CSIS is reporting in its Nuclear Policy News briefing that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a construction permit for the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a small modular nuclear reactor at its Clinch River Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It said the decision clears the way for the nation's first commercial small modular reactor.
Reuters is reporting that Russia has warned NATO it would be ready to resort to nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to cut off Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave that borders the Baltic Sea. It said the warning comes as tensions rise in the Baltic region.
CNBC is reporting that U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered sanctions relief in exchange for concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program. It said Tehran received a U.S. proposal following talks in Qatar, as efforts continue to resolve the seven-month conflict in the Middle East.
Kyodo News is reporting that the head of the body overseeing an international nuclear test-ban treaty lauded the plummeting number of nuclear weapon explosive tests in the 30 years since its adoption in 1996 by the United Nations. It said the CTBTO chief called the decline an "amazing success."
The Independent is reporting that Japan's defense minister said it is time for "taboo-free" discussions about acquiring nuclear weapons. It said he argued the country's non-nuclear principles should be revisited given the current global security "crisis."
Reuters is reporting that Trump downplayed North Korea's nuclear weapons and described North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "a friend." It said the president spoke after he was asked about North Korea's reported nuclear weapons.
CSIS also said ICAN reported that nuclear weapons were in the spotlight at the UN General Assembly, from South Africa's call for disarmament to the Marshall Islands' demand for justice for those harmed.