Top News: It will be ‘very hard to reverse’ Iran’s nuclear progress if JCPOA not restored, Blinken says Tehran Times ANALYSIS: Reading the nuclear tea leaves: Policy and posture in the Biden Administration CSIS PONI U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt destroyers to carry 12 hypersonic weapons in 2025 The Diplomat United States ANALYSIS: Reading the nuclear tea leaves: Policy and posture in the Biden Administration CSIS PONIRebecca Hersman, Joseph Rodgers 6/14/21 The nuclear policy community is once again in the grips of pervasive anxiety that U.S. nuclear policy—encompassing force modernization decisions, declaratory policy, and perceptions of adversary nuclear threat and risk—is either about to dramatically change or fail to change as dramatically as it should. U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt destroyers to carry 12 hypersonic weapons in 2025 The Diplomat6/15/21 In April, the U.S. Navy’s top admiral revealed that it would deploy hypersonic weapons on its advanced Zumwalt-class destroyers by 2025. OPINION: Why the Biden administration must not trade away homeland missile defense Defense News6/14/21 The current ground-based missile defense system has languished over the past few years, which saw a plan to upgrade already existing interceptors canceled in 2019 amid technical difficulties. OPINION: Why Biden and Putin should restart talks on strategic stability and nuclear arms control Just SecurityDaryl Kimball 6/14/21 The June 16 summit in Geneva between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin — the leaders of the two largest nuclear-weapons states — is a pivotal opportunity to begin reducing the growing risk of nuclear conflict and get back on track to pare their bloated and dangerous nuclear stockpiles, which exceed any realistic requirements for deterrence. East Asia OPINION: Why the Air Force’s plans for fighting China could make nuclear war more likely ForbesLoren Thompson 6/15/21 Late last year, the U.S. Air Force conducted a secret war game testing how it might repulse a Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030. ANALYSIS: North Korean uranium conversion: History and process, part 1 Arms Control WonkJamie Withorne 6/15/21 This is the first of a three part series that aims to provide an in-depth review of North Korea’s uranium conversion capabilities, including addressing what details presently remain unknown. Middle East It will be ‘very hard to reverse’ Iran’s nuclear progress if JCPOA not restored, Blinken says Tehran Times6/14/21 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has acknowledged “that’s right” that Iran has made a lot progress in nuclear industry both in terms of “material” and “knowledge” since the Trump administration quit the nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA, in May 2018. Russia and Europe U.S., Russia envoys discuss Iran nuclear deal ahead of summit Associated Press6/14/21 Delegations from Russia and the United States involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran held talks in Vienna on Monday, two days ahead of a summit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. NATO sees no return to business as usual with Russia Radio Free Europe6/15/21 Leaders of NATO member states have said there could be no return to normal relations between the Western military alliance and Russia until it complies with international law.