Top News: UK decision to build up nuclear arsenal defies disarmament logic: Russian Foreign Ministry TASS China developing hypersonic swarms to overwhelm missile defense Forbes Iran says to cold test redesigned Arak nuclear reactor Reuters United States OPINION: The risk of new military technologies must be properly assessed The HillPaul Bracken 3/18/21 Failure to think about new military technologies makes it more likely that these systems could be used in reckless ways and, if used, could lead to unplanned escalation. East Asia China developing hypersonic swarms to overwhelm missile defense Forbes3/18/21 Chinese researchers are working to network hypersonic weapons into a smart swarm for coordinated attacks. Such swarms would be far more dangerous than the individual missiles that comprise them, multiplying the power of the high-speed weapons. China buys more Iranian and Venezuelan oil, in a test for Biden Wall Street Journal3/19/21 Increased sales and higher prices are helping Tehran and Caracas resist U.S. pressure. OPINION: Hitting nerve with Kim Jong Un regime takes just a few words Wall Street JournalTimothy Martin 3/18/21 Secretary of State Blinken used the phrase the ‘denuclearization of North Korea’ during his trip to the region. Pyongyang called the words part of a ‘lunatic theory.’ Middle East Iran says to cold test redesigned Arak nuclear reactor Reuters3/19/21 Iran will cold test its redesigned Arak nuclear reactor as prelude to fully commissioning it later in the year, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said on Friday. Biden’s window with Iran is starting to close Washington Post3/18/21 Time may be running out for a meaningful opening with Iran. Russia and Europe UK decision to build up nuclear arsenal defies disarmament logic: Russian Foreign Ministry TASS3/18/21 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that these decisions of the official London must be taken into account regarding the Russian-US strategic balance ANALYSIS: Reversing course: the UK’s decision to increase the cap on nuclear warheads NTIJames McKeon 3/19/21 Earlier this week, the UK government shocked nuclear observers by announcing it will increase the cap on its overall nuclear weapon stockpile from “not more than 180 by the mid 2020s” to “no more than 260 warheads” – a 44 percent increase from the previous target. OPINION: Boris Johnson is playing a dangerous nuclear game The GuardianSerhii Plokhy 3/19/21 Britain has joined an uncontrolled arms race in a world more unstable and unpredictable than even during the cold war.