US-Iran Deal Doesn’t Mean Full Nuclear Pact is Next — but it Shows Israel’s Limits
LAZAR BERMAN | The Times of Israel
A pair of Israeli officials told The New York Times that the exchange is part of a larger set of understandings between Tehran and Washington, who have been working toward an informal arrangement that would limit the Iranian nuclear program. US officials repeatedly denied that the two topics were tied, but the day after the deal was revealed, The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had slowed its enrichment of nearly weapons-grade uranium and reduced a small amount of its stockpile.
Iran Says it is Committed to Resolving Nuclear Dispute Through Diplomacy
Reuters
Iran is committed to resolving its nuclear dispute with world powers through diplomacy, the country's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in a televised news conference on Monday. "We have always wanted a return of all parties to full compliance of the 2015 nuclear deal," Amirabdollahian said. Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran to revive the nuclear agreement have stalled since last September.
Beyond ‘Bullet on Bullet’: NORTHCOM’s New Defense Plan Looks to Kill Missiles Before They Launch
THERESA HITCHENS | Breaking Defense
Rear Adm. Sean Regan, NORTHCOM director of operations, told the annual Space and Missile Defense (SMD) Symposium in Huntsville, Ala., today that rather than only trying to knock a missile out of the sky, his command’s new strategy for future defense of the homeland leans heavily on emerging technologies and capabilities, including directed energy weapons, autonomous vehicles and electronic warfare to take out adversary missiles and other threats before, or shortly after, they get off the ground.
South Korea’s Yoon Calls for Strong Security Cooperation with US, Japan Ahead of Camp David Summit
HYUNG-JIN KIM | Associated Press
South Korea’s president called for deeper security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan to address North Korea’s nuclear threat, saying Tuesday that his upcoming summit with the U.S. and Japanese leaders at Camp David will “set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation.” It will be the first time for the leaders of the three countries to gather specifically for a trilateral summit, rather than on the sidelines of international meetings. This suggests they are serious about boosting their ties in the midst of complex regional challenges such as North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal and Washington’s strategic rivalry with Beijing.
Russia to Equip New Nuclear Submarines with Hypersonic Missiles
Reuters
Russia is in the process of equipping its new nuclear submarines with hypersonic Zircon missiles, the head of Russia's largest shipbuilder told the RIA state news agency in an interview published on Monday."Multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Yasen-M project will ... be equipped with the Zircon missile system on a regular basis," , Alexei Rakhmanov, chief executive officer of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), told RIA.
Pritzker Vetoes Bill Aiming to End Illinois' Moratorium on Nuclear Plant Construction
NBC Chicago
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday that he had vetoed a bill that would have ended a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants. Senate Bill 76 would have allowed the resumption of construction of new reactors, and had passed the General Assembly earlier this year. That moratorium, in place since the 1980’s, was enacted over concerns about the disposal of nuclear waste, and Pritzker cited those same concerns in a veto statement, while also expressing concerns about costs borne by ratepayers and about overly-broad language within the legislation.