IRAN
Iranian official signals no scaling back in nuclear activity
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters — June 28, 2013
Iran will press ahead with its uranium enrichment program, its nuclear energy chief said on Friday, suggesting there will be no change of course despite the election on June 14 of a relative moderate as president.
IAEA wil continue talks with Iran: Amano
Press TV — June 28, 2013
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano says the UN body will continue dialog with Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program.
U.S. Ospreys and air tankers put Iran in Israel’s reach
Oren Dorell, USA Today– June 27, 2013
The United States plans to give Israel weapons that would enable it to send ground forces against Iranian nuclear facilities that it can’t penetrate from the air.
Opinion: U.S. should tread lightly on Iran
Matthew Duss and Lawrence Korb, Politico — June 28, 2013
The recent election of Hassan Rohani…as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran offers the renewed possibility of a diplomatic solution to the impasse over Iran’s nuclear program…Unfortunately, some in Washington seem determined to repeat past mistakes that could foreclose the possibility of such a solution…
NORTH KOREA
NKorea major topic at Asian forum, but Pyongyang itself likely to be shunned by US, SKorea
The Associated Press — June 28, 2013
The upcoming regional security summit in [Brunei] is the sort of venue where North Korea has often managed to open up sideline discussions with Seoul and Washington. This time, while there will be plenty of talk about Pyongyang, there is little chance of substantive talk with it.
North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal: A Farce?
Janis Powers, The Huffington Post — June 28, 2013
…Some argue that by nuking Seoul, which is only 35 miles from the border, the North Koreans would be ostensibly nuking themselves. And the idea that Pyongyang would bomb a super power is unlikely because the blowback could literally destroy the country. These concepts may be right. But I think the South Koreans aren’t afraid because the threat is so, well, over-blown.
DEFENSE/NUCLEAR SPENDING
Senate Bill Cuts Warhead Funding
Douglas P. Guarino, Global Security Newswire — June 27, 2013
Senate appropriators are looking to cut funding for efforts to refurbish a U.S. nuclear warhead and are pushing the administration to limit the scope of the controversial project.
Unsexy Ways to Cut Defense Spending
Emma Green, The Atlantic — June 27, 2013
Cutting jobs. Closing bases. Reducing healthcare benefits for servicemen. On a list of policies to reform defense spending, these would rank near the top in their potential to rub the American public the wrong way. But the hard truth, says former undersecretary of defense Michèle Flournoy, is that these measures could help the U.S. military get back on track toward being the most effective in the world in the long run.
Commentary: Smart Savings in the Nuclear Budget
Terri Lodge, Roll Call — June 27, 2013
As appropriations bills move through Congress, protecting important programs and eliminating wasteful spending is on everyone’s mind. When it comes to smart budget cuts, look no further than nuclear weapons programs.
NUCLEAR INSPECTIONS
Put Up Your Nukes: Researchers Devise “Blind” Verification System for Nuclear Arms Treaty
Susan Matthews, Scientific American — June 27, 2013
…Efforts to cut stockpiles and thus decrease the risk of accidental nuclear detonations and launches have so far been hampered by risks posed by the verification process. Verification regimes require the exchange of classified information, which could encourage nuclear proliferation if it ended up in the wrong hands. So, a team of scientists from Princeton University has outlined a new verification system that would release no classified details about the weapons.
