June 12, 2018
Trump to Insist Kim Make First Move in Form of Nuclear Timeline
Jennifer Jacobs | Bloomberg
The White House wants North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to commit to a timetable to surrender his country’s nuclear arsenal when he meets President Donald Trump next week in Singapore, a high-stakes summit that could last as long as two days -- or just minutes. Trump has been advised not to offer Kim any concessions, as the White House seeks to put the onus on the North Koreans to make the summit a success, one U.S. official said. Alternatively, Trump is toying with the idea of offering Kim a follow-up summit at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida—perhaps in the fall—if the two men hit it off.
With Nuclear Deal Under Threat, Iran Shows Off Centrifuges
Jon Gambrell | Washington Post
The star of a live television interview in Iran’s new nuclear workshop wasn’t the head of the country’s atomic agency, but three centrifuges labeled in English in the background, advanced devices Tehran is prohibited from using by the nuclear deal with world powers. The placement of the centrifuges, identified as IR-2M, IR-4 and IR-6, may have served as a subtle warning to Europe as it tries to salvage the atomic accord after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from it and restore U.S. sanctions.
Europe Asks U.S. for an Exemption From Sanctions on Iran
Steven Erlanger and Milan Schreuer | New York Times
In a letter to senior Trump administration officials, European foreign and finance leaders this week tacitly acknowledged that their efforts to preserve the West’s nuclear deal with Iran were failing. In the letter, sent on Monday to the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the European leaders cited “security interests” in requesting that companies in Europe be granted an exemption from United States sanctions that would be imposed as a result of President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the pact.
Trump: ‘Don’t Have to Prepare Very Much’ for North Korea Summit
Jordan Fabian | Hill
President Trump on Thursday said he does not have to prepare “very much” for his high-stakes summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because he believes “it’s about attitude.” “I think I’m very well prepared,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “I don’t think I have to prepare very much. It’s about attitude. It’s about willingness to get things done.”
North Korea Razes Missile Test Facility Ahead of Meeting With Trump
Choe Sang-Hun | New York Times
Satellite imagery indicates that North Korea is razing some facilities used for testing one of its most dangerous missiles after its leader, Kim Jong-un, announced a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests, according to an analysis released this week. A “key missile test stand” that was used for testing missile ejections from canisters was demolished at a test site near Kusong in North Korea’s northwest, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., an expert on the country’s weapons systems, said in a report published Wednesday on the website 38 North.
Senate, House Panels Authorize Space Sensor Project to Track Ballistic, Hypersonic Threats
Jason Sherman | Inside Defense
House and Senate lawmakers are recommending Congress back a proposal—not funded in the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2019 budget request—authorizing the Missile Defense Agency to launch a new space-based sensor network capable of tracking enemy long-range ballistic and hypersonic missiles from launch to impact.