Top News: UN nuclear watchdog warns on North Korea and Iran DW REPORT: Chinese strategy and military forces in 2021 CSIS U.S. and Europe dismiss IAEA warning in hope of reviving Iran nuclear deal Guardian United States Lawrence Livermore team looks at nuclear weapon effects for near-surface detonations Lawrence Livermore6/7/21 A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) team has taken a closer look at how nuclear weapon blasts close to the Earth’s surface create complications in their effects and apparent yields. Nuclear weapons spending swelled $1.4 billion amid pandemic Economic Times of India6/7/21 Even as the pandemic raged and economies around the world were devastated, nuclear-armed countries last year increased spending on atomic weapon arsenals by 1.4 billion dollars, campaigners said Monday. ANALYSIS: The art of negotiating non-strategic nuclear weapons Stanford CISACSteven Pifer 6/4/21 As Washington develops its negotiating approach, it should consult closely with allies, bearing in mind that the approach could have a major impact on their security perceptions. OPINION: Not even covid-19 could slow down nuclear spending The InterceptJon Schwarz 6/7/21 A new report finds that nine countries collectively spent $72 billion in 2020 on nukes. OPINION: What Biden’s nuclear posture review is missing The Cipher BriefWalter Pincus 6/7/21 Seven years ago, in June 2014, the Obama administration announced it would retire the B-83 and replace it with the proposed B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb, the first of which was to be produced in 2020. East Asia REPORT: Chinese strategy and military forces in 2021 CSISAnthony Cordesman 6/7/21 There is no simple way to introduce the challenge that China’s strategic presence and growing military capabilities pose in competing with the United States. BRIEF: Prospects on Biden administration’s North Korea policy ASAN InstituteCha Du Hyeogn 6/8/21 On April 30 (U.S. local time), the Biden administration proclaimed the outline of new direction for North Korea policy. Middle East Blinken says unclear if Iran prepared to return to compliance with nuclear deal Xinhua6/8/21 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that it remains unclear if Tehran is willing to take steps to return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal. Iran nuclear ‘breakout time’ could be weeks if not restrained -Blinken Reuters6/7/21 The United States still does not know whether Iran is ready to resume compliance with its 2015 nuclear deal and if Tehran continues to violate the pact, the “breakout time” it needs to amass enough fissile material for a single nuclear weapon will shrink to weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday. U.S. and Europe dismiss IAEA warning in hope of reviving Iran nuclear deal Guardian6/7/21 UN officials unsure whether Iran building nuclear weapons but UK, France, Germany and US push for breakthrough in talks IAEA urges Iran to explain uranium particles at undeclared sites BBC6/7/21 The head of the global nuclear watchdog is deeply concerned that Iran has still not explained the presence of uranium particles at three undeclared sites. UN nuclear watchdog warns on North Korea and Iran DW 6/7/21 IAEA Director Rafael Grossi says Pyongyang may be reprocessing plutonium and warns that Iran’s lack of compliance is hurting prospects for salvaging the JCPOA. Russia and Europe ANALYSIS: The Biden-Putin summit: what is ‘strategic stability’ and why is it important to U.S.-Russia relations? NTIMark Melamed 6/7/21 https://www.nti.org/analysis/atomic-pulse/the-biden-putin-summit-what-is-strategic-stability-and-why-is-it-important-to-us-russia-relations