TOP NEWS Trump’s North Korea diplomacy crashed by friends and foes alike Politico Iran is preparing for possible increase of enrichment capacity if deal fails: nuclear chief Reuters Republican investigation finds that Obama administration misled Congress on possible Iranian access to U.S. financial system Washington Post Under U.S. pressure, EIB balks at EU plan to work in Iran Reuters EAST ASIA Japan’s ethnic Koreans loyal to Pyongyang look to summit to bring peace, boost status Reuters6/6/18 Ethnic Koreans in Japan loyal to Pyongyang hope next week’s historic U.S.-North Korea summit will help bring reconciliation on the Korean peninsula and clarify their own murky legal status. The Skies Just Got Friendlier Over North Korea and China Wall Street Journal6/5/18 Air China resumes flights to Pyongyang a week before the planned summit between U.S. and North Korea leaders China and U.S. show off nuclear bombers in South China Sea standoff Newsweek6/6/18 The U.S. has made the latest move in the tense standoff over control of the South China Sea, flying two nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress bombers close to disputed Chinese islands in the area. Trump’s North Korea diplomacy crashed by friends and foes alike Politico6/6/18 From Vladimir Putin to Bashar Assad, a series of foreign leaders have sought to gain advantage from Trump’s historic meeting with Kim Jong Un. Why North Korea Doesn’t Want To Pay For Accommodations During Summit With U.S. NPR6/5/18 NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Washington Post reporter John Hudson about why North Korea doesn’t want to pay for the accommodations. MIDDLE EAST Iran is preparing for possible increase of enrichment capacity if deal fails: nuclear chief Reuters6/5/18 Iran has begun preparations to boost its uranium enrichment capacity, its nuclear chief said on Tuesday, adding to pressure on European powers trying to save a nuclear accord with Tehran in peril after a U.S. withdrawal. Republican investigation finds that Obama administration misled Congress on possible Iranian access to U.S. financial system Washington Post6/6/18 The Obama administration went out of its way in early 2016 to help Iran recoup previously sanctioned oil revenue stranded in an overseas account after the nuclear deal went into effect and actively misled Congress regarding those efforts, according to the results of a nearly two-year Republican investigation released early Wednesday. RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE Under U.S. pressure, EIB balks at EU plan to work in Iran Reuters6/5/18 The European Investment Bank has balked at an EU proposal to do business in Iran to help offset U.S. sanctions and save the 2015 nuclear deal, EU sources told Reuters, under pressure from the United States – where the bank raises much of its funds. OPINION AND ANALYSIS Trump is already preparing to oversell an agreement with North Korea Washington PostPaul Waldman 6/5/18 He has moved the goalposts so many times already that we shouldn’t be gullible when he tries to move them again. Will Trump’s North Korea summit be an epic breakthrough or a colossal mistake? What the president must do next Fox NewsHarry Kazianis 6/5/18 President Trump had a different tone following his meeting in the Oval Office with Kim Yong Chol – a vice chairman of North Korea’s Central Committee and one of Kim Jong Un’s most trusted advisers. Helsinki in Asia: A Response to Philip Bobbitt LawfareSam Roggeveen 6/5/18 North Korea’s development of a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile with the range to hit the U.S. homeland—an intercontinental ballistic missile or ICBM—really does change everything. Four Ways North Korea’s Nukes Spell Trouble for the US — Even If They’re Never Used Defense OneChristopher Watterson 6/5/18 Kim Jong Un’s ability to export anything from ICBM plans to working warheads gives him tremendous leverage, while boxing in U.S. responses. Trump, North Korea and Russia — six things the president can learn from past summits Fox NewsWilliam Courtney and Michael Haltzel 6/5/18 To prepare for these meetings, President Trump can learn lessons from decades of high-profile summits between U.S. presidents and Kremlin leaders. Another nuclear crisis in the making? Great power competition and the risk of war in South Asia Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistsMoeed Yusuf 6/5/18 In May 1998, India and, later, Pakistan conducted multiple nuclear tests to become the first pair to go nuclear in the post-Cold War era. Two decades on, these South Asian rivals remain locked in a deeply antagonistic relationship that constantly threatens to boil over. Update on the Low-Yield Trident Warhead: Time for the Senate to Step Up Union of Concerned ScientistsEryn Macdonald 6/5/18 Security does not require a new lower-yield Trident warhead; in fact, just the opposite: it requires that the Senate oppose it. It looks like Iran’s turn to sink the nuclear deal Washington Post6/6/18 Tehran’s willingness to stay the course seems to be wearing thin.