Iran’s Security Council Rejects Draft Nuclear Deal With U.S., Spokesman Says
Barak Ravid | Axios
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has rejected a draft agreement negotiated indirectly with the U.S. over the past three months in Vienna, a government spokesman said Thursday. However, another spokesman later denied that there was any “agreement” to reject in the first place. Either way, the statements seem to indicate that incoming president Ebrahim Raisi will seek to renegotiate the understandings reached in Vienna to seek a better deal for Iran. They also confirm that no deal on Iran’s nuclear program will be reached before Raisi, a hardliner, takes office next month.
Pentagon Watchdog to Review ‘Nuclear Football’ Safety Procedures After January 6 Incident
Barbara Starr and Ellie Kaufman | CNN
The Department of Defense inspector general is launching a review of the Pentagon’s and White House’s ability to keep the “nuclear football” secure during a crisis, following an incident on January 6 when rioters came within 100 feet of the backup “football.” The inspector general will evaluate the policies and procedures around the Presidential Emergency Satchel, also known as the “nuclear football,” in the event that it is “lost, stolen, or compromised,” according to an announcement from the DoD IG’s office.
Nuclear Notebook: How Many Nuclear Weapons Does North Korea Have in 2021?
Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
North Korea has made significant advances over the past two decades in developing a nuclear weapons arsenal. It has detonated six nuclear devices––one with a yield of well over 100 kilotons––and test-flown a variety of new ballistic missiles, several of which may be capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to targets in Northeast Asia and potentially in the United States and Europe. However, there is considerable uncertainty about which of North Korea’s missiles have been fielded with an active operational nuclear capability.
Lawmakers Urge Biden to Make ‘Bold Decisions’ in Nuclear Review
Rebecca Kheel | The Hill
A group of Democratic lawmakers is urging President Biden to be actively involved in his administration’s review of the nation’s nuclear policy and make “bold decisions” that would reduce the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security strategy. “Mr. President, as a United States senator and then as vice president, you were a party to every major nuclear weapons debate of the past five-decades. From bolstering the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, to building European support for the Intermediate-Nuclear Forces Treaty, to securing votes for ratification of the New START Treaty, you have consistently been on the right side of history,” the 21 senators and House members wrote in a letter to Biden obtained by The Hill.
This is Our First View of Russia’s New S-500 Air Defense System in Action
Thomas Newdick | The Drive
Russia has, for the first time, released a video showing the S-500 air defense system in action. The launch, conducted during a test campaign at Kapustin Yar, near Astrakhan in southern Russia, reportedly downed a ballistic missile surrogate target, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, which announced the development earlier today.