Toward New Negotiations With Iran
Ariel Levite and Shimon Stein | Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Iran’s recent crossing of the enrichment limit of the 2015 nuclear agreement (JCPOA) de facto seals the fate of the already faltering deal. Sabre rattling to coerce each other while placating domestic and external constituencies. They nonetheless struggle to contain escalation to a war neither wishes to take place. And most critically, maneuver to improve their opening position for when negotiations between them (and others?) inevitably commence. Inept crisis management could still result in a showdown. This process –could provide an opportunity to move away from a temporary transactional deal that failed toward a transformational one that might fare better.
Iran Intends to Restart Activities at Arak Heavy Water Nuclear Reactor: ISNA News Agency
Babek Dehghanpisheh | Reuters
The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, told lawmakers on Sunday that Iran will restart activities at the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, the ISNA news agency reported. ISNA cited a member of parliament who attended the meeting. Heavy water can be employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel used in nuclear warheads. On July 3, President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran would increase its uranium enrichment levels and start to revive its Arak heavy-water reactor after July 7 if the nations in the nuclear pact did not protect trade with Iran promised under the deal but blocked by the U.S. sanctions.
Despite ‘Loss of Faith’ in Kim Jong Un, The U.S. Tries Again for a Nuclear Deal
Steve Inskeep | NPR
A senior U.S. official tells NPR that U.S. diplomats are communicating with the reclusive regime. They are passing messages through North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York. The goal is a new round of "working-level" talks between experts from the two nations. President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to make such an effort during their dramatic meeting in June at the fortified boundary between North and South Korea. But the effort has begun slowly, and a question hangs over the initiative. After multiple frustrations, U.S. strategists are asking if Kim Jong Un is capable of making the nuclear deal the Trump administration wants.
Top U.S. Envoy to North Korea to Attend ASEAN Forum, as Speculation of Sideline Talks Grows
Jesse Johnson | Japan Times
The U.S. special envoy to North Korea, Stephen Biegun, will join Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Thai capital for meetings on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum this week, in a move that could signal possible talks with the nuclear-armed country. The news comes after a Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman said last week that a representative of North Korea will be present in Bangkok. It was unclear if Pyongyang would be sending its top diplomat, though Kyodo News reported Tuesday that North Korea’s ambassador to Thailand will attend the ARF on Friday in place of Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, who recently decided to skip the meeting.
Democrats’ Report Faults Rick Perry’s Role in Talks About Nuclear Sales to Saudis
Eric Wolff | Politico
Energy Secretary Rick Perry and DOE officials have met regularly with executives from a consulting firm with close ties to the Trump administration seeking to sell civil nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, according to a report released today by the House Oversight Committee. Committee Democrats say they fear that the administration is allowing the founders of IP3, an energy consulting firm with close ties to former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, to sell nuclear technology to the Saudis with no non-proliferation safeguards. DOE plays a key role in allowing such sales, and Perry, who often pitches U.S. energy technology abroad, comes up frequently in the committee report, among other high-ranking Trump administration officials.
Mysterious 2017 Radioactive Cloud Over Europe Originated in Russia, Researchers Say
Rick Noack | Washington Post
An international team of researchers has traced an unusual 2017 radioactive release that blanketed a large part of Europe to Russia. The cloud was not harmful outside of Russia, according to the paper published in scientific journal PNAS, but researchers said there may have been a more serious fallout in the direct proximity of the release site. Russian authorities have repeatedly denied responsibility for the release of the ruthenium-106 isotopes, and the delay in identifying the suspected origin site has robbed scientists of crucial evidence it would need to help prevent another massive leak, the researchers said. The nuclear release most likely originated in the Mayak reprocessing plant in the Chelyabinsk region near the border with Kazakhstan, the report stated. The plant is managed by state-owned Russian nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom.