Top News: Return to INF Treaty impossible after U.S. withdrawal — Russian deputy foreign minister Tass New nuclear warhead funding would be blocked by House appropriators Defense News Another summit with U.S. ‘not needed,’ ‘not beneficial’: Kim’s sister Yonhap United States New nuclear warhead funding would be blocked by House appropriators Defense News7/14/20 Energy and water appropriators voted Monday to block funding sought by the Trump administration to develop a new submarine-launched nuclear warhead design, known as the W93. ANALYSIS: Wormhole escalation in the new nuclear age TNSRRebecca Hersman 7/10/20 Increasingly capable and intrusive digital information technologies, advanced dual-use military capabilities, and diffused global power structures will reshape future crises and conflicts between nuclear-armed adversaries and challenge traditional ways of thinking about escalation and stability. OPINION: Bad faith all the way: U.S. attempts to bring China to the arms control table The DiplomatAnkit Panda 7/13/20 China doesn’t like much to talk about the idea of trilateral arms control so it’s notable when a senior Chinese diplomat — one specifically leading the arms control portfolio — chooses to address the issue in some detail. OPINION: Getting back on track to zero nuclear weapons Arms Control AssociationCarol Giacomo 7/13/20 If there ever has been a fantastical national security goal, ridding the world of all nuclear weapons would be near the top of the list. East Asia Another summit with U.S. ‘not needed,’ ‘not beneficial’: Kim’s sister Yonhap7/10/20 Another summit with the United States is “not needed” and “not beneficial” for North Korea as long as there is no change in Washington’s negotiating position, the sister of leader Kim Jong-un said Friday. Defying U.S., China and Iran near trade and military partnership New York Times7/11/20 Iran and China have quietly drafted a sweeping economic and security partnership that would clear the way for billions of dollars of Chinese investments in energy and other sectors, undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to isolate the Iranian government because of its nuclear and military ambitions. Middle East Iran warns of consequences if foreign role in Natanz ‘blast’ proven CGTN7/10/20 Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday warned that there will be consequences if it is proven that foreign elements were involved in the recent “blast” at Natanz nuclear facility, Iran’s Press TV reported. OPINION: Did Iran suffer a nuclear setback? Council on Foreign RelationsRay Takeyh 7/13/20 An explosion has caused heavy damage to an Iranian nuclear facility just as the country approaches a bold new energy partnership with China, but Iran shows no signs of slowing down its nuclear program. Russia and Europe Return to INF Treaty impossible after U.S. withdrawal — Russian deputy foreign minister Tass7/10/20 Ryabkov said that given how profound the crisis in Russian-US relations is, the tactics of small steps will be the only way to overcome it. ANALYSIS: Russia’s basic principles and the cyber-nuclear nexus European Leadership NetworkDmitry Stefanovich 7/14/20 June 2020 saw the public release of the Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence – for the first time ever, as previous versions of this document were classified.