Top News: U.S., S. Korea say they’ll push North to return to nuke talks Associated Press Iran blames domestic hardliners for stalled nuclear deal talks Bloomberg Russia tests hypersonic zircon missile The Diplomat United States Lawmakers urge Biden to make ‘bold decisions’ in nuclear review The Hill7/22/21 A group of Democratic lawmakers is urging President Biden to be actively involved in his administration’s review of the nation’s nuclear policy and make “bold decisions” that would reduce the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security strategy. East Asia U.S. hoping for North Korean response to offers of talks – South says Reuters7/22/21 The United States is hoping that North Korea responds to its offer to re-open talks on denuclearisation, South Korea’s presidential office said on Thursday, citing U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. U.S., S. Korea say they’ll push North to return to nuke talks Associated Press7/22/21 Top U.S. and South Korean officials agreed Thursday to try to convince North Korea to return to talks on its nuclear program, which Pyongyang has insisted it won’t do in protest of what it calls U.S. hostility. OPINION: On Japan and nuclear weapons, Biden still has a chance to bring home Olympic gold All Things NuclearGregory Kulacki 7/21/21 When the Tokyo Olympics kick off on July 23, the Biden administration will be reviewing U.S. nuclear weapons policy and Japan will play a role. President Biden says he supports declaring the United States would never start a nuclear war. So did President Obama. But concerns about Japan held him back. OPINION: Launch arms-control talks with China Defense OneLouie Reckford 7/22/21 Instead of saber-rattling, the Biden-Harris administration and leaders across the political spectrum should be putting the pressure on Beijing to come to the table. OPINION: What dodging North Korean missiles taught me about shooting down Kim Jong Un’s growing arsenal InsiderJessup Jong 7/21/22 My experience dodging North Korean missiles, however, highlights the need to review the intercept process further to reduce the risks posed by needing to make a split-second decision. Hesitance to shoot down missiles shows that technological ability does not necessarily equal safety. Middle East Exclusive: Is satellite footage of attacked Iran facility being blocked? The Jerusalem Post7/21/21 It is possible that few U.S. satellite imagery services withheld images of Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz. Iran blames domestic hardliners for stalled nuclear deal talks Bloomberg7/20/21 Iran’s government said domestic interference was responsible for stalling President Hassan Rouhani’s efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, highlighting legislation that hardline lawmakers had hoped would pressure the Biden administration into swiftly removing sanctions. OPINION: UNSCOM: A successful experiment in disarmament Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistsÅke Sellström 7/21/21 To me, and to many of my colleagues, UNSCOM became the perfect training ground for the complex, sensitive, and partly secretive profession of weapons inspector. Russia Russia tests hypersonic zircon missile The Diplomat7/22/21 Growing geopolitical rivalries will continue to drive the development of hypersonic and other lethal weapons systems. International Affairs OPINION: Overselling and underperforming: The exaggerated history of arms control achievements National Institute for Public PolicyDavid J. Trachtenberg 7/22/21 While arms control theoretically can contribute to stability, historical experience suggests that many arms control agreements not only failed to achieve the results advocates confidently predicted but at times facilitated precisely the kinds of destabilizing Soviet and Russian nuclear weapons deployments they were meant to preclude.