Top News Russia nuclear negotiator: U.S. must stop hitting 3 birds with 1 stone Tehran Times U.S. drops sanctions on three Iranians, says move unrelated to nuclear talks Reuters Biden to speed development of hypersonic weapons Arms Control Today United States U.S. drops sanctions on three Iranians, says move unrelated to nuclear talks Reuters7/2/2021 The U.S. Treasury said on Friday it removed sanctions on three Iranians but said this did not reflect a change in its sanctions policy toward Iran and had nothing to do with talks on restoring U.S. and Iranian compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. ANALYSIS: U.S., Russia agree to strategic stability dialogue Arms Control TodayKingston Reif and Shannon Bugos 7/2/2021U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during their June summit to relaunch a bilateral strategic stability dialogue focused on “ensuring predictability,” reducing the risk of nuclear war, and setting the stage “for future arms control and risk reduction measures.” ANALYSIS: Biden continues Trump nuclear funding Arms Control Today – Kingston Reif 7/2/2021 As the Biden administration prepares to initiate a review of U.S. nuclear weapons policy, its first budget request would continue the expensive and controversial nuclear weapons sustainment and modernization efforts it inherited from the Trump administration. Biden to speed development of hypersonic weapons Arms Control Today – Shannon Bugos 7/2/2021 The Biden administration’s fiscal year 2022 budget request would accelerate plans that began under the Trump administration to develop and field conventional hypersonic weapons to compete with Russia and China. East Asia A silo-building spree raises questions about China’s nukes The Economist7/4/2021 Some could be decoys, but America is concerned. Middle East France, Germany and China call for reviving Iran nuclear deal RFI6/7/2021 The leaders of France, Germany and China are calling at the parties involved talks about Iran’s nuclear ambitions to take advantage of a “window of opportunity” to revive the 2015 deal that was derailed when former U.S. president, Donald Trump, pulled out. ANALYSIS: Can America and Iran revive their nuclear deal? The Economist7/5/2021 An agreement is said to be close, but there are plenty of obstacles. OPINION: Standing up to the U.S. on the Iran deal is not an option Al JazeeraAkiva Eldar 7/4/2021 United States President Joe Biden’s expected signature on an amended nuclear agreement with Iran puts Israel’s new government before a strategic dilemma. It essentially has two options: to adhere to the policy of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who ruled out any deal with Iran that would include even a partial lifting of sanctions, or to adopt a “if you cannot beat them, join them” approach by cooperating with the Biden administration and trying to plug the holes it identifies in the emerging deal. Russia and Europe Germany, Spain and Sweden: ‘End nuclear weapons testing’ Deutsche Welle7/5/2021 Germany is joining 15 other countries for a nuclear disarmament conference aiming to build momentum after a U.S. – Russia summit renewed hopes for more arms control between the two nuclear powers. Goal of reviving Iran nuclear deal by July 15 not achievable, Russian envoy says TASS7/5/2021 Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov has noted that the expectations to restore the Iran nuclear deal by July 15 are unrealistic. Russia nuclear negotiator: U.S. must stop hitting 3 birds with 1 stone Tehran Times7/5/2021 “In the context of the Vienna talks some analysts and officials advocate for addressing new topics such as regional security and missiles..