Top News Coronavirus puts Iran nuclear deal monitoring at risk Bloomberg LANL pit plant would generate much less transuranic waste than Savannah River Site, NNSA estimates Exchange Monitor N. Korea may be ready to test more advanced ICBM: U.S. general Yonhap News United States LANL pit plant would generate much less transuranic waste than Savannah River Site, NNSA estimates Exchange Monitor3/12/20 A facility planned for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico could produce more nuclear-warhead cores while generating less transuranic waste than the plutonium pit factory planned at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, according to environmental documents published this year by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Congress passes Iran war limit, baiting Trump veto Defense News3/11/20 The U.S. House approved a bipartisan, Senate-passed measure Wednesday aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military operations against Iran. U.S. angered by Europe’s refusal to extend sanctions on Iran Jerusalem Post3/12/20 The U.S. State Department has expressed its outrage at the European Union for refusing to set greater international coordination on maintaining the sanctions regime aimed towards pressuring Iran over its continued sponsorship of terrorism and developing ballistic missile program. ANALYSIS: Strategy after deterrence Center for Strategic International StudiesJames Lewis 3/12/20 One dilemma (among several) for U.S. strategic thinking is the still-powerful influence of the dead hand of Cold War thought. East Asia N. Korea may be ready to test more advanced ICBM: U.S. general Yonhap News3/13/20 North Korea’s recent engine testing suggests the regime may be ready to test a more advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that could pose a greater threat to the United States, a U.S. general said Thursday. Middle East Coronavirus puts Iran nuclear deal monitoring at risk Bloomberg3/12/20 The rapid spread of coronavirus in Iran means atomic inspectors need the remote-monitoring powers they received under the beleaguered nuclear deal more than ever. U.S. gives details on Iran sites under scrutiny of U.N. nuclear watchdog Reuters3/13/20 One of the three sites in Iran about which the U.N. nuclear watchdog says it has raised questions that Tehran has failed to answer may have hosted uranium metal, the United States said on Wednesday, providing new details on the locations. Russia/Europe Russian defense firm delivers regiment set of S-400 systems ahead of schedule TASS3/12/20 Russia’s top brass has received the first regiment set of S-400 ‘Triumf’ anti-aircraft missile systems this year from Almaz-Antey defense manufacturer, the Company’s press office reported on Thursday. Multilateral Arms Control OPINION: Time to think about Hiroshima and Nagasaki again CounterpuchKenneth Surin 3/12/20 In 2018 the Trump administration published its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the highlight of which was the option of using low-yield nuclear weapons even in response to a non-nuclear attack.