Toby Dalton and Ariel E. Levite | The Hill
On May 23, President Trump signed four executive orders designed to dramatically expand and accelerate U.S. development and construction of nuclear power plants, with emphasis on advanced reactors. The stated rationale for the administration’s action is a combination of a domestic energy emergency and a desire to win the geopolitical competition against China and Russia. However, if implemented as written, these orders could undermine the very objective they intend to promote.
Ariel E. Levite | The National Interest
Several short rounds of US-Iran nuclear negotiations have sufficed to demonstrate that a great deal is not in the cards, certainly not soon. But not all is lost if we consider a creative way to bridge the gap between the negotiating goals all key parties have set for themselves… Reconciling these conflicting goals, let alone doing so quickly, is nearly impossible. Yet, with skillful diplomacy, one can envisage parameters of a deal that, while falling far short of meeting the goals the various key parties aspire to, is nevertheless both desirable and potentially acceptable to all.
Parisa Hafezi and John Irish | Reuters
Iran may pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. releases frozen Iranian funds and recognises Tehran's right to refine uranium for civilian use under a "political deal" that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, two Iranian official sources said. The sources, close to the negotiating team, said on Wednesday a "political understanding with the United States could be reached soon" if Washington accepted Tehran's conditions. One of the sources said the matter "has not been discussed yet" during the talks with the United States.
Patrick Wintour | The Guardian
Donald Trump has claimed he warned Israel against attacking Iran because he believed he was very close to a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme in which US inspectors will be given unparalleled access to sites to ensure the country is not planning to build a nuclear bomb. At a White House press conference on Wednesday, the US president confirmed he held talks last week with Israel and told them it was “not appropriate” to attack Tehran because he believed he could reach a deal within weeks.
Jeongmin Kim | NK News
The question of whether Seoul should pursue nuclear weapons to achieve “nuclear balance” with North Korea monopolized foreign policy discussion at South Korea’s final presidential debate on Tuesday, where candidates also quarreled over who’s at fault for inter-Korean tensions while appealing to voters ahead of the June 3 election… During the last 25 minutes dedicated to foreign policy, Lee and Kim repeatedly clashed over the future of the U.S.-ROK alliance and denuclearization efforts.
Austin Ramzy, Thomas Grove, and Timothy W. Martin | The Wall Street Journal
President Trump’s “Golden Dome” plan has riled the three countries whose weapons technology poses the greatest threat to American territory, with China, Russia and North Korea claiming the missile-defense project is driving a dangerous new arms race… Russia and China view such space-based interceptors “as indistinguishable from offensive weapons, arguing that a better-protected United States might be emboldened to pursue more aggressive military actions,” said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.