Top News Iran will reportedly issue seven demands to President Biden before re-entering nuclear deal talks Sputnik STATEMENT: CSIS European trilateral track 2 nuclear dialogues CSIS PONI India, China soldiers brawl again along disputed frontier Associated Press United States Procurement starts for construction of high explosives facility at Pantex Exchange Monitor1/25/21 Consolidated Nuclear Security is seeking a subcontractor to build the National Nuclear Security Administration’s High Explosives Science and Engineering facility at the Pantex Plan in Amarillo, Texas, according to a procurement note posted online. STATEMENT: CSIS European trilateral track 2 nuclear dialogues CSIS PONI1/22/21 In 2020, the group’s discussion addressed a range of growing challenges in the Euro-Atlantic security environment and beyond, prompting the group’s nongovernmental participants to issue the following statement reflecting the consensus views of the undersigned. East Asia India says troops had ‘minor face-off’ with China in Sikkim border area Reuters1/25/21 Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a “minor face-off” last week in a disputed stretch of their shared border in the eastern Himalayas, the Indian army said on Monday, underlining the fraught situation at the border. India, China soldiers brawl again along disputed frontier Associated Press1/25/21 Indian and Chinese soldiers brawled last week along the countries’ disputed border, Indian officials said Monday, as a monthslong standoff between the nuclear-armed rivals continued. Senior North Korean diplomat defects to South Al Jazeera1/25/21 Ryu Hyun Woo, who was the acting ambassador in Kuwait, is thought to have claimed asylum in 2019. North Korea sees talks as way to advance nuclear program, says U.S. intel official Business Insider1/24/21 The top U.S. intelligence officer for North Korea warned, Friday, that the country sees diplomacy only as a means to advance its nuclear weapons development, even as the new Biden administration says it will look for ways to bring Pyongyang back to talks. Middle East OPINION: To meet the Iran nuclear challenge, the IAEA must remain apolitical Jerusalem PostJacob Nagel, Andrea Stricker 1/24/21 World powers should not restore the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, but should hold the Islamic Republic accountable for violating its international nuclear non-proliferation obligations. Iran will reportedly issue seven demands to President Biden before re-entering nuclear deal talks Sputnik1/24/21 United States President Joe Biden has expressed his support for reversing the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and officials within the new government are reported to already be holding quiet discussions with Iranian representatives. Russia and Europe Russia accuses U.S. of meddling, but says open to dialogue Al Jazeera1/24/21 Spokesman for Vladimir Putin says Russian president open to dialogue with Joe Biden after US slams crackdown on protesters. ANALYSIS: Biden’s Russia challenge AxiosDave Lawler 1/25/21 The Biden administration has already proposed a five-year extension of the last treaty constraining the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, announced an urgent investigation into a massive Russia-linked cyberattack, and demanded the release of Russia’s leading opposition figure, Alexey Navalny.