackson Society)
• 5 June 2026: Interview with RadioLiberty/RadioFarda on Iran’s Nuclear Programme and the IAEA Concerns (minutes 8–16)
• 24 June 2026: Interview with Voice of America (VOA Persian) on the modality and scope of IAEA inspections post-MoU

Shahneela Tariq published new episodes of the Women in Nuclear Security Podcast:

• 8 May 2026: Transformative Leadership and Nuclear Security — interview with Dr. Alnaqbi on why nuclear security is a human endeavour
• 16 June 2026: with Kseniia Pirnavskaia on Public Narratives, discussing digital advocacy, nuclear justice and navigating risk engagement

Opportunities

MA Program

University of Bradford, University of Bradford
MA International Relations and Emerging Technologies

This interdisciplinary programme combines expertise in international relations, peace studies, technology governance, ethics, and global security. Students will explore how governments, organisations, and international actors engage with technological change – and what this means for conflict, cooperation, human rights, inequality, and global governance. Start date is September 2026.

Job

ANSER, Washington, DC
Nuclear Treaties Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Serve as a primary advisor to Air Force leadership on nuclear treaty requirements, supporting policy development, compliance activities, and strategic engagement across the Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, and interagency community.