Top News Iran builds new centrifuge rotor factory: nuclear chief Reuters As Russians describe ‘verbal agreements’ at summit, U.S. officials scramble for clarity The Washington Post Trump officials weigh limits on uranium, invoking national security The Washington Post East Asia North Korea hasn’t met its promise to return US war remains The Washington Post7/19/18 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who traveled to Pyongyang this month to press the North Koreans further, said Wednesday the return could begin “in the next couple of weeks.” But it could take months or years to positively identify the bones as those of specific American servicemen US Digs in for Long-Term North Korea Nuclear Talks Voice of America7/19/18 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that reaching a denuclearization deal with North Korea “may take some time.” He spoke during a Cabinet meeting with the president and high-ranking members of his administration. Middle East Iran Says Trump Sought Meeting with President 8 Times at U.N. Last Year The New York Times7/18/18 Iran rejected eight requests from the United States for a meeting of their presidents at the United Nations General Assembly last year, a top Iranian official said Wednesday. European Investment Bank casts doubt on EU plan to salvage nuclear deal Reuters7/18/18 The European Investment Bank’s global operations would be put at risk if it were to invest in Iran, its president said on Wednesday, casting doubt on the EU’s ability to deliver on its pledge to save a nuclear deal with Tehran that Washington has abandoned. Iran builds new centrifuge rotor factory: nuclear chief Reuters7/18/18 Iran has built a factory that can produce rotors for up to 60 centrifuges a day, the head of its atomic agency said on Wednesday, upping the stakes in a confrontation with Washington over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear work. Russia/FSU/Europe As Russians describe ‘verbal agreements’ at summit, U.S. officials scramble for clarity The Washington Post7/18/18 “Important verbal agreements” were reached at the Helsinki meeting, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, told reporters in Moscow Wednesday, including preservation of the New Start and INF agreements, major bilateral arms control treaties whose futures have been in question. Russia urges U.S. to mull easing North Korea sanctions as U.S. seeks action Reuters7/18/18 Russia’s envoy to North Korea said on Wednesday it would be logical to raise the question of easing sanctions on North Korea with the United Nations Security Council, as the United States pushes for a halt to refined petroleum exports to Pyongyang. U.S. Nuclear Policy Trump officials weigh limits on uranium, invoking national security The Washington Post7/18/18 Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross took a first step to expanding the trade war to uranium Wednesday, saying that he would launch an investigation into whether quotas should be used to restrict imports in the name of national security. Opinion and Analysis Back to the Basics: Above and Beyond CVID with North Korea 38 NorthGi-Wook Shin and Joyce Lee 7/18/18 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s high-profile post-summit visit to North Korea—the first to follow Kim and Trump’s initial meeting—ended without much progress, revealing the Trump administration’s struggle to craft a strategy that will jumpstart denuclearization efforts. Some voices on nuclear risk after Helsinki Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists7/18/18 The July 16 summit in Helsinki between the US and Russian presidents shocked many observers. But the meeting also offered those who work on mitigating nuclear risk an unusual opportunity to assess the prospect for arms control and non-proliferation talks between the two countries. Trump’s Vision & NATO’s Future: Streamline The Alliance for Modern War Breaking DefenseDoug MacGregor 7/18/18 President Trump’s harsh words for Germany set the tone for a tense NATO summit — but America’s allies now know they have no right to assume the US will keep cutting fat checks to cover the cost of Europe’s defense. However, it would be wrong for Europeans to conclude that President Trump wants to withdraw all US forces from Europe.