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Express Tribune
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Iran proposes partnership with UAE, KSA to enrich uranium
Iran has floated the idea of a consortium of Middle Eastern countries — including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – to enrich uranium, in a effort to overcome US objections to its continued enrichment programme, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. The proposal is seen as a way of locking Gulf states into supporting Iran's position that it should be allowed to retain enrichment capabilities. Tehran views the proposal as a concession, since it would be giving neighbouring states access to its technological knowledge and making them stakeholders in the process. It is not clear if Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, made the proposal in relatively brief three-hour talks with the US in Oman on Sunday, the fourth set of such talks, but the proposal is reportedly circulating in Tehran. After the talks, Araghchi flew to Dubai where he spoke to the UAE's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE currently does not enrich uranium for its own nuclear programme. The consortium would be based on Iranian facilities with enrichment returned to the 3.67% levels set out in the original 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers, which Donald Trump unilaterally ended in 2018. The US has demanded that Iran ends enrichment and dismantles all its nuclear facilities. But amid divisions in Washington, Trump has not made a final decision on the issue and praised Iran's seriousness in the talks. The consortium idea was first proposed by former Iranian nuclear negotiator Seyed Hossein Mousavian and Princeton physicist Frank von Hippel long before the current Tehran-Washington talks, in a widely read October 2023 article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
India Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Inside Kirana hills: The site India denies striking
Multiple claims circulating on social media allege that Indian forces struck a nuclear arms storage facility in Pakistan's Sargodha during 'Operation Sindoor'. While the Mushaf airbase in Sargodha was confirmed as one of India's missile targets, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, speaking at a press briefing on Monday, denied reports of any strike on the nearby nuclear facility at Kirana Hills.'We have not hit Kirana Hills; I did not mention it in my briefing yesterday,' said Air Marshal two sites are barely seven kilometres apart. Social media videos show dense plumes of smoke rising from the base of the rugged Kirana Hills. The absence of high-resolution satellite imagery makes it challenging to confirm whether nuclear assets, if any, at Kirana Hills were struck. Geolocation by India Today's Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team places the smoke near the hills, based on footage posted on the day of the strikes. Notably, Air Marshal Bharti also denied information regarding the existence of nuclear assets at Kirana Hills. A viral video on social media features a man claiming that the Indian military launched missile strikes on Kirana Hills. advertisement A 2023 report by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, an independent non-profit, identified Kirana Hills and nearby areas as a 'subcritical nuclear test site.' The report, part of the Nuclear Notebook authored by scientists from the Federation of American Scientists, noted that the site likely includes munitions storage areas, TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher) garages, and at least 10 underground storage of the social media footage suggests the smoke's source is less than a kilometre from the missile transport vehicle storage cited in the report. The impact site is also approximately 550 metres from a radar installation atop the hills. The distinctive hill formations in the analysed video closely match the terrain on Google Earth, with a nearby mosque visible in the footage further corroborating the location when compared to high-resolution satellite imagery. The Sargodha Garrison, a large complex in and around Kirana Hills, is a nuclear test site reportedly used by Pakistan to advance its nuclear programme between 1983 and 1990. Directly northwest of a likely conventional munitions storage area, there are 10 potential TEL garages and two additional garages of different sizes, possibly for researcher Matt Korda noted in the report that, unlike other TEL facilities across Pakistan, this TEL area lacks a standard layout and perimeter, possibly due to the garrison's the east of the conventional munitions site lies an underground storage facility built into the hillside. Hans M. Kristensen and his team reported that 'at least 10 underground facility entrances are visible through commercial satellite imagery, along with potential facilities for weapon and missile handling.'Post-strike satellite imagery of the Kirana Hills complex was unavailable for further SITESApart from Sargodha, Pakistan's air bases housing Mirage III and Mirage V fighter jets—believed to have a nuclear delivery role—include Masroor and Rafiqui near Shorkot. While there is no official confirmation regarding Masroor, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army confirmed a strike on the Rafiqui airbase. A low-resolution satellite image of the base shows what appears to be a imagery and official sources confirm damage to the runway at the Mushaf airbase following the strike on May 10. Located around 10 km from Lahore, the base is home to F-16A/B fighter jets, which have a 1,600 km range and are likely equipped to carry a single nuclear bomb on the centreline pylon, according to the report. However, Pakistan is obligated to the United States not to modify these aircraft for nuclear weapon delivery. The newer F-16C/D aircraft are stationed at Shahbaz Airbase near Jacobabad, which has expanded significantly since 2004, including the addition of numerous weapons bunkers. High-resolution satellite imagery reveals a precision strike on a hangar on the main apron, with possible secondary damage to the air traffic control (ATC) Watch
Irish Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
India Pakistan war would kill 125 million - with global starvation to follow
Experts are sounding the alarm that over 100 million people could perish if India and Pakistan were to start a catastrophic nuclear war. A study published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has revealed that millions would die "immediately" if the ongoing tensions between the two nations escalated to nuclear conflict, with the potential release of massive dust clouds into the atmosphere possibly causing global famines affecting "billions". This stark warning comes in the wake of India's missile and drone strikes on Pakistan early Wednesday, which resulted in at least 26 fatalities. Pakistan has branded these strikes as an "act of war" and asserts it downed several Indian jets in response. The situation has intensified following an attack on tourists in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, which India attributes to terrorist groups operating from Pakistan. With both countries possessing nearly 400 nuclear weapons collectively, scientists caution that the consequences of their use would have repercussions well beyond South Asia, reports the Mirror. India fires missiles at Pakistan and disputed Kashmir region as WW3 fears grow. Local residents examine a building damaged from a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, in Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Image: AP) Research conducted in 2019 by the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University in the US concluded that, aside from the immediate deaths of approximately 125 million people due to the initial nuclear explosions, subsequent colossal fires could inject between 16 million and 36 million tons of soot into the upper atmosphere. This soot would then encircle the globe within weeks. This thick soot would cut the sunlight reaching Earth's surface by 20% to 35%, causing chilling temperatures down to two to five degrees. A drop in sunlight and falling precipitation levels could set off a domino effect on agriculture, possibly leading to widespread famines affecting billions. Security forces patrol the street near Wuyan area of Pampore in south Kashmir where reportedly an unknown fighter jet fell from the sky as India carried out strikes in Pakistan on May 7, 2025. (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images) Nuclear fallout would scatter radioactive toxins far and wide. Scientists say the smoky skies might take up to ten years to clear. Speaking at the time, co-author of the study, Alan Robock, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University, remarked: "Nine countries have nuclear weapons, but Pakistan and India are the only ones rapidly increasing their arsenals." Amid continued tensions, particularly over Kashmir, understanding the repercussions of a nuclear conflict is crucial, he said: "Such a war would threaten not only the locations where bombs might be targeted but the entire world." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Scottish Sun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
How India & Pakistan could spark nuclear war killing 125million as warring neighbours urged to step back from armageddon
INDIA and Pakistan are being urged to step back from armageddon as a nuclear war between the two rivals could kill 125million people. The fighting neighbours traded rocket and artillery attacks in an overnight blitz leaving dozens dead and fears of all-out conflict. 9 The Pakistani military's medium range ballistic missile Hatf V (Ghauri) taking off during a test fire in 2010 9 Indian soldiers stand on the border with Pakistan 9 Footage emerged of Indian rockets fired at Pakistan 9 Pakistan's leader labelled the strikes an "act of war" and his country claimed to have shot down Indian fighter jets. Now, fears are abound that fighting could escalate to the use of nuclear weapons and kill tens of millions. Peace campaigners like the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons are "gravely concerned" and have called for the two sides to step back from the brink. India and Pakistan only have small stockpiles of nuclear weapons compared to Russia or America - but they have a viscous rivalry and longstanding feud over Kashmir. New Delhi is estimated to have 180 nuclear warheads and can deliver them through land, sea, or air. Islamabad was last officially thought to have 170 weapons but could have grown that arsenal to around 200. Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British Army commander, said the West will be particularly nervous about a nuclear conflict. Ingram said: "Western intelligence in particular will be focused on the readiness and the outloading of nuclear stocks inside both Pakistan and India and monitoring what's happening to them very closely indeed. "The worrying thing about these two nations is that the tensions are very real. "The nuclear weapons are not there to protect them against attack from China or Russia or anyone else. India 'launches airstrikes on Pakistan' in escalation between countries "It's focused purely on each other." Ingram said escalation to using nuclear weapons could happen rapidly and powers like the US would step in to try and prevent their use. He said: "The US Secretary of State, flying into India and Pakistan, would carry out shuttle diplomacy between the two." But that might not be enough to overcome the animosity between the two enemies and their desire to escalate the conflict. One key rung on the escalation ladder would be troops crossing the border in a wider invasion, causing BILLIONS COULD DIE A 2019 academic article predicted how a nuclear war could start between the two countries featuring chilling echoes of what is happening today on the subcontinent. Following a terror attack in 2025, the authors predict in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that skirmishes would at first erupt before the Indian Army decided to invade Pakistan. Pakistani generals then panic and decide the only way they could repulse an attack is with nuclear weapons. 9 Pakistani Army soldiers and people attend the funeral of the victims of the Indian missile strike in Muridke, Punjab province Credit: EPA 9 Members of the Pakistan Central Muslim League take part in an anti-India demonstration in Peshawar Credit: AFP 9 At first Pakistan nukes its own territory to wipe out the invading Indian tanks and soldiers. Sensing a knockout blow, New Delhi decides to launch nukes on Pakistani airfields, army bases, and nuclear weapons depots. Pakistan responds by nuking Indian naval bases and army garrisons - some in cities - and uses its entire arsenal. India then fires some 70 nukes on Pakistan, leaving 100 bombs in its arsenal to continue to deter China. The authors predict up to 125million people would die in the horrifying nuclear exchanges. But the environmental impacts of some 250 nuclear bombs exploding could kill many more, by creating a global famine. Billions could be killed as temperatures drop several degrees around the world and a global food shortage hits. WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE Most experts, including Ingram, think India and Pakistan will choose to deescalate the conflict. Ingram said: "I think this is something that will blow over relatively quickly, because I think both nations recognize the implications of what's going on, but that doesn't mean that the tension is going to simmer down. "We might see more skirmishes in coming days and weeks." Tensions have been simmering for decades and the two countries have been at war at least three times before. 9 The attacks came amid soaring tensions between the two countries 9 Pakistanis gather around the debris of an Indian jet Credit: Alamy In 2019, India conducted airstrikes on Pakistan after border skirmishes erupted out of Kashmir tensions - but the sides deescalated after that. India's Ministry of Defence said the strikes against the camps were in retaliation to a "barbaric" mass shooting in Kashmir last month, when 26 people were killed by gunmen. A spokesperson said: "These military strikes were designed to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families." In an article for the Atlantic Council, Alex Plitsas assessed strikes so far seemed calculated to allow the other side to save face. Plitsas said: "By publicly framing the strikes as counterterrorism-focused and avoiding sovereign Pakistani targets, New Delhi sought to limit retaliatory pressure on Islamabad." Pakistan has, meanwhile, kept its rhetoric cautious and vowed it has the The US, China, Britain, and UN have all called for peace. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X: "I echo @POTUS's comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution." CONFLICT COULD HELP CHINA Ingram said the conflict risks pushing Pakistan into the arms of the "Axis of Evil" - the alliance between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Ingram said: "It wouldn't surprise me if we're seeing Pakistan supplying some capability to Russia." Ingram said China could use the conflict as a way of testing its weapons on the battlefield to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan. He said: "China could stimulate a refocus of Western attention, you know, back to Pakistan, India, possibly North and South Korea, while China is focusing on Taiwan. "China would love to do that. It's within their playbook. It's the sort of tactics they'd use." Pakistan would likely not start sending weapons to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine as it needs to stockpile ammunition and guns for its own battles. Ingram said: "But I think we'll see closer relations building up, and they could come into this grouping that we are loosely referring to as the axis of evil. "And it's worrying that continues to grow."
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
India Pakistan war 'would spark Armageddon with 125m deaths and global starvation'
Hundreds of millions could die 'immediately' and billions more would be hit by knock-on effects on Earth's atmosphere if nuclear war broke out between India and Pakistan, scientists said More than 100 million people could die if India and Pakistan began a devastating nuclear war, experts have warned. An academic journal published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists found tens of millions of people would perish "immediately" should tensions between the two countries result in nuclear weapons being used - while huge plumes of dust released into the Earth's atmosphere could trigger famines that would affect "billions" around the world. It comes after India launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones into Pakistan early on Wednesday, killing at least 26 people. Pakistan described the strikes as an "act of war", and claimed it shot down several Indian fighter jets in retaliation. Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbours over a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, which India says was carried out by terror groups based in Pakistan. Pakistan and India are estimated to have just under 400 nuclear weapons between them - and scientists say the impacts of them ever being used would stretch far beyond South Asia. In 2019, researchers from Department of Environmental Sciences at the US Rutgers University found that, after killing around 125million in the initial nuclear blasts, the huge fires could pump around 16million to 36million tons of soot into the upper atmosphere, which would spread around the world within only a few weeks. This thick soot would reduce the amount of sunlight reaching Earth's surface by around 20% to 35%, causing the Earth to cool to two to five degrees. A lack of sunlight and a reduction in the amount of precipitation would also have wider knock-on effects in terms of agriculture, potentially causing mass famines that would impact billions of people. Nuclear fallout would also spread radioactive poisoning across a wide area. The amount of smoke in Earth's atmosphere means it would take as long as a decade for things to return to normal, the scientists warned. Alan Robock, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University who co-authored the study, said at the time: 'Nine countries have nuclear weapons, but Pakistan and India are the only ones rapidly increasing their arsenals. 'Because of the continuing unrest between these two nuclear-armed countries, particularly over Kashmir, it is important to understand the consequences of a nuclear war.' He added: 'Such a war would threaten not only the locations where bombs might be targeted but the entire world.'
