Nuclear Community News:
Remembering the Life and Legacy of the Stimson Center’s Brian Finlay
On June 3, 2026, the Henry L. Stimson Center announced the untimely passing of its President and CEO Brian Finlay. A former diplomat of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finlay spent over 20 years of his career at the Stimson Center and served as its leader since October of 2015. His legacy and impact in the fields of foreign policy and national security, including his relationships with members of the Oppenheimer Project, are unquantifiable, but his memory is carried forward by those who knew him for the charisma, intellectual curiosity, integrity, and passion that he embodied. His absence will be felt deeply. The Oppenheimer Project team extends our condolences to Finlay’s family and his friends and colleagues at the Stimson Center.
New From Us:
The US-China Deal The World Actually Needs
On May 18, 2026, Oppenheimer Project Founder and Co-Executive Director Charles Oppenheimer published an essay in The Straits Times arguing for the United States and China to negotiate an agreement to end the US-Iran conflict. He proposes for the two sides to jointly fund an IAEA-led program for downblending Iran’s stockpile of higher-enriched uranium into reactor fuel for its civilian nuclear power program.
Global Coalition for Nuclear Philanthropy Announcement
On May 19, 2026, the Rockefeller Foundation and Temasek Trust announced the Global Coalition for Nuclear Philanthropy at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2026. Other coalition members include Blue Horizons Foundation, CleanEcon, Founders Pledge, Ray Rothrock, and the Rodel Foundation. The GCNP has committed to furthering philanthropic support for nuclear energy. Oppenheimer Project, which has co-developed the Coalition from concept to launch, will serve as Strategic Partner.
Weekly Highlights:
Trump Pushing Iran to Make Firmer Nuclear Commitments in Initial Deal
Reports suggest that US President Donald Trump is demanding Iranian leaders put specific nuclear concessions down in writing as part of a preliminary agreement for the cessation of hostilities between the two countries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee “They have to commit to very specific negotiations on … the dispossession of the highly enriched uranium that still is buried deep in a mountain somewhere.” He continued, “They have to agree on negotiating severe and long-term limitations and/or cancellation of enrichment activity in their country.”
Francesca Giovannini: Rethinking Nuclear Transparency
In a new essay for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Dr. Francesca Giovannini, Executive Director of the Project on Managing the Atom at the Harvard Kennedy School, and advisor for the Oppenheimer Project, proposed an innovative model for European states to engage China in transparency-building measures to reduce global nuclear risks in the 21st century. This essay is one of a pair of essays published by the Bulletin which are meant to be read together – the other can be found here.
Japan Aims to Replace 14 Ageing Nuclear Reactors by 2050s
During a meeting on nuclear policy, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry outlined a proposal to rebuild between two and five ageing nuclear reactors by the 2040s and as many as 11 to 14 by the 2050s. The reconstitution initiative would be part of broader Japanese efforts to secure stable domestic power supply. It is the first official numerical target for reactor replacement released since the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Italian Bill on Nuclear Energy Progressing Through Parliament
Italy’s lower house of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, has approved a bill presented by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government intended to pave the way for the country’s return to the use of nuclear power to meet domestic energy demands. Italy has not operated a nuclear power plant since it closed its last two operating plants in 1990.