The Evening: IAEA /DOD Assessment, China Rare Earths, North Mississippi Allstars, and More

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Good Evening,

It's Thursday, June 26th.

Centrifuges at Fordow “No Longer Operational,” IAEA Says

Centrifuges at the Fordow uranium enrichment plant in Iran are “no longer operational” after the United States attacked the site with bunker-busting bombs, Rafael Grossi, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said today, as the NYT reports

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DOD Assessment

The Pentagon’s top officials on Thursday revealed new details about the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities and subsequent defense of a military installation in Qatar that faced a retaliatory attack, as The Washington Post reports

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China Is Still Choking Exports of Rare Earths Despite Pact With U.S.

Two weeks after China promised the U.S. it would ease the exports of rare-earth magnets, Chinese authorities are dragging out approval of Western companies’ requests for the critical components, a situation that could reignite trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, as the WSJ reports

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Executive Education

Looking for the tools to navigate times of uncertainty and significant change with minimum disruption? The CSIS Global Strategy Lab

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combines virtual and in-person experiences to deliver the strategic insight, global perspective, and communication tools required to drive success in times of change. Register

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by August 29 to join a community of seasoned leaders from across the private sector, government, and nonprofits..

Audio Briefs

CSIS now offers audio versions of our latest analysis. Listen to the latest Commentary by CSIS's Kari A. Bingen and Clayton Swope, "Why the United States Acted Now Against Iran

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In That Number

93 percent

Exports of rare-earth magnets to the United States declined 93 percent in May from a year earlier due to China’s influence over critical supply chains.

Source: WSJ

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Critical Quote

“The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face.”

—Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

iDeas Lab

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Using a database of Chinese-linked port projects in Latin America and the Caribbean and a novel methodology to assess the relative risk each port poses to U.S. national security, CSIS identified 37 port projects tied to Chinese companies

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in LAC.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: Iranian Leader Press Office/Handout/Anadolu/Getty Images.) Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the nation in his first public remarks since Tuesday’s ceasefire, in Tehran, Iran, on June 26, 2025.

Recommended Reading

“NATO’s

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‘Brain Death’ in The Hague

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” by CSIS’s Max Bergmann.

This Town Upcoming

Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.

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, the CSIS Defense and Security Department welcomes General Ronald Clark, Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific, to explore the role of landpower in the Indo-Pacific.

Also tomorrow, at 1

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:30 p.m.

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, the CSIS Defense and Security Department hosts a conversation on the escalation risks and the implications for the future of Iran's nuclear program and if there are risks of a wider war in the Middle East.

On Monday at 3:00 p.m.

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, the CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department discusses the future of the “Axis of Upheaval” after the Israel-Iran conflict.

Video

Leon Phillips, Australia’s Chief of Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO), discusses his upcoming meetings with U.S. partners focused on collaboration around GWEO. Watch the full video here.

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Podcasts

CSIS's Mona Yacoubian and Max Bergmann join the podcast to discuss consequences of the war between Israel and Iran, lessons other states are taking from the war, and what it reveals about the changing global order.

Listen on Spotify

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& Apple Podcasts

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Smiles

I’ve been a fan of the North Mississippi Allstars since their debut album “Shake Hands with Shorty” in 2000. The band was founded by Luther and Cody Dickinson, sons of the late influential Memphis musician/producer Jim Dickinson. I knew Jim a bit and he was the coolest. He loved to say “World Boogie is Coming!”

Jim famously played piano on the Rolling Stones classic “Wild Horses” and worked with artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Mudhoney, Big Star, the Replacements, the Radiators, and Toots and the Maytals. Jim was a genius and his sons aren’t far behind. I hope you enjoy this groove from a live North Mississippi Allstars performance

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as much as I do.

I invite you to email me at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

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The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.

Follow CSIS

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Connect w/ H. Andrew Schwartz



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