Iran

Hollande and Iran
John Vinocur, New York Times (Op-Ed) – May 9, 2012
In the run-up to the French presidential election, the Iranian newspaper Tehran Emrooz wrote that “emphasis must be given to the advantages of a victory by François Hollande.” “A victory will lead to a softening of Paris’ policies toward Iran,” it said. “France under Sarkozy was the strong voice in the European Union against Iran. Hollande’s victory will bring nuances to this approach.”

Group Sees Sign of Iran Cleanup at Nuclear Site
Rick Gladstone, New York Times – May 9, 2012
New commercial satellite imagery of an Iranian military site that has remained off limits to international nuclear inspectors shows recent activity that suggests the Iranians have tried to clean up a suspected explosives testing chamber there, a group that tracks nuclear proliferation said Wednesday.

Russia

Putin Pulls Out Of US Summit, Meeting With Obama
Associated Press – May 9, 2012
Russian President Vladimir Putin is skipping a planned visit to the United States this month for an economic summit and a much-anticipated meeting with President Barack Obama, the White House announced Wednesday.

United States

House panel OKs missile defense site on East Coast
Robert Burns and Donna Cassata, Associated Press – May 9, 2012
The House Armed Services Committee has voted to build a missile defense site on the East Coast even though the Pentagon says the facility is unnecessary.

Don’t let foxes guard our nuclear henhouse
Katherine Fuchs, The Hill (Blog) – May 9, 2012
Today the House Armed Services Committee will debate the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), possibly overturning 25 years of safety standards at our nation’s weapons facilities. During this debate members of this committee will have a choice – they can protect communities around nuclear sites and the employees who work there or they can go on record as turning their back on those safety standards.

House to vote on GOP plan that would forestall Pentagon cuts
Rosalind Helderman, Washington Post – May 9, 2012
The House is expected to vote Thursday on a Republican plan that would spare the Pentagon from the deep across-the-board spending cuts envisioned as part of last summer’s debt-ceiling agreement, reviving what has been an emotional debate in Washington about the best ways to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Bomber Should Be Nuclear-Ready From Start, Lawmakers Say
Roxana Tiron, Bloomberg – May 9, 2012
House lawmakers pressed the U.S. Air Force to ensure its planned new bomber can carry nuclear weapons as soon as it is operational.

Senator Lugar’s defeat in the Indiana Republican primary will remove from the Senate its leading voice in support of the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR). CTR is housed in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). DTRA manages the CTR program. It d…

Iran

Mideast Nuclear Conference in Jeopardy
George Jahn, Associated Press – May 8, 2012
Hopes dimmed Tuesday for staging major nuclear talks later this year between Israel and its Muslim rivals, as Iran and Arab countries at a 189-nation conference accused Israel of being the greatest threat to peace in the region and Egypt warned that Arab states might rethink their opposition to atomic arms.

Iran Seeks to Scuttle U.S. Pact With Kabul
Nathan Hodge and Habib Khan Totakhil, Wall Street Journal – May 8, 2012
Iran is raising pressure on Afghanistan to scuttle a newly signed security accord with the U.S., threatening to deport Afghan refugees and migrant workers if Afghanistan’s parliament ratifies the deal.

New Israel Partner Offers Moderate Voice on Iran
Isabel Kershner, New York Times – May 8, 2012
Less than two weeks ago, Yuval Diskin, the recently retired chief of Israel’s internal security agency, carried out a blistering verbal assault on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, questioning their judgment in handling what they regard as an Iranian nuclear threat and accusing them of making decisions “based on messianic feelings.”

Missile Defense

GOP plans East Coast missile defense shield
Jeremy Herb, The Hill (blog) – May 8, 2012
A new Republican plan to set up a missile defense site on the East Coast has attracted election-year fireworks, with Democrats accusing the GOP of pushing the idea to undercut President Obama’s national-security credentials.

Afghanistan

As The Clock Ticks, Americans Train Afghan Troops
Tom Bowman, NPR – May 8, 2012
Just outside Kandahar, the main city in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military is starting a new program it hopes will wean Afghan troops off American assistance. A dozen or so American soldiers make up one of the Security Force Assistance Teams, and the goal is to help the Afghan army plan for operations and supply itself in the field. But the mission is still a work in progress.

For decades, Senator Richard Lugar has pushed for sensible solutions to strengthen American and global security, frequently reaching across the aisle to forge compromises for the common good.  He fought tirelessly for arms reduction agreements to …

Iran US, EU urge Iran to ease world nuclear concerns George Jahn, Associated Press – May 7, 2012 The United States and Europe urged Iran on Monday to use upcoming talks with world powers to ease international worry that it may be aiming to develop nucl…