Beat Flach (@beatflach.bsky.social)

Is a nuclear arms race inevitable? | The Economist Insider Donald Trump’s central war aim in Iran is to stop the country’s nuclear-weapons programme. If anything, the conflict may have aggravated the nuclear threat. The fragile ceasefire agreed on last week did not mention Iran’s nuclear stockpile. Though American and Israeli bombing damaged Iran’s infrastructure, over 400kg of highly enriched uranium is still buried at nuclear sites. The Iranian regime, weakened and angry, may now have a greater incentive to go for a bomb to deter future attacks. This could spur Iran’s neighbours to join the race. Elsewhere, America’s allies are concerned its nuclear umbrella may no longer be a reliable security guarantee and are openly talking about getting their own bomb. And more leaders seem willing to rattle the nuclear sabre. Is the world standing on the edge of a nuclear precipice? Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, sits down with David Rennie, The Economist’s geopolitics editor, to discuss the latest on the Iran war, why the nuclear taboo is weakening and how he plans to counter nuclear proliferation. https://econ.st/4cOnDHs