Tag: nuclear

Fukushima residents react cautiously after start of treated water release from wrecked nuclear plant

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Fish auction prices at a port south of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant fell Friday amid uncertainty over how seafood consumers will respond to the release of treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the ocean.

The plant, which was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, began sending the treated water into the Pacific on Thursday amid protests at home and in nearby countries that are adding political and diplomatic pressures to the economic worries.

Hideaki Igari, a middleman at the Numanouchi fishing port, said prices of flounder, Fukushima’s signature fish known as Joban-mono, was more than 10% lower at the Friday morning auction, the first since the water release began.

The decades-long release has been strongly opposed by fishing groups and criticised by neighboring countries. China immediately banned imports of seafood from Japan in response, adding to worries in the fisheries community and related businesses.

A citizens’ radiation testing center said that it is getting inquiries and that more people may bring in food, water and other samples as radiation data is now a key barometer to decide what to eat.

Japanese fishing groups fear the release will do more harm to the reputation of seafood from the Fukushima area. They are still striving to repair the damage to their business from the meltdown at the power plant after the earthquake and tsunami.

“We now have this water after all these years of struggle when the fish market price is finally becoming stable,” Mr. Igari said after Friday’s auction. “Fisheries people fear that prices of the fish they catch for their living may crash again, and worry about their future living.”

The Japanese government and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, say the water must be released to make way for the facility’s decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks of insufficiently treated water. Much of tank-held water still contains radioactive materials exceeding releasable levels.

Some wastewater at the plant is recycled as coolant after treatment, and the rest is stored in around 1,000 tanks, which are filled to 98% of their 1.37 million-ton capacity. The tanks cover much of the complex and must be cleared out to make room for new facilities needed for the decommissioning process, officials say.

Negligible environmental impact: Authorities

Authorities say the wastewater after treatment and dilution is safer than international standards require and its environmental impact will be negligible. On Friday, the first seawater samples collected after the release were significantly below the legally releasable levels, the power company said.

But having suffered a series of accidental and intended releases of contaminated water from the plant early in the disaster, hard feelings and distrust of the government and TEPCO run deep in Fukushima, especially in the fishing community.

There are worries that the release, which TEPCO says will take 30 years or until the end of the plant decommissioning, could mean a tough future for younger people in the fishing town where many businesses are family-run.

Fukushima’s current catch already is only about one-fifth its pre-disaster level due to a decline in the number of fishermen and decreases in catch sizes.

Support for fisheries

The government has allocated 80 billion yen ($550 million) to support fisheries and seafood processing and combat potential reputation damage by sponsoring campaigns to promote Fukushima’s Joban-mono and processed seafood. TEPCO has promised to “appropriately” deal with reputational damage claims, and those hurt by China’s export ban.

Tetsu Nozaki, head of the Fukushima prefectural fisheries cooperatives, said in a statement Thursday that worries of the fishing community will continue for as long as the water is released.

“Our only wish is to continue fishing for generations in our home town, like we used to before the accident,” Mr. Nozaki said.

Fish prices largely depend on the sentiment of wholesalers and consumers in the Tokyo region, where large portions of Fukushima catch goes.

At the Friday auction at the Numanouchi port, the price for flounder was down from its usual level of about 3,500 yen ($24) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) to around 3,000 yen ($20), said Igari, the middleman.

“I suspect the result is because of the start of the treated water release from the Fukushima Daiichi and fear about its impact,” he said.

Mr. Igari said the discharge is discouraging but hopes careful testing can prove the safety of their fish. “From the consumers’ point of view about food safety at home, I think the best barometer is data,” he said.

At Mother’s Radiation Lab Fukushima in Iwaki, a citizens’ testing center known as Tarachine, tests were being conducted on water samples, including on tritium levels for seawater that the lab collected from just off the Fukushima Daiichi plant before the release.

Lab director Ai Kimura said anyone can bring in food, water or even soil, though the lab has big backlogs because testing take time.

She joined the lab after regretting she might not have fully protected her daughters because of the lack of information and knowledge earlier in the disaster. She says having independent test results is important not because of distrust of government data, but because “we learned over the past 12 years the importance of testing in order to get data” on what mothers want to know for serving safe and healthy food to their children and families.

Ms. Kimura said people have different views about safety — some are fine with government standards, others want them to be as close to zero as possible.

“It’s very difficult to make everyone feel safe. … That’s why we conduct testing so we can visualize data on food from different places and help people have more options to make a decision,” she said.

Ms. Kimura said the lab’s testing has shown Fukushima fish to be safe over the past few years and she happily eats local fish.

“It’s totally fine to eat fish that does not contain radiation,” she said.

But now the treated water release will bring new questions, she said.

Aeon, a major supermarket chain Aeon that has been testing cesium and iodine levels in fish, announced plans to also test for tritium, a radionuclide inseparable from water.

Katsumasa Okawa, a fish store and restaurant operator who was at one of his four shops Thursday, said customers were sparse after the plant started its final steps of the treated water release at 1 p.m. and media reports covered the development.

But on Friday, he said, his Yamako seafood restaurant next to Iwaki’s main train station seemed to be doing business as usual, with customers coming in and out during lunchtime.

He personally has been looking forward to the wastewater draining as a big step toward decommissioning the nuclear plant, Okawa said. “I feel more at ease thinking those tanks will finally go away.”

Mr. Okawa, who said he did voluntary testing of his products for a number of years after the disaster, is worried about returning to the days of radiation testing and data as a benchmark of what to eat.

“I think too much testing data only triggers concerns,” he said. “I’m confident about what I sell and I will just keep up the work.”

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Chernobyl anniversary: What should you do in nuclear accident?

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Few things haunt our modern nightmares as terrifyingly as nuclear disasters – and though it began a full 37 years ago today, the Chernobyl catastrophe still casts a long shadow over the debate about whether nuclear power can ever be safe.

The threat of another nuclear accident in Europe was driven home last year when Russian soldiers occupied the “exclusion zone” around the Chernobyl plant for more than five weeks, possibly suffering from radiation poisoning. 

And the world is also anxiously watching Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which has only narrowly escaped heavy bombardment by Russian forces. 

Events in Ukraine aside, different countries take different views on the future of nuclear power. Germany committed to shutting its nuclear grid down entirely after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, and completed the process this spring, but millions of Europeans today live within striking distance of at least one nuclear power plant. 

Whenever the spectre of Chernobyl is revived – whether by war or by a critically acclaimedtelevision series – people invevitably start asking themselves what will happen if something goes wrong.

Local advice in Europe

Residents near the Royal Navy base in Portsmouth, England, have received detailed advice from the local council about what to do in the event of a nuclear accident. 

They’re told that while any nuclear accident would likely be small and contained within the base — and in no way resemble a nuclear bomb explosion — people could still be exposed to radioactive particles or have contact with contaminated surfaces, food or drinking water. 

“The main way to stay safe is to stay inside with your windows and doors shut, then none of the radioactive particles can reach you,” the local council advises. 

“Close all your doors and windows to reduce the risk of contamination entering the building. Switch off fans, ventilation equipment or appliances such as central heating boilers and gas fires, which draw air from outside,” the council says. 

People are also encouraged to listen to the radio or check online for the latest news, but to try and not use mobile phones in case all the calls overload the network. 

In France, the government’s preparedness instructions for a nuclear accident note that they’re ranked on a scale from 1 to 7, with seven being equal to Chernobyl. 

There are 56 nuclear power stations in France, and in the event of an accident the government advises people to have an emergency kit prepared with copies of important papers and any medicines; along with clothes, food and water. 

People are told to take shelter indoors — with the windows closed — and take iodine tablets to counteract any radiation poisoning. 

Meanwhile in Spain, where seven nuclear power plants generate around 20% of the Iberian country’s energy, the government has produced advice in a dozen different languages in case of an emergency. 

“The best way to stay safe in any radiation emergency is to get inside, stay inside and stay tuned. Putting material between you and the radiation provides protection while you tune in for instructions from responders,” Spanish authorities advise. 

And in Sweden, with six reactors in three nuclear power plants, authorities have produced advice which tells people that “Preparedness means being prepared for the unexpected… and being able to minimise the consequences of an accident.”

The instructions say to keep a good distance from the source of the radiation, be in the contaminated area for as little time as possible, a to keep a shield between yourself and the radiation source, for example, by being indoors. 

Older nuclear plants pose more risks

Fortunately, it’s quite unlikely that Europeans will find themselves exposed to radiation after an accident at a power station — although not totally impossible.  

What made the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl so disastrous was the combination of poor design, subpar safety practices, a mismanaged test and the confusion of information after the event, and most of these factors are not present when it comes to the modern nuclear energy sector in Europe.

Still, that hasn’t stopped Europeans from trying to work out what might happen to them if a disaster were to occur somewhere on the continent.

Scientists at Geneva’s Institut Biosphère looked in detail at the damage that might result from an accident at one of Switzerland’s five nuclear plants, among them the oldest still-operating reactor in the world, Benzau I. 

According to their findings, a Swiss meltdown could potentially affect 16-24 million Europeans, depending on the weather, with thousands of radiation-related deaths beyond Switzerland’s borders.

Some countries are already worrying about the threat of nuclear spillage from their neighbours, and indeed, dealing with it. Britain’s oldest reactor, the now-decommissioned Sellafield, has been a running sore for decades: a fire in 1957 sent radioactive particles into the air to be detected in Scandinavia and Germany; waste was dumped and inadvertently discharged into the Irish Sea on more than one occasion.

Today, the incredibly intricate cleanup operation that remains underway at the site costs the British state as much as €2.25 billion a year, and carries significant risks that further radioactive waste will be released into seawater that Ireland, Iceland and northwest Europe in general will have to cope with.

When the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan was damaged by a tsunami in 2021, the Japanese authorities evacuated everyone in a 20km radius around it, meaning 109,000 people were displaced while tens of thousands more left nearby areas of their own volition.

But when British researchers William Nuttall and Philip Thomas ran an experiment to see what would be necessary if a similar disaster happened in southern England, they calculated that the evacuation would only need to involve a nearby village. 

Chernobyl’s design and the neglect of safety protocols were the reason for the massive radiation release; more modern reactors, which are built with containment vessels, do not generally pose the same level of risk.

You may not be asked — or forced — to leave anyway. As the researchers pointed out, the upheaval of long-term mass evacuation can present public health problems in itself.

“The World Health Organization documented the upheaval of the Chernobyl disaster among the relocated community and found a legacy of depression and alcoholism,” they wrote for The Conversation. “Across the population, a rise in suicide and substance abuse can shorten evacuees’ lives far more than might have been lost to radiation in their old homes. Similar evidence is starting to emerge from Fukushima, especially for male suicide.”

For now, the overall nuclear trend in Europe is unclear, but the sector is not going away. With decommissioning on hold in various places, countries such as Finland are switching on new reactors to plug the energy gap left by Russia’s energy politics – meaning their citizens will be living with reactors designed to run for a half-century or more.

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Quantum Computing Is the Future, and Schools Need to Catch Up

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The harnessed power of the subatomic world could soon upend the modern computing industry. Quantum computers are all over the news, and fundamental work on the theory that gave rise to them even won last year’s Nobel Prize.

But the one place you might not hear about them is inside a physics classroom. And if we have any hope of creating a technology-literate population and developing a workforce for this emerging field, that needs to change.

What’s a quantum computer? Unlike the computer sitting on your desk, which encodes words or numbers as collections of 1s and 0s called “bits,” quantum computers rely on quantum bits or “qubits,” which are more, well, dicey (much to Einstein’s chagrin). Unlike bits, qubits assign weights to their 1s and 0s, more like how you would tailor loaded dice, which means there is a probability associated with measuring either number. They lack a definite value, instead embodying a bit of both states until you measure them. Quantum algorithms run on these qubits, and, theoretically, perform calculations by rolling these loaded dice, causing their probabilities to interfere and increasing their odds of finding the ideal solution. The ultimate hope is that math operations such as factoring gargantuan numbers, which now would take a computer billions of years to perform, would only take a few days on a quantum computer.

This new way of computing could crack hard problems that are out of reach for classical processors, opening new frontiers everywhere from drug discovery to artificial intelligence. But rather than expose students to quantum phenomena, most physics curricula today are designed to start with the physics ABCs—riveting topics such as strings on pulleys and inclined planes—and while students certainly need to know the basics (there’s room for Newton and Maxwell alongside Schrödinger’s cat), there should to be time spent connecting what they are learning to state-of-the-art technology.

That matters because quantum computing is no longer a science experiment. Technology demonstrations from IBM (my employer), Google and other industry players prove that useful quantum computing is on the horizon. The supply of quantum workers however, remains quite small. A 2021 McKinsey report predicts major talent shortages—with the number of open jobs outnumbering the number of qualified applicants by about 3 to 1—until at least the end of the decade without fixes. That report also estimates that the quantum talent pool in the U.S. will fall far behind China and Europe. China has announced the most public funding to date of any country, more than double the investments by E.U. governments, $15.3 billion compared to $7.2 billion, and eight times more than U.S. government investments.

Thankfully, things are starting to change. Universities are exposing students sooner to once-feared quantum mechanics courses. Students are also learning through less-traditional means, like YouTube channels or online courses, and seeking out open-source communities to begin their quantum journeys. And it’s about time, as demand is skyrocketing for quantum-savvy scientists, software developers and even business majors to fill a pipeline of scientific talent. We can’t keep waiting six or more years for every one of those students to receive a Ph.D., which is the norm in the field right now.

Schools are finally responding to this need. Some universities are offering non-Ph.D. programs in quantum computing, for example. In recent years, Wisconsin and the University of California, Los Angeles, have welcomed inaugural classes of quantum information masters’ degree students into intensive year-long programs. U.C.L.A. ended up bringing in a much larger cohort than the university anticipated, demonstrating student demand. The University of Pittsburgh has taken a different approach, launching a new undergraduate major combining physics and traditional computer science, answering the need for a four-year program that prepares students for either employment or more education. In addition, Ohio recently became the first state to add quantum training to its K-12 science curricula.

And finally, professors are starting to incorporate hands-on, application-focused lessons into their quantum curricula. Universities around the world are beginning to teach courses using Qiskit, Cirq and other open-source quantum programming frameworks that let their students experiment on real quantum computers through the cloud.

Some question this initiative. I’ve heard skeptics ask, is it a good idea to train a new generation of students in a technology that is not fully realized? Or what can really be gained by trying to teach quantum physics to students so young?

These are reasonable questions but consider: Quantum is more than just a technology; it’s a field of study that undergirds chemistry, biology, engineering and more; quantum education is valuable beyond just computing. And if quantum computing does pan out—which I think it will—then we’ll be far better off if more people understand it.

Quantum technology is the future, and quantum computing education is STEM education, as Charles Tahan, the director at the National Quantum Coordination Office, once told me. Not all of these students will end up directly in the quantum industry at the end, and that’s all for the better. They might work in a related science or engineering field, such as fiber optics or cybersecurity, that would benefit from their knowledge of quantum, or in business where they can make better decisions based on their understanding of the technology.

At my job, I talk about quantum technologies to students daily. And I’ve learned that above all, they are hungry to learn. Quantum overturns our perception of reality. It draws people in and keeps them there, as the popularity of NASA and the moon landing did for astrophysics. We should lean into what captures students’ attention and shape our programs and curricula to meet these desires.

For those schools adapting to the emerging quantum era, the core message is simple: don’t underestimate your students. Some might hear the word quantum and shudder, fearing it is beyond their comprehension. But I have met high school and middle school students who grasp the concepts with ease. How can we expect young students to pursue this subject when we gate-keep it behind years of pulleys and sliding blocks? Universities should start introducing quantum information much sooner in the curriculum, and K-12 schools should not shy away from introducing some basic quantum concepts at an early age. We should not underestimate students, but rather, we should trust them to tell us what they want to learn—for their benefit and for all of science. If we drag our feet even a little, we all stand to lose the immense benefits quantum could bring to our economy, technology and future industries.

This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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Moscow creeps towards Bakhmut and other developments

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Moscow creeps towards Bakhmut amid gritty fighting

Russia claimed on Tuesday it had captured the village of Blagodatne, just north of Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine. 

Ukraine and Russia have waged a vicious battle for several weeks to control the city, which Moscow frames as key to seizing the prized Donbas region. 

In its daily briefing, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed “Blagodatne had been liberated” after an offensive by “volunteer assault units”, who were supported by planes and artillery.

Russia uses the term volunteer as a byword for paramilitary forces, such as Wagner Group, operating in Ukraine. 

Evguéni Prigojine, boss of the infamous mercenary force, claimed his men had captured the village on Saturday, though this was denied by Kyiv. 

The Russian army and Wagner have tried to take Bakhmout, a city of 70,000 inhabitants before the conflict, since summer — so far without success. 

For several weeks, Moscow’s soldiers have intensified their offensive to encircle the city, taking the town of Soledar in January. 

But the fighting has come at a heavy price, with both sides suffering heavy losses. 

Lithuania blasts Russian embassies as ‘propaganda institutions’

Lithuania’s foreign minister on Tuesday urged EU countries not to host Russian ambassadors, amid heightened diplomatic tensions between the Baltic states and Moscow.

“There is no point in having… an ambassador from Russia in a European capital,” Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters in Riga. 

“In most cases, it is no longer a diplomatic institution, it is a propaganda institution, covering up war crimes and generally promoting a genocidal agenda,” he insisted.

Lithuania expelled its Russian ambassador in April 2022, following the discovery of mass civilian graves in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

Ukraine’s western allies have described these discoveries as evidence of war crimes, though Russia denies this. 

Last week, fellow Baltic state Estonia expelled its Russian ambassador, after the Kremlin declared their Estonian ambassador persona non grata.

“We respect the principle of reciprocity in relations with Russia,” the Estonian Foreign Ministry said at the time, adding that the Russian ambassador should leave before 7 February. 

Latvia, the third Baltic state, announced soon after it was also expelling its Russian representative in solidarity with Estonia. 

US accuses Russia of violating nuclear treaty

Washington accused Russia of not respecting a nuclear disarmament agreement, known as New Start, on Tuesday. 

American diplomats criticised Moscow for having suspended nuclear inspections and cancelling talks planned under the agreement. 

But they did not accuse their Russian counterparts of building up nuclear arsenals beyond the agreed limits.

With their new majority in the House of Representatives, the US Republicans had asked the country’s top diplomat if Russia was violating the disarmament treaty.

“Russia is not respecting its obligations under the New Start to facilitate inspection activities on its territory,” said a spokesman for the State Department.

Last year, Moscow announced it was postponing a meeting scheduled for late November between Russia and the US on nuclear inspections, accusing Washington of “hostility” and “toxicity”.

Relations between the two nuclear powers are at their lowest point in recent history, sparked by the outbreak of fighting in Ukraine. 

Immediately after his election in January 2021, US President Joe Biden extended New Start until 2026.

Signed in 2010, it limits the nuclear stockpiles of the pair to a maximum of 1,550 warheads, a reduction of nearly 30% compared to past limits set in 2002. It also sets the maximum number of launchers and heavy bombers at 800.

Kyiv berates Croatian president over Crimea comments

Ukraine’s foreign ministry criticised Croatian President Zoran Milanovic on Tuesday for saying Crimea would never return to Ukrainian control, describing his comment as “unacceptable.”

Russia seized the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and Kyiv has said it will not abandon efforts to regain control of the region.

In remarks on Monday detailing his objection to Zagreb providing military aid to Kyiv, Milanovic said it was “clear that Crimea will never again be part of Ukraine”.

“We consider as unacceptable the statements of the president of Croatia, who effectively cast doubt on the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.

In the same statement, Nikolenko thanked the Croatian government and people for backing Ukraine’s since Russia’s invasion in February last year. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has openly voiced support for Ukraine.

“We highly appreciate and thank the government of Croatia and the Croatian people for their steadfast support of Ukrainians in the fight against Russian aggression,” Nikolenko wrote.

Ukraine pushes for Western fighter jets

Kyiv won support from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to obtain Western fighter jets on Tuesday, though there are no signs larger nations like the US and UK  will change their stance and provide Ukraine with warplanes. 

“Ukraine needs fighter jets … missiles, tanks. We need to act,” Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in the Latvian capital of Riga at a news conference with his Baltic and Polish colleagues. 

These countries, which lie on NATO’s eastern flank, feel particularly threatened by Russia and have advocated strongly for providing military aid.

Several Western leaders have expressed concern that providing warplanes could escalate the nearly year-long conflict and draw them deeper into the war.

Such fighter jets could offer Ukraine a major boost, but countering Russia’s massive air force would still be a major challenge.

Kyiv officials have repeatedly urged allies to send jets, saying they are essential to challenge Russia’s air superiority and to ensure the success of future counteroffensives spearheaded by the Western battle tanks.

Asked on Tuesday about the supplies of Western weapons to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeated the Kremlin’s view that “NATO long has been directly involved in a hybrid war against Russia.”

The Russian military will “take all the necessary measures to derail the fulfilment of Western plans,” he added. 

Both Ukraine and Russia are believed to be building up their arsenals for an expected offensive in the coming months. The war has been largely deadlocked on the battlefield during the winter.

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Iran has enough uranium to build ‘several’ atom bombs, UN warns

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Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to build “several” nuclear weapons if it chooses, the United Nations’ top nuclear official is now warning. 

But diplomatic efforts aimed at again limiting its atomic program seem more unlikely than ever before as Tehran arms Russia in its war on Ukraine and as unrest shakes the Islamic Republic.

The warning from Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in response to questions from European lawmakers this week, shows just how high the stakes have become over Iran’s nuclear programme. 

Even at the height of previous tensions between the West and Iran under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran never enriched uranium as high as it does now.

For months, nonproliferation experts have suggested Iran had enough uranium, enriched up to 60 per cent, to build at least one nuclear weapon – though Tehran has long insisted its program is for peaceful purposes. 

While offering a caveat on Tuesday that “we need to be extremely careful” in describing Iran’s program, Grossi bluntly acknowledged just how large Tehran’s high-enriched uranium stockpile had grown.

“One thing is true: They have amassed enough nuclear material for several nuclear weapons, not one at this point,” Grossi said.

The Argentine diplomat then referred to Benjamin Netanyahu’s famous 2012 speech to the UN, in which the Israeli prime minister held up a placard of a cartoon-style bomb with a burning wick and drew a red line on it to urge the world to not allow Tehran’s program to highly enrich uranium. 

While the 2015 nuclear deal drastically reduced Iran’s uranium stockpile and capped its enrichment to 3.67 per cent, Netanyahu successfully lobbied then-President Donald Trump to withdraw from the accord and set up the current tensions.

“You remember there was to be this issue of the breakthrough and Mr Netanyahu drawing things at the UN and putting lines — well, that is long past. They have 70 kilograms of uranium enriched at 60%. The amount is there,” Grossi said. 

“That doesn’t mean they have a nuclear weapon. So they haven’t proliferated yet.”

But the danger remains. Analysts point to what happened with North Korea, which had reached a 1994 deal with the US to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. The deal fell apart in 2002. 

By 2005, wary of US intentions after its invasion of Iraq, Pyongyang announced it had built nuclear weapons. Today, North Korea has ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads that are capable of reaching the US.

Iran’s mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday and authorities in Tehran did not directly acknowledge them. However, Iranian state television quoted Mohammad Eslami, the head of the country’s civilian nuclear program, on Thursday as saying Tehran would welcome a visit by Grossi to the country.

Iranian diplomats for years have pointed to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s preachings as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran wouldn’t seek an atomic bomb. 

However, in recent months, Iranian officials have begun openly talking about the prospect of building nuclear weapons.

Talks between Iran and the West ended in August with a “final text” of a roadmap on restoring the 2015 deal that Iran until today hasn’t accepted. 

As Iran’s currency plunges further to historic lows against the dollar, Iranian officials including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian have been making unsupported claims about American officials agreeing to their demands or frozen money abroad being released.

At the State Department, the denials about Iran’s claims have grown more and more pointed.

“We’ve heard a number of statements from the Iranian foreign minister that are dubious if not outright lies, so I would just keep that broader context in mind when you point to statements from the Iranian foreign minister,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday in a response to a question.

Price and others in President Joe Biden’s administration say any future talks with Iran remain off the table as Tehran cracks down on the months-long protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained in September by the country’s morality police. 

At least 527 people have been killed and over 19,500 arrested amid the unrest, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group monitoring the protests.

Another part of the US’ exasperation – and increasingly, Europe’s too – comes from Iran arming Russia with the bomb-carrying drones that have repeatedly targeted power plants and civilian targets across Ukraine.

It remains unclear what Tehran, which has a strained history with Moscow, expects to get for supplying Russia with arms. One Iranian lawmaker has suggested the Islamic Republic could get Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets to replace its aging fleeting comprised primarily of pre-1979 American warplanes, though such a deal hasn’t been confirmed.

Such fighter jets would provide a key air defence for Iran, particularly as its nuclear sites could increasingly be eyed. Israel, which has carried out strikes to halt nuclear programs in Iraq and Syria, has warned it will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear bomb.

The US and Israel also launched their largest-ever joint air, land and sea exercise this week with over 140 warplanes, an aircraft carrier group and nearly 8,000 troops called Juniper Oak.

The Pentagon described the drill as “not meant to be oriented around any single adversary or threat.” However, it comes amid the heightened tensions with Iran and includes aerial refueling, targeting and suppressing enemy air defenses – capabilities that would be crucial in conducting airstrikes.

For now, Grossi said there was “almost no diplomatic activity” over trying to restore the Iran nuclear deal, an agreement he now describes as “an empty shell.” 

But he still urged more diplomacy as Tehran still would need to design and test any possible nuclear weapon.

“We shouldn’t give up,” he said.

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