Nuclear Policy News – July 2, 2018

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U.S. has plan to dismantle North Korea nuclear program within a year: Bolton
Reuters

North Korea working to conceal key aspects of its nuclear program, U.S. officials say
The Washington Post

Satellite images raise alarms about North Korean nukes
The Hill

Nuclear non-proliferation treaty an ‘essential pillar’ of international peace, says UN chief
UN News

EAST ASIA

U.S. has plan to dismantle North Korea nuclear program within a year: Bolton
Reuters7/1/18
White House national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday he believed the bulk of North Korea’s weapons programs could be dismantled within a year, as the United States and North Korea resumed working-level talks.

Bolton says there’s a one-year plan for North Korea to denuclearize, stays mum on WaPo report
CNN7/1/18
White House national security adviser John Bolton offered up new details on Sunday about the path toward the nuclear disarmament of North Korea and addressed a recent Washington Post report suggesting that the country plans to deceive the United States about its nuclear stockpile.

North Korea working to conceal key aspects of its nuclear program, U.S. officials say
The Washington Post6/30/18
U.S. intelligence officials, citing newly obtained evidence, have concluded that North Korea does not intend to fully surrender its nuclear stockpile, and instead is considering ways to conceal the number of weapons it has and secret production facilities, according to U.S. officials.

Satellite images raise alarms about North Korean nukes
The Hill6/30/18
Satellite images showing North Korea making substantial improvements to one of its nuclear research facilities are raising alarms that the government has little interest in actually giving up its nuclear arsenal.

Several signs are pointing to North Korea still working on its nuclear program
CNBC7/2/18
Nearly three weeks since North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un committed to complete denuclearization, multiple signs have emerged of expanding activity at his country’s nuclear facilities.

North Korea Ramps Up Nuclear Effort Weeks After Trump Summit
Bloomberg7/2/18
Evidence of new efforts by Kim Jong Un to expand his nuclear arsenal underscore the challenge facing U.S. President Donald Trump three weeks after declaring that North Korea was “no longer a nuclear threat.”

North Korea Keeps Enriching Uranium
Wall Street Journal7/1/18
Troubling new evidence that Kim Jong Un isn’t honoring his promises.

Report: U.S and North Korean officials meet for first time since summit
Axios7/1/18
Senior officials at the State Department told CNN that U.S. and North Korean representatives met on Sunday for the first time since last month’s summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss implementing the agreement signed by both leaders.

Mattis seeks to allay Japanese concerns in North Korea denuclearization effort
The Washington Post6/29/18
The United States will uphold its commitment to Japan’s security while it seeks to implement President Trump’s nuclear deal with North Korea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday.

MIDDLE EAST

Egypt says to start building nuclear plant in next two years
Reuters7/1/18
Egypt said on Sunday that construction of its first nuclear power plant, to be built by Russia, will begin in the next two to two-and-a-half years.

Rouhani Sees Europe Unveiling Package to Save Iran Deal Soon
Bloomberg7/2/18
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he expects European nations to unveil soon a package of measures aimed at saving the nuclear deal that’s been imperiled by the U.S. decision to withdraw.

RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE

UK nuclear cleanup contract back in public hands after £122m bill
The Guardian7/2/18
The UK government has been forced to take a multibillion-pound nuclear cleanup contract back into public ownership, after a botched tender to the private sector landed the taxpayer with a £122m bill.

MULTILATERAL ARMS CONTROL

Nuclear non-proliferation treaty an ‘essential pillar’ of international peace, says UN chief
UN News7/1/18
On the 50th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged all State parties to ensure the Treaty’s continued strength and importance in the years ahead.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Turns 50
NPR7/1/18
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was presented for signatures 50 years ago today.

OPINION AND ANALYSIS

Trump said North Korea was ‘no longer a nuclear threat.’ His spies disagree.
The Washington PostIshaan Tharoor
7/2/18
Over the weekend, separate reports citing U.S. officials seemed to confirm what so many experts have long feared — that despite the overtures and sunny proclamations made at the Singapore summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang probably has little interest in dismantling its nuclear program.

A moment for nuclear reflection — and an opportunity for Trump
The HillAllen Pietrobon
7/1/18
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 signing of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The culmination of nearly 10 years of work by arms control negotiators, the NPT’s objective was to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

As Bolton Says North Korea Could Disarm in a Year, Reality Lags Promises
The New York TimesDavid E. Sanger and William J. Broad
7/1/18
President Trump’s national security adviser said on Sunday that North Korea could dismantle all of its nuclear weapons, threatening missiles and biological weapons “in a year,” a far more aggressive schedule than the one Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined for Congress recently, reflecting a strain inside the administration over how to match promises with realism.

President Trump’s exaggerated claims about the North Korea deal
The Washington PostSalvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly
7/2/18
President Trump says the North Korean nuclear threat has dissipated since he signed a brief and vague joint statement with the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, on June 12.

It’s time to re-nuclearize America’s defense policy
The HillRobert Monroe
6/30/18
The world’s first nuclear war was the Cold War. It was fought with nuclear weapons, and it ended in an immense victory for America. It accomplished three important objectives: First: Not a single nuclear weapon was ever detonated; second, it brought about the total collapse of the Soviet Union; and third; it exposed communism as a failure to the world.

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