As Relations Worsen, Iran Says U.S. Sanctions May Violate Nuclear Deal
David E. Sanger and Rick Gladstone | New York Times
Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister of Iran, charged on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s attempt to reimpose sanctions on his country was a violation of the accord signed two years ago that sharply limited Iran’s ability to produce nuclear material in return for its reintegration into the world economy. “It is not clear what the administration is trying to do,” said Mr. Zarif, the urbane, American-educated diplomat who negotiated the agreement with John Kerry, then the secretary of state.
U.S. Intelligence Shows North Korean Preparations for a Possible Missile Test
Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne | CNN
CNN has learned that US intelligence indicates that North Korea is making preparations for another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or intermediate range missile test. Two administration officials familiar with the latest intelligence confirm there are indicators of test preparations that could lead to a potential launch in about two weeks.
Moon Seeks 2020 Deal for Peace With Nuclear-Free North Korea
Kanga Kong | Bloomberg
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is seeking a deal with North Korea in 2020 to bring about the "complete denuclearization" of the isolated nation in return for a peace treaty that would guarantee the survival of Kim Jong Un’s regime. Moon, an advocate of dialogue and exchange with North Korea, set out his ambitious goal Wednesday in a special presidential Blue House report outlining his objectives for his five-year term. While the government this week proposed talks with Pyongyang, it’s the first time the new president has provided a timeline for his engagement policy.
U.K. Threatens to Return Radioactive Waste to E.U. Without Nuclear Deal
Daniel Boffey | Guardian
Britain has warned the EU that it could return boatloads of radioactive waste back to the continent if the Brexit talks fail to deliver an agreement on nuclear regulation. In what is being taken in Brussels as a thinly veiled threat, a paper setting out the UK position for the negotiations stresses the right “to return radioactive waste … to its country of origin” should negotiations collapse.
Russia and U.S. Beginning Strategic Stability Dialogue — Diplomat
TASS
Russia and the United States are set to launch a dialogue on strategic stability involving both ministries in charge of foreign policy and other related agencies, a State Department official told TASS after a recent round of Russian-US consultations on the "irritants" in bilateral relations. The July 17 round of talks in Washington aimed at eliminating various troublesome issues in bilateral ties was held between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon.
Dems Urge 'Transparent and Inclusive' Nuke Policy Review
Rebecca Kheel | Hill
Twenty-two Senate Democrats are calling for a "transparent and inclusive" process in the Trump administration’s ongoing review of the U.S. nuclear weapons policy. “As the world’s foremost nuclear power and the only nation to have ever used nuclear weapons in war, the United States has a unique responsibility to reduce the risk of their use,” the senators wrote Wednesday in a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Energy Secretary Rick Perry.