Latest news with #nuclearDisaster
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Could Trump apply JFK's Cuban missile crisis playbook to Iran?
At a decisive moment in the Cuban missile crisis, when some top officials were urging John F. Kennedy to bomb Soviet military sites on the island, the president decided to take a break for dinner. 'Everybody get a bite to eat and then come back and see,' he told his advisers, according to a transcript of the Oct. 27, 1962, meeting of the top-level group known as the Excomm. JFK used the time to discuss with his brother the unconventional strategy that ultimately resolved the crisis and averted nuclear disaster.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Explainer: What are the nuclear contamination risks from Israel's attacks on Iran?
Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear installations so far pose only limited risks of contamination, experts say. But they warn that any attack on the country's nuclear power station at Bushehr could cause a nuclear disaster. Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities in its military campaign, but that it also wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is home to tens of millions of people and produces much of the world's oil. Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr on the Gulf coast—home to Iran's only nuclear power station—only to say later that the announcement was a mistake. What has Israel hit so far? Israel has announced attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran building an atom bomb. Iran denies ever seeking one. The international nuclear watchdog IAEA has reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, to the nuclear complex at Isfahan—including the Uranium Conversion Facility—and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran. Israel has also attacked Arak, also known as Khondab. The IAEA said Israeli military strikes hit the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, which was under construction and had not begun operating, and damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water. The IAEA said that it was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so there were no radiological effects. In an update of its assessment on Friday, the IAEA said key buildings at the site were damaged. Heavy-water reactors can be used to produce plutonium, which—like enriched uranium—can be used to make an atom bomb. What risks do these strikes pose? Peter Bryant, a professor at the University of Liverpool in England who specializes in radiation protection science and nuclear energy policy, said he is not too concerned about fallout risks from the strikes so far. He noted that the Arak site was not operational while the Natanz facility was underground and no release of radiation was reported. 'The issue is controlling what has happened inside that facility, but nuclear facilities are designed for that,' he said. 'Uranium is only dangerous if it gets physically inhaled or ingested or gets into the body at low enrichments,' he said. Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at London think tank RUSI, said attacks on facilities at the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle—the stages where uranium is prepared for use in a reactor—pose primarily chemical, not radiological risks. At enrichment facilities, UF6, or uranium hexafluoride, is the concern. 'When UF6 interacts with water vapor in the air, it produces harmful chemicals,' she said. The extent to which any material is dispersed would depend on factors including the weather, she added. 'In low winds, much of the material can be expected to settle in the vicinity of the facility; in high winds, the material will travel farther, but is also likely to disperse more widely.' The risk of dispersal is lower for underground facilities. Simon Bennett, who leads the civil safety and security unit at the University of Leicester in the UK, said risks to the environment were minimal if Israel hits subterranean facilities because you are 'burying nuclear material in possibly thousands of tonnes of concrete, earth and rock.' What about nuclear reactors? The major concern would be a strike on Iran's nuclear reactor at Bushehr. Richard Wakeford, honorary professor of epidemiology at the University of Manchester, said that while contamination from attacks on enrichment facilities would be 'mainly a chemical problem' for the surrounding areas, extensive damage to large power reactors 'is a different story.' Radioactive elements would be released either through a plume of volatile materials or into the sea, he added. James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said an attack on Bushehr 'could cause an absolute radiological catastrophe,' but that attacks on enrichment facilities were 'unlikely to cause significant off-site consequences.' Before uranium goes into a nuclear reactor it is barely radioactive, he said. 'The chemical form uranium hexafluoride is toxic... but it actually doesn't tend to travel large distances and it's barely radioactive. So far the radiological consequences of Israel's attacks have been virtually nil,' he added, while stating his opposition to Israel's campaign. Bennett of the University of Leicester said it would be 'foolhardy for the Israelis to attack' Bushehr because they could pierce the reactor, which would mean releasing radioactive material into the atmosphere.
South China Morning Post
01-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Can Japan find a new home for contaminated Fukushima soil?
To reduce radiation across Japan 's northern Fukushima region after the 2011 nuclear disaster, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from swathes of land. Advertisement Now, as young farmers seek to bring life back to the region once known for its delicious fruit, authorities are deliberating what to do with the mass of removed soil – enough to fill more than 10 baseball stadiums. On March 11, 2011, Japan's strongest earthquake on record triggered a huge tsunami that hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant , causing a devastating meltdown. Topsoil was collected as part of large-scale decontamination efforts that also included blasting buildings and roads with high-pressure jets of water. Almost all areas of Fukushima have gradually been declared safe, but many evacuees have been reluctant to return because they remain worried about radiation, or have fully resettled elsewhere. Advertisement Fukushima has, however, welcomed new residents such as 25-year-old kiwi farmer Takuya Haraguchi.
Times of Oman
31-05-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Trump again claims credit for India, Pakistan cessation of hostilities
Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump once again claimed credit for brokering the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, asserting that he used trade as a negotiation tactic. Speaking at the Oval Office during an event marking Elon Musk's departure from his advisory role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Trump said, "We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster, and I want to thank the leaders of India and Pakistan, and I want to thank my people. Also, we talk trade, and we say we can't trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons. They're great leaders in those countries, and they understood and they agreed." Trump's remarks come amid continued debate over the role of international influence in recent de-escalation efforts between the South Asian nations. Meanwhile, India has clarified that the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan took place on May 10 following contacts between the two DGMOs and while there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving situation since Operation Sindoor was launched, the issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's position on the stoppage of military action has been well-articulated. "Our position on this particular issue that you mentioned has been well articulated. I would refer you to our position that was made clear on May 13. From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on 7th May till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. "The issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions. The External Affairs Minister has also made it clear that the cessation of firing was decided upon through direct contact with the DGMOs of India and Pakistan," Jaiswal said. India launched Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack, conducting precision strikes on terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). India repelled subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. The two countries agreed to stop military action after the Pakistan DGMO contacted his Indian counterpart.
