nuclear

Jan. 9 (Asia Today) — South Korea on Thursday formally launched an intergovernmental consultative body to coordinate nuclear cooperation talks with the United States, including discussions tied to uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful commercial purposes, the Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry said the first inter-ministerial meeting was held Thursday under Lim Gap-soo, the government’s representative for South Korea-U.S. nuclear cooperation. The new task force will serve as the government’s main platform for preparing consultations and related negotiations with Washington to secure capabilities related to enrichment and reprocessing, the ministry said.

Eight institutions are participating: the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and Control and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. The National Security Office at the presidential office will act as the control tower, the ministry said.

“At this meeting of relevant ministries, we reviewed the roles and cooperation systems of each ministry regarding key issues and tasks related to enrichment and reprocessing, and exchanged views on the direction and plan for responding to consultations with the U.S.,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said it plans to hold periodic director-level meetings and working-level consultations to review key plans step by step and to pursue a whole-of-government approach aimed at shaping domestic and international conditions for securing enrichment and reprocessing capabilities for peaceful and commercial purposes.

Separately, the Foreign Ministry said it formed its own internal task force Monday to support Lim’s work, with three working-level officials assigned.

A ministry official said there could be multiple routes for cooperation, including revising the existing bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, making limited amendments or reaching another arrangement. The official said communication with the United States is ongoing and consultations will begin once both sides are ready.

South Korea and the United States previously discussed security cooperation measures on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju in October, including nuclear-powered submarines, enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing and defense spending, and released a joint fact sheet in November outlining the measures, the ministry said.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

South Korean President Lee ‍Jae Myung proposes a halt to Pyongyang’s nuclear programme in exchange for ‘compensation’.

South Korean President Lee ‍Jae Myung has said he has asked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to play a mediation role as his government seeks to improve relations with the North and restart talks over its nuclear programme.

Speaking in Shanghai on Wednesday, at the end of a four-day state visit to China, Lee proposed a freeze in Pyongyang’s nuclear programme in exchange for “compensation or some form of return”.

Recommended Stories

list of 4 itemsend of list

“Just stopping at the current level – no additional production of nuclear weapons, no transfer of nuclear materials abroad, and no further development of ICBMs – would already be a gain,” Lee told journalists following meetings with top Chinese officials, including his second meeting with Xi in two months.

“If that stage is achieved, then in the medium term we can move toward gradual reduction,” Lee added. “In the long term, we must not give up the goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.”

Lee was speaking to reporters on the final day of his trip, which was the first state visit by a South Korean leader to China in six years.

The visit aimed to reset relations between the countries following a rocky period in recent years due to a dispute over the deployment in South Korea of a United States missile defence system in ⁠2017.

Lee told reporters that much progress had been made in restoring trust and that he had told Xi he would “like China to play a mediating role on issues related to the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s nuclear programme”.

“All our channels are completely blocked,” Lee said. “We hope China can serve as … a mediator for peace.”

Xi had urged Seoul to show “patience” in its dealings with Pyongyang, given how fraught ties between the two Koreas have become, Lee added.

“And they’re right. For quite a long period, we carried out military actions that North Korea would have perceived as threatening,” Lee said.

South Korea’s ousted former President Yoon Suk-yeol has been indicted for allegedly trying to provoke military aggression from North Korea in a bid to help him consolidate power.

On Monday, Pyongyang confirmed it had carried out test flights of hypersonic missiles, with leader Kim Jong Un saying it was important to “expand the … nuclear deterrent” in light of “the recent geopolitical crisis” – an apparent reference to Washington’s attacks on Venezuela and its abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Jan. 5 (Asia Today) — The U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could reinforce North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s belief that nuclear weapons are essential for regime survival and make denuclearization talks harder, a South Korean scholar said.

Im Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the U.S. strike and Maduro’s detention would send Pyongyang two messages: an “existential threat” and a perceived justification for clinging to nuclear arms, according to the analysis.

U.S. officials said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into custody in a covert operation and transported to the United States to face criminal charges.

Im said North Korea has long cited the fates of leaders such as Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gadhafi in Libya as warnings tied to its own survival calculus and that the Maduro case would likely deepen distrust of denuclearization negotiations inside North Korea.

He said seeing Washington’s precision strike capabilities could further fuel Pyongyang’s argument that only nuclear weapons can deter U.S. military power, adding that North Korea may accelerate steps such as expanding tactical nuclear deployment, improving second-strike capability and tightening internal control through fear-based politics.

North Korea, which has maintained ties with Venezuela since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974, condemned the U.S. strikes on Sunday as an infringement on sovereignty, according to state media.

Im also said North Korea’s ballistic missile launches Saturday could carry a message aimed at the United States, as the regime continues to emphasize self-reliance in defense amid regional and global tensions.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Dec. 29 (Asia Today) — Former People Power Party lawmaker Thae Yong-ho said Monday that North Korea is likely to build a nuclear-powered submarine before South Korea, citing Pyongyang’s ability to bypass lengthy legislative and administrative processes.

Thae made the remarks during an appearance on Asia Today TV’s political talk show Shin Yul’s Political Check. He was commenting on North Korea’s stated goal of developing a nuclear-powered strategic submarine as part of its five major defense modernization tasks.

“North Korea’s objective is to create a nuclear threat that the United States would perceive as credible,” Thae said. He added, however, that Washington still does not view Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities as an immediate existential threat.

He said a land-based nuclear missile launched from North Korea would take about an hour to reach the United States and could be intercepted or neutralized through a preemptive strike. “That’s why North Korea is trying to develop a method to hide in the depths of the ocean and launch closer to U.S. shores,” he said, adding that Pyongyang ultimately seeks recognition as a nuclear-armed state.

“North Korea lies a lot and engages in bluster,” Thae said. “But when you look back, they usually end up building what they say they will. The quality may not be sophisticated, but they get it done. A nuclear submarine is just a matter of time.”

Asked whether South Korea or North Korea would succeed first, Thae said he believed the North would do so earlier. He noted that while South Korea has much of the necessary technology, building a nuclear-powered submarine would require years of preparation, legislative approval and negotiations, particularly with the United States.

“Even if it were built at a U.S. shipyard, the infrastructure alone could take five years to prepare,” he said. He added that fuel transfer issues and U.S. legislative approval would also pose major hurdles. “We are a democracy, so procedures take time. North Korea can simply cobble something together with Russia, but we cannot.”

Thae also said North Korea has not yet completed its submarine-launched ballistic missile technology. He noted that while the North has displayed launches from barges, it has not conducted a confirmed underwater launch since unveiling a nuclear attack submarine in September 2023.

“If they had mastered the technology, they would have demonstrated it by now,” he said, adding that firing missiles underwater while maintaining submarine stability is highly complex.

Thae also predicted that North Korea’s internal power structure could move into what he described as an “era of Ri Sol-ju,” referring to Kim Jong-un’s wife. He said Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae’s public appearances appear symbolic rather than indicative of an imminent female successor.

Turning to South Korea’s decision to allow limited public access to Rodong Sinmun, Thae downplayed concerns about social impact. He said the newspaper is only available in restricted settings such as libraries and is not widely read even inside North Korea.

“In North Korea, officials are forced to read it during designated morning sessions,” he said. “Who would read it here, and how many people would bother? There won’t be major social repercussions.”

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Dec. 25 (Asia Today) — North Korea released images of Kim Jong-un inspecting what it called a nuclear-powered submarine construction project, a move analysts said was aimed at casting South Korea’s debate over nuclear-powered submarines as a security threat while justifying Pyongyang’s own push to strengthen its strategic nuclear forces.

The Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday that Kim described South Korea’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines as a threat that must be countered and offered remarks defending North Korea’s development of nuclear-powered submarines. Analysts said the message used Seoul’s discussion as a pretext to portray North Korea’s strategic weapons buildup as inevitable.

North Korea has previously unveiled undersea capabilities, including what it called a Sinpo C-class ballistic missile submarine, the “Kim Gun Ok Hero Submarine,” which it claimed was its first “tactical nuclear attack submarine” when it was introduced in September 2024, according to state media.

South Korean maritime defense experts, including Hanyang University professor Moon Geun-sik, said the latest disclosure appears intended to showcase parallel development of what North Korea described as an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine – believed by analysts to be a ballistic missile submarine – along with an underwater unmanned system, believed to be an underwater drone.

KCNA said Kim called for a “qualitative leap” in maritime nuclear forces and described nuclear-powered submarines as a core pillar of North Korea’s nuclear deterrent.

Experts said North Korea’s claims about a “threat” from South Korea diverge from how Seoul has described its own debate. Moon and Jeong Seong-jang, deputy director at the Sejong Institute, said South Korea’s discussion has not been framed around nuclear armament or preemptive strikes. They said it has been presented as a defensive option to support longer submerged operations and covert tracking to counter North Korea’s nuclear and submarine-launched ballistic missile threats.

North Korea experts also say Pyongyang has pursued sea-based missile capabilities in recent years, including efforts they describe as adapting the KN-23 short-range ballistic missile into a sea-based short-range submarine-launched ballistic missile and conducting an underwater test launch from a new 3,000-ton diesel-electric submarine.

Analysts said Kim’s remarks amount to political framing meant to discredit South Korea’s nuclear submarine discussion while rationalizing North Korea’s strategic weapons development. They said North Korea has steadily unveiled intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and tactical nuclear weapons and is now presenting nuclear-powered submarines as a further step in that progression, with an eye toward both internal cohesion and external pressure.

Attention has also focused on the suspected construction site. Experts reviewing the newly released video and images alongside past satellite analysis pointed to shipyard facilities in the Sinpo area of South Hamgyong Province as the most likely location.

Sinpo is widely viewed by analysts as North Korea’s primary hub for submarine and submarine-launched ballistic missile activity, with infrastructure and specialized personnel linked to construction and testing, including launch test facilities and underwater launch barges.

Some experts urged caution about North Korea’s technical capacity to field and operate an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine, noting it would require reliable reactor miniaturization and shielding, radiation safety and a fuel cycle and maintenance system that can support long-term operations. Jeong and other analysts said it remains unclear whether North Korea has achieved those capabilities on a stable basis.

Still, analysts said the strategic impact can be felt regardless of the project’s maturity. Once North Korea publicly declares a nuclear-powered submarine program, they said, it reduces ambiguity and can heighten instability in the maritime environment around the Korean Peninsula.

Experts said Seoul should avoid being drawn into North Korea’s rhetorical framing while recognizing that sea-based nuclear and missile threats are becoming more entrenched. They said South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine discussion should be refined as a defensive option within international norms and alliance cooperation and paired with broader maritime deterrence steps, including underwater surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and unmanned systems.

KCNA also reported Thursday that Kim reviewed the progress of what it described as newly developed underwater weapons and outlined plans tied to naval force reorganization and the creation of new units.

Analysts said that while Kim’s statement about South Korea’s nuclear submarine push was directed at Seoul, the broader objective was to justify North Korea’s own strategic weapons advancement. They said South Korea should separate principle from reality in its response and focus on capability building and international legitimacy rather than mirror rhetoric.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

This image, released on September 8, 2023, by the North Korean Official News Service (KCNA), shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the launch of the country’s first tactical nuclear attack submarine at Sinpho shipyard. According to state media, the tactical nuclear attack submarine, No. 841, the first of its kind, was transferred to the East Sea Fleet of the KPA Navy and named the “Hero Kim Kun Ok.” File Photo by KCNA/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 25 (Asia Today) — North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun on Thursday showcased what it described as the construction site of an 8,700-ton “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” calling it a “revolutionary change” in the country’s war deterrence capability.

Photos of the vessel suggest the exterior is close to completion and may already include a small reactor, which would be required for operations, analysts said. The conning tower also appeared to show what could be launch tubes for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs, similar in concept to North Korea’s existing 3,000-ton Kim Gun Ok submarine, the report said.

North Korea has pursued nuclear submarine development as a key defense goal since the ruling party’s 2021 congress, when it set out what it called five major tasks for strengthening national defense capabilities, Rodong Sinmun reported.

During the site visit, Kim Jong-un said North Korea had built a “nuclear shield” to safeguard national security and had secured the ability to expand it as much as necessary, according to the newspaper. He said the country would continue pursuing naval nuclear armament on both strategic and tactical levels.

Kim also said there would be no change in North Korea’s security policy and warned that if an adversary threatens what he called the country’s strategic sovereignty and security, it would “pay the price,” the report said.

The disclosure drew attention to whether North Korea can actually operate a nuclear-powered submarine of that size. The report noted questions about whether North Korea has mastered small reactor technology and large submarine construction even as it maintains uranium enrichment capabilities. It said some assessments link the possibility of technological support to North Korea’s closer ties with Russia since the Russia-Ukraine war, including speculation that North Korea could have acquired relevant technology from Russia.

The public rollout also comes as South Korea’s own debate over nuclear-powered submarines has gained momentum, and some analysts viewed North Korea’s disclosure as a show of force aimed at Seoul, the report said.

Cho Han-beom, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the visible SLBM tubes on the conning tower indicate North Korea’s technology remains limited and suggested the disclosure may have been rushed in response to South Korea’s discussion. Yoo Yong-won, a People Power Party lawmaker, said the altered conning tower appears designed to accommodate as many as 10 SLBMs and resembles the Kim Gun Ok submarine, which he said has drawn criticism for its unusual shape.

Rodong Sinmun also reported on a congratulatory message that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent to Kim on Dec. 18, saying Putin praised North Korean troops’ “heroic participation” and highlighted expanded ties across politics, trade and the economy and other areas.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Dec. 22 (Asia Today) — China has voiced strong opposition to potential cooperation between South Korea and the United States on nuclear-powered submarines, warning it could undermine the global nuclear nonproliferation regime, Chinese state media reported.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military analyst, said in an interview published Monday by the Global Times that consultations between Seoul and Washington on nuclear submarine-related cooperation could pose a “serious threat” to nuclear nonproliferation.

The Global Times cited South Korean media reports saying the two countries plan to begin sector-by-sector consultations next year related to leader-level understandings that include nuclear submarine construction, uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing.

Song said the AUKUS nuclear submarine effort with Australia set a negative precedent and suggested a similar case could emerge with South Korea. He argued that U.S. support for allies’ access to nuclear technology and nuclear fuel would weaken the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Song also said Japan has raised the idea of acquiring nuclear-powered submarines and warned the trend could fuel an arms race. He said more countries operating nuclear-powered submarines would increase the risk of technology leakage and accidents.

He further argued South Korea has limited practical need for nuclear-powered submarines because of its restricted coastline, the report said.

In October, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular briefing that Beijing hopes South Korea and the United States will fulfill nonproliferation obligations and avoid actions that run counter to regional peace and stability, according to the report.

– Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Dec. 22 (UPI) — Japan has approved Tokyo Electric Power Co. to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear site as the world’s largest nuclear power plant.

On Monday, the Niigata assembly backed Governor Hideyo Hanazumi’s decision to stay in office after approving the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in its first reactor restart since the Fukushima disaster more than a decade ago.

“We remain firmly committed to never repeating such an accident and ensuring Niigata residents never experience anything similar,” ‌a Tepco spokesperson told The Japan Times.

The decision finalizes local approval to restart the plant.

Hanazumi will meet Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa on Tuesday to confirm the prefecture’s consent.

TEPCO intends to apply to the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority by Wednesday to restart its No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.

The utility aims to resume operations around Jan. 20 marking the facility’s first activity since shut down March 2012 a year after the Fukushima disaster.

On Nov. 21, Hanazumi approved restarting operations but said final approval depended on a vote by the prefectural assembly.

The assembly passed the measure with backing from the Liberal Democratic Party while opposition parties objected and called for a gubernatorial election or public referendum instead.

The Niigata provincial assembly in northern Japan approved a supplementary budget that included public relations funds for Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.

With consent already granted by the Kashiwazaki and Kariwa municipal governments, the vote cleared TEPCO’s final hurdle to resume operations.

Most of the plant’s power supplies the Tokyo area, but electric bills are expected to remain unchanged as TEPCO planned.

Meanwhile, Japan has restarted 14 of its 33 active nuclear plants to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.

BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 19 (UPI) — Argentina has formally created the Secretariat of Nuclear Affairs, a significant structural shift in the country’s national energy strategy under President Javier Milei, aimed at positioning Argentina as a global energy leader and attracting large-scale investment.

In announcing the move, the government highlighted the country’s strengths for developing a nuclear plan, including its pool of highly trained human capital and vast, low-temperature lands in Patagonia seen as suitable for hosting artificial intelligence data centers. These advantages, officials said, allow for a combination of clean nuclear energy and cutting-edge technology.

The plan will roll out in stages. The first phase involves building small modular reactors, or SMRs, at the Atucha Nuclear Power Plant site, already underway, to ensure nationwide energy supply and reduce power outages.

SMRs produce stable and low-cost electricity, making them well-suited to power AI data centers, and would position Argentina as a regional hub for digital innovation and nuclear energy exports.

In the second phase, the government plans to develop uranium reserves to meet domestic demand and turn Argentina into an exporter of high-value nuclear fuels.

The Economy Ministry summed up the strategy in a recent statement, saying the government aims to “turn Argentina into the ‘Saudi Arabia of uranium.'”

This ambitious goal is based on the country’s uranium reserves, estimated at 36,483 tons identified and concentrated in provinces such as Mendoza, San Juan and Chubut, according to a report by the National Mining Secretariat.

Those reserves could generate significant export volumes and position Argentina as a key supplier in a growing global market driven by the energy transition.

However, physicist Alberto Baruj urged caution.

“Argentina has enough uranium for its reactors for decades. It does not have the extraordinary reserves found in other countries. Talking about being the Saudi Arabia of uranium is an exaggeration that I cannot support from a technical standpoint,” Baruj told UPI.

Baruj said Argentina could export uranium, thanks to its processing capacity. However, “it makes no sense to do so with raw ore. It would be far more convenient to process it for use in domestic reactors, including small modular reactors such as the domestically designed CAREM.”

The new nuclear institutional framework will also be tasked with leading policy on the exploitation of rare earth elements, minerals critical for batteries, cellphones and green technology, as well as nuclear minerals, in coordination with other government agencies.

It will promote collaboration among mining companies, provincial governments and private actors to increase production of these resources and drive investment, working alongside the Mining Secretariat to advance nuclear mining projects, material processing and technological applications.

“The Secretariat of Nuclear Affairs is taking on roles that previously belonged to the National Atomic Energy Commission, which blurs the agency’s place within the institutional structure,” a respected nuclear sector source who requested anonymity told UPI.

In their view, amid a budget crisis at the commission, the creation of a new body “further endangers what has historically been the center of Argentina’s nuclear activity. The inclusion of rare earth exploitation comes as a surprise within a nuclear affairs secretariat.”

Baruj also questioned the need for the new agency, saying its stated purpose, coordinating the nuclear sector, already falls by law under the National Atomic Energy Commission.

“It is possible that with the creation of the Secretariat, the government is seeking greater political control over the sector,” Baruj said. But, he added, creating a new secretariat is unnecessary if each institution fulfilled its assigned role.

“The massive loss of technical personnel with extraordinary capabilities must be reversed. But above all, the salary issue must be resolved, because the commission pays the lowest wages in the entire science and technology sector,” he said.

Baruj said the priority should be to ensure continuity of key projects such as completion of the RA-10 multipurpose reactor, its associated neutron beam laboratory, the CEARP Proton Therapy Center and the heavy water industrial plant.

“Argentina’s nuclear sector has sufficient capacity and depth to take on and carry out these projects. What is lacking, precisely, is political will,” he said.Based o

WHEN Helen Flanagan and Scott Sinclair split after 13 years, they vowed to keep things amicable for the sake of their young kids.

But it was not long before the dynamic of the celebrity couple’s co-parenting soon began to show signs of strain.

The former Corrie actress blamed petty squabbles and communication issues, yet still remained tight-lipped about her ex.

But overnight, tensions between the pair appear to have hit DEFCON 1.

Helen, 35, flipped her lid when she spotted photos of Scott, 36, living the high life at the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, skipping their four-year-old son’s Christmas nativity play.

Lashing out online at the retired Bristol Rovers footballer, she raged: “You really are a piece of s**t,” ­sharing Scott’s Instagram post.

“How dare you not turn up to ­Charlie’s nativity,” she added.

Scott had posted snaps from his VIP weekend in the United Arab Emirates where he watched Lando Norris secure his maiden Drivers’ Championship title.

Standing in front of a huge F1 sign, he posed gleefully, tagging the post “What a weekend — Abu Dhabi F1.” He added: “Happy Days, blurry nights.”

Meanwhile, Helen shared a sweet snap of her cuddling their young son, captioning it: “Loved Charlie’s nativity. My star, my heartbeat.”

But when she spotted Scott’s jet- setting post, her blood boiled.

Now sources have told The Sun that Helen’s ex’s decision to skip ­Charlie’s school performance was just the tip of the iceberg — a culmination of bad behaviour that has left the telly star fuming.

The former couple share daughters Matilda, ten, Delilah, seven, and four-year-old son Charlie.

Yesterday Helen was spotted looking stony-faced while heading to her latest panto performance in Liverpool, where she is starring as The Wicked Queen in a production of Snow White.

A pal told The Sun: “Helen’s livid with Scott’s behaviour. He’s thinking about himself, not his children.

“She said, ‘I’m done letting him treat his family like this’. At the end of the day Helen is the mother of his kids. He needs to show more respect.”

Another pal said: “Helen is working full-time at the moment in panto so was expecting Scott to cover the nativity and go for her, as she has a lot on her plate and he is retired.

“When he didn’t bother, she wasn’t happy and took to her social media to vent her frustration and make a point.

“Their relationship is difficult at times — co-parenting is hard.”

Boys’ trips

Meanwhile another source close to the couple blames newly single Scott for embracing his “Hot Boy Winter” moment, leaving his family to ­suffer.

“Ever since Scott became single again things started to go downhill,” the source said.

“It’s been an incredibly testing few months for Helen, who feels like she is busting a gut and Scott doesn’t seem to get it.

“To make matters worse he is having the children for Christmas this year, which is another blow.”

Last year The Sun told how Scott was dating family friend Lauren Davies, 32, who is from his home city of Bath.

Things were going well up until the start of this year, when they are said to have decided they were better off as friends.

The source said: “Helen really liked Lauren and thought she was really good for Scotty.

You really are a piece of s***. How dare you not turn up to ­Charlie’s nativity

Helen on Instagram

“She has great values and felt it was important that Scott sees his kids and she wanted everyone to get along.

“But since their split, Scott hasn’t been present. He is constantly showing off his wealth online — with his extravagant boys’ trips. It’s a bit of a kick in the teeth.”

According to pals, tensions between Helen and Scott are so bad that the pair have blocked each other on WhatsApp, only communicating through family members.

The Sun also understands Scott wants to sell the £1.5million family home near Bolton and move Helen and the kids into a smaller property.

The eight-bedroom house went on the market in June, but Helen is standing firm. One pal said: “Scott is trying to sell the family home, but Helen has moved six times since Matilda was born.

“And because she is refusing to uproot the children, he’s stopped some of the money he was giving her for the kids. She’s fuming.

“The house is right next to her mum and dad, who take care of the kids while Helen works.

“Scott’s retired so he could have them, but he’s swanning around in Dubai and London and flashing it all over Instagram.

“At the same time he is claiming he can’t afford to give her the money, but he goes and blows £20,000 on the F1.”

Helen’s livid with Scott’s behaviour. He’s thinking about himself, not his children

A pal

The pal said Christmas will be particularly hard for Helen without her kids.

They said: “She is working full-time at the panto and dealing with the kids, with no help from Scott.

“Then he’ll have them at Christmas and post it all over Instagram, claiming to be dad of the year. He’s picking and choosing when he wants to help, but parenting doesn’t work like that.

“Helen has supported him for his whole football career and moved all over the country, but she’s adamant that she doesn’t want to uproot the kids and cause more disruption in their lives.”

This comes after Helen signed up to star in reality TV show Celebrity Ex On The Beach, in which she intends to “cause fireworks”.

Last month we revealed she was abroad filming scenes — and will not be holding back when it comes to getting what she wants.

Number blocked

It is not the first time the couple’s co-parenting relation- ship has been tested, with Helen previously saying Scott had her number blocked on his phone.

In October 2024 she told a podcast: “I’m on block at the moment on Scott’s phone. I really am. I’m on block.” However, she later said that the couple were on speaking terms so that they could co-parent their brood.

To make matters worse he is having the children for Christmas this year, which is another blow

Source

But in recent months things appear to have taken a turn again, as Helen hinted at trouble.

Earlier this month she told The Sun: “He lives in Somerset and I live in Lancashire. So we live so far away from each other, which is really difficult when you’ve got three young children.

“I hate calling it co-parenting because I don’t really feel like a co-parent, to be honest with you.”

Reflecting on their split in 2024, Helen told The Sun: “It was a mutual decision and personally, I felt as a mum that this was the best thing for my children.

“I want them to see healthy relationships and to be in healthy environments. I think if you’re unhappy then that projects on to them.”

She added: “I love Scott and I know that he loves me, but I suppose we just don’t like each other very much at the moment.

“We don’t really speak and there’s no point in pretending that we’re the best of friends when we’re not.”

Both Helen and Scott were approached for comment.

In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview recorded in October with Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines documentary programme, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells correspondent Hind Hassan that strikes by Israel and the United States in June caused “serious damage” to Iran’s nuclear facilities but insists its nuclear programme will continue.

“Technology cannot be eliminated by bombing,” he says, arguing that Iran’s scientific knowledge remains intact.

As Iran remains locked in a standoff with the US and refuses to renew negotiations while zero uranium enrichment demands remain in place, Araghchi says European snapback sanctions have undermined future cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Iran would reconsider how it cooperates in the future.

Despite emphasising that “diplomacy is our priority,” the foreign minister insists that Iran is prepared to fight back if it is attacked again. Araghchi maintains that while Tehran has “never trusted the United States as an honest negotiating partner”, Iran remains prepared to engage diplomatically if both sides respect each other’s rights and pursue mutual interests based on equality.