TOP NEWS Iran says its regional influence not linked to nuclear deal Reuters Russia deploys nuclear-capable missiles to border with Poland and Lithuania Independent Nuclear conflict: Pakistan, India increasingly reliant on mediators The Express Tribune The discrimination problem: why putting low-yield nuclear weapons on submarines is so dangerous War On the RocksVipin Narang EAST ASIA North Korea says its nuclear weapons are no longer ‘controversial’ and U.S. should focus on peace Newsweek2/7/18 North Korea has urged the U.S. to end international calls for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to instead support ongoing peace talks geared toward ending the first and last active conflict of the Cold War. MIDDLE EAST Iran’s Zarif: Nuclear deal only remaining Obama legacy Trump hasn’t removed Al-Monitor2/6/18 Iran’s foreign minister plays down the likelihood that the Trump administration will tear up the nuclear deal. France pushing Iran business ties despite nuclear deal ‘limbo’ Reuters2/8/18 France will encourage its firms to do business in Iran despite uncertainty over a landmark 2015 nuclear deal putting the business environment in “limbo”, a senior French finance official said on Thursday. Iran says its regional influence not linked to nuclear deal Reuters2/8/18 Iran said on Thursday there was no link between its influence in the Middle East region and its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers that has now come under fire from the U.S. administration. Rouhani says US lost ‘golden opportunity’ for bilateral dialogue Al-Monitor2/7/18 Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has declared that his US counterpart, Donald Trump, has ruined all potential opportunities for a dialogue between Tehran and Washington. RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE Russia deploys nuclear-capable missiles to border with Poland and Lithuania Independent2/7/18 President of Lithuania warns weapons pose threat to ‘half of all European countries’ Russia says it’s deporting North Korean workers to stop Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program Newsweek2/7/18 Russia has started the process of expelling North Korean migrant workers from its Far East region in order to comply with a United Nations Security Council resolution passed in December, officials said Tuesday. Two Turkish firms out of Russian nuclear plant consortium, other in talks: sources Reuters2/6/18 Two of three Turkish firms lined up to buy into the Russia-led construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant have backed away from the deal, two energy sources told Reuters on Tuesday, in a possible further setback for the project. SOUTH ASIA Pak, India will avoid direct conflict in nuclear environment, says speaker Pakistan Today2/7/18 Pakistan and India will be compelled to engage with the US, and even other strong powers like China, and try and achieve their crisis objectives through them rather than contemplating direct conflict in a nuclear environment. Nuclear conflict: Pakistan, India increasingly reliant on mediators The Express Tribune2/8/18 With nuclear-tipped hostile neighbours Pakistan and India shying away from direct engagement and wary of direct conflict, the two countries will be increasingly reliant on powerful mediators with their own vested interests in the region. MULTILATERAL ARMS CONTROL IAEA and Indonesia Sign Practical Arrangements to Enhance Technical Cooperation Among Developing Countries and Strengthen South-South Cooperation IAEA News Centre2/7/18 On 5 February 2018, the IAEA and the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia concluded Practical Arrangements on enhancing technical cooperation among developing countries and strengthening South-South cooperation. U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY New nuclear weapon would deter North Korea, Defense Secretary Mattis says USA Today2/7/18 The Pentagon’s new nuclear strategy calls for smaller weapons designed to deter North Korea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday. Chairman of nuclear weapons oversight agency steps down amid internal turmoil USA Today2/8/18 The chairman of a federal oversight agency responsible for safety at nuclear weapons facilities has stepped down amid turmoil over both his management and his recommendation to President Trump that the agency be abolished. OPINION AND ANALYSIS The discrimination problem: why putting low-yield nuclear weapons on submarines is so dangerous War On the RocksVipin Narang 2/8/18 The United States has the most diverse and potent nuclear force on the planet, capable of deterring and, if necessary, defeating and destroying any military and any nation on earth. The Trump administration’s recently released Nuclear Posture Review doesn’t think that’s enough. Why Congress should refuse to fund the NPR’s new nuclear weapons Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Lawrence J. Korb 2/7/18 When the Huffington Post first published a pre-decisional draft of President Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) on January 11, many nuclear experts from across the political spectrum and from inside and outside government expressed concerns. Nuclear Posturing Arms Control WonkMichael Krepon 2/7/18 The Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, as advertised, is devoid of new diplomatic initiatives to reduce nuclear dangers and endorses new, low-yield nuclear warhead designs for sea-based delivery. Russia’s Pacific Fleet to Upgrade 4 Nuclear Subs With Supersonic Cruise Missiles By 2021 The DiplomatFranz-Stefan Gady 2/7/18 Four nuclear-powered subs are expected to be upgraded with new weapons systems by 2021.