Top News: Russian and Chinese nuclear threats pose problem for U.S. deterrence USNI North Korea’s Kim Jong Un admits nation facing “worst-ever situation” Associated Press China builds advanced weapons systems using American chip technology Washington Post United States Air Force hypersonic missile fails to detach from plane during test Washington Post4/7/21 A Tuesday test mission over the military’s Point Mugu Sea Range near Los Angeles was supposed to serve as yet another demonstration of the Air Force’s unrivaled technological prowess. OPINION: Biden cannot allow Iran to keep its weapons program BloombergEli Lake 4/8/21 It’s not enough for U.S. negotiators simply to demand Iranian compliance with a flawed bargain. East Asia China builds advanced weapons systems using American chip technology Washington Post4/7/21 In a secretive military facility in southwest China, a supercomputer whirs away, simulating the heat and drag on hypersonic vehicles speeding through the atmosphere — missiles that could one day be aimed at a U.S. aircraft carrier or Taiwan, according to former U.S. officials and Western analysts. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un admits nation facing “worst-ever situation” Associated Press4/8/21 Experts say Kim is facing perhaps his toughest moment as he approaches a decade in rule, with North Korea’s coronavirus lockdown unleashing further shock on an economy devastated by decades of mismanagement and crippling U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear weapons program. Commerce blacklists seven Chinese supercomputing groups The Hill4/8/21 The Commerce Department on Thursday blacklisted seven Chinese supercomputing groups, adding the companies to its “entity list” as potential national security threats. OPINION: Hawks up the Ante: China is now a nuclear threat, too Responsible StatecraftDaniel Larison 4/8/21 As part of their campaign to agitate for intensified rivalry with the Chinese government, China hawks are feigning interest in arms control so that they can engage in reckless fearmongering about a mostly imaginary Chinese nuclear buildup. Middle East The window of opportunity is closing fast on an Iran nuclear deal CNN4/7/21 With America joining the renewed talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear agreement shunned by Donald Trump, the United States has taken a giant step back into the global community of nations. Sadly, we are now reduced to playing a sharply weakened hand. OPINION: The other sides of renegotiating the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement CSISAnthony Cordesman 4/7/21 So far, most of the debate over the JCPOA agreement has been a repetition of the original debates that took place while the current agreement was first being negotiated. Russia and Europe Russian and Chinese nuclear threats pose problem for U.S. deterrence USNI4/8/21 Russian and Chinese threats to use nuclear weapons in Europe or across the Taiwan Strait pose “stark real-world problems” in defining deterrence as the United States modernizes its strategic forces, security experts agreed Wednesday.