Top News Kim Jong Un hasn’t changed his stance on denuclearization: report The Hill Pompeo cites progress toward salvaging ‘once in a lifetime’ nuclear summit The Washington Post Adviser to Iran’s supreme leader outlines steps to boost nuclear program Al-Monitor U.S. withdrawal may halt nuclear nonproliferation work in Iran: diplomats Reuters EAST ASIA Kim Jong Un hasn’t changed his stance on denuclearization: report The Hill5/31/18 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly has not changed his stance on denuclearization, even as he seeks to find common ground with the U.S. in order to secure a summit with President Trump. Kim Jong Un reaffirms commitment to denuclearization in meeting with Russian foreign minister ABC News6/1/18 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the communist regime’s commitment to denuclearization Thursday. Pompeo cites progress toward salvaging ‘once in a lifetime’ nuclear summit The Washington Post5/31/18 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that progress had been made toward salvaging a historic summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the course for the world.” Pompeo: North Korea security greater after denuclearisation BBC News5/31/18 The US Secretary of State said talks he held with North Korean officials dealt with a path toward dismantling their nuclear programme. Pompeo says he doesn’t know if Kim-Trump summit will happen CNN6/1/18 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday he still doesn’t know whether a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader will take place on June 12. Senior North Korea official heads to White House as summit pace picks up Los Angeles Times5/31/18 One of North Korea’s most powerful figures will meet President Trump at the White House on Friday as high-level talks in New York wrapped up with growing signs that the stalled nuclear disarmament summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could take place in less than two weeks. U.S. MILITARY ‘PREPARED’ TO FACE CHINA AND NORTH KOREA AHEAD OF MAJOR ASIA CONFERENCE Newsweek5/31/18 The Pentagon said it was prepared to take on both China and North Korea as Defense Secretary James Mattis headed to Singapore for a major international security conference. Pace of Disarmament Stands as Major Obstacle in North Korea Talks Wall Street Journal5/30/18 U.S. is pushing for complete denuclearization as quickly as possible; North appears to want a slower process MIDDLE EAST Adviser to Iran’s supreme leader outlines steps to boost nuclear program Al-Monitor5/31/18 A key adviser to Iran’s supreme leader outlined a number of recommendations Iran should take to advance its nuclear program capabilities. EU, China vow to uphold Iran nuclear deal ABC News6/1/18 The European Union and China say they will do their utmost to keep afloat an international agreement to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons despite the U.S. abandoning the pact. U.S. withdrawal may halt nuclear nonproliferation work in Iran: diplomats Reuters5/31/18 The remaining parties to the Iran nuclear deal have warned the United States that its decision to withdraw from the pact jeopardizes Russian and Chinese efforts to limit Iran’s ability to develop atomic weapons, Western diplomats told Reuters. OPINION AND ANALYSIS The Iran Deal Was Bad, but Leaving It Was Worse The National InterestAriel E. Levite 5/31/18 By leaving the deal, Iran may now want the bomb more than ever due to a deepening the sense of existential threat from the U.S. bent on fomenting regime change in Teheran. Transatlantic alliance concerns: The US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal The HillTOM RØSETH and JOHN M. WEAVER 5/31/18 The most important element to building strong relationships between nations gravitates around the issue of trust. When turning to this attribute, for one to foment strength in reciprocity, it must be underpinned by staying true to one’s word. What Does Trump’s Withdrawal From the Iran Nuclear Deal Mean for Afghanistan? The DiplomatSibghatullah Arsalai 5/30/18 Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal is not good news for Afghanistan. The Navy Might Not Be Able to Stop Russia’s Deadly ‘Nuclear Torpedo’ The National InterestDave Majumdar 5/30/18 A leaked version of the Trump Administration’s Nuclear Posture Review posits that Russia is developing a new nuclear-tipped torpedo with strategic ranges that can be used to target coastal areas of the continental United States. The weapon—called Status-6—would, in the short-term—present the United States Navy with a challenge that it could not counter without significant investment in new weaponry. A NEW LOOK AT CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH ASIA Arms Control WonkMichael Krepon 5/31/18 Much has been said about America’s waning appetite to act as a global leader and its implications for peace and conflict around the world. Nowhere are the stakes higher than in nuclearized environments. Forget North Korea: Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons Should Truly Terrify You The National InterestKyle Mizokami 5/30/18 Pakistan began the process of accumulating the necessary fuel for nuclear weapons, enriched uranium and plutonium. The country was particularly helped by one A. Q. Khan, a metallurgist working in the West who returned to his home country in 1975 with centrifuge designs and business contacts necessary to begin the enrichment process. Pakistan’s program was assisted by European countries and a clandestine equipment-acquisition program designed to do an end run on nonproliferation efforts. Outside countries eventually dropped out as the true purpose of the program became clear, but the clandestine effort continued. Why did Kim Jong Un blow up his nuclear test site? The Washington PostSiegfried S. Hecker 5/30/18 When President Trump abruptly canceled the summit with North Korea last week, it overshadowed the closing of North Korea’s nuclear test site just a few hours before. Although it is not irreversible, blowing up the site’s tunnels, sealing the entrances and removing test site facilities and equipment was nevertheless a serious step toward denuclearization. What possessed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to take this step now? Step Aboard China’s First Nuclear Missile Submarine. It Was a Total Disaster. The National InterestKyle Mizokami 5/31/18 While China’s first ballistic-missile submarine was meant to be a real, operational submarine and part of China’s nuclear deterrent, the obstacles encountered during construction forced lower expectations.