Top News: First step towards JCPOA restoration expected from U.S. – Russian diplomat TASS U.S. says only Tehran can determine next round of nuclear talks, will not impose deadline Reuters After U.S. denied deal, Iran says prisoner swap talks ongoing Associated Press United States U.S. says only Tehran can determine next round of nuclear talks, will not impose deadline Reuters7/12/2021 The United States will not impose a deadline on a seventh round of talks with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, but only Tehran can determine when talks will resume, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday. The weekly debrief: Hypersonic weapons set up as arms control bargaining chip Aviation Week Network7/12/2021 Arms control is back on the U.S. political agenda, and the Pentagon’s long list of preoperational, hypersonic weapons programs may now be a bargaining chip. East Asia China launches first commercial onshore small reactor project Reuters7/12/2021 China has started construction of the first commercial onshore nuclear project using its homegrown “Linglong One” small modular reactor (SMR) design, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said on Tuesday, about four years later than planned. Middle East After U.S. denied deal, Iran says prisoner swap talks ongoing Associated Press7/13/2021 Iran’s government spokesman said Tuesday that talks with the United States about a prisoner exchange are still ongoing, two months after Washington denied an Iranian report that deals had been struck. ANALYSIS: Iran’s uranium gambit is a dangerous negotiating tactic Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistsNaysan Rafati 7/13/2021 The production of enriched uranium metal, which can be used in the core of nuclear weapons, could have serious nonproliferation implications and adds a complication to already-laborious negotiations in Vienna aimed at restoring the JCPOA. ANALYSIS: The west is waiting on one man to determine the fate of the Iran nuke deal HaaretzAmos Harel 7/13/2021 The Biden administration would like a deal reached before Raisi’s inauguration in August, but it’s unlikely Khamenei will be convinced it’s worth his while. OPINION: Can Israel trade China ties for U.S. help with Iran? The Jerusalem PostEhud Eilam 7/12/2021 Israel could consider adjusting its policy about China according to U.S. interests, if the Biden administration gets tough on Iran. Russia and Europe First step towards JCPOA restoration expected from U.S. – Russian diplomat TASS7/11/2021 According to Russian Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international organizations Mikhail Ulyanov, a plan for the JCPOA’s restoration has already been elaborated. REPORT: Germany’s upcoming election and the future of nuclear sharing BrookingsJuly 2021 In a paper for the Brookings-Robert Bosch Foundation Transatlantic Initiative (BBTI), Steven Pifer describes the views of the major German political parties regarding the presence of U.S. nuclear weapons and “nuclear sharing” ahead of September’s federal elections, how negotiations for likely coalitions might address these issues, and how the U.S. can influence those negotiations. South Asia OPINION: India’s nuclear doctrine: The agni-p and the stability–instability paradox RUSIDr Sidharth Kaushal, James Byrne, Joe Byrne and Gary Somerville 7/8/2021 The recent Agni-P missile represents a step towards what some see as a nascent Indian nuclear counterforce capability. The erosion of India’s doctrinal commitment to minimum deterrence carries important lessons regarding strategic stability.