TOP NEWS Trump leaves open possibility of easing Iranian sanctions to spur nuclear talks New York Times Taking a closer look at the Abadeh site Arms Control Wonk Group statement on nuclear arms control European Leadership Network Middle East Trump leaves open possibility of easing Iranian sanctions to spur nuclear talks New York Times9/11/19 President Trump appeared to take a step back from his administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran on Wednesday, leaving open the possibility of easing economic sanctions before starting new nuclear negotiations with Tehran. Iran denounces ‘U.S.-Israeli plot’ over nuclear program Reuters9/11/19 Iran has denounced a “U.S.-Israeli plot” to put pressure on the U.N. nuclear watchdog, after the IAEA called in recent days for more cooperation from Tehran following what diplomats say was the detection of uranium particles at an undeclared site. Taking a closer look at the Abadeh site Arms Control WonkFabian Hinz 9/11/19 The facility in question is located at 31.362°N 52.561°E, near the town of Abadeh in Iran’s Fars province. A collection of rather unspectacular buildings, the site offers no signatures that would allow for the clear identification of its purpose, although it does not appear to be a nuclear reactor, reprocessing facility or large-scale enrichment facility. East Asia China urges U.S. to take steps to ensure North Korea talks resume Reuters9/12/19 China urged the United States on Thursday to adopt an approach more conducive to dialogue in response to North Korea’s goodwill in wanting to resume denuclearization talks, and again suggested United Nations sanctions relief be considered for Pyongyang. New environment minister says Japan should stop using nuclear power Reuters9/11/19 Japan’s newly installed environment minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, wants the country to close down nuclear reactors to avoid a repeat of the Fukushima catastrophe in 2011. Commentary/Opinion/Analysis We need a Green New Deal for nuclear weapons Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistsMatt Korda 9/11/19 In stark contrast to the seven-hour climate town hall, nuclear weapons received a measly three minutes during the July debates between 20 Democratic presidential hopefuls, despite the fact that more than 80 percent of recent poll respondents in both Iowa and New Hampshire—the first two Democratic primaries—said they wanted to hear candidates’ views on nuclear weapons. After Trump, the United States should return to Obama’s Iran deal Foreign PolicyEdoardo Saravalle 9/10/19 A new administration could re-enter the accord within 60 days. No nuclear presentation can save Netanyahu from Trump’s willingness to speak with enemies HaaretzNoa Landau 9/10/19 As Trump courts a possible Rouhani meeting, all Netanyahu can do is hope it will wait until after the election. Russian hypersonic missiles have 1 goal (and they might be unstoppable) National InterestMark B. Schneider 9/11/19 The main reason for Russian hypersonic missiles is a nuclear surprise attack – and America has no defense against them. This nuclear submarine freaks Russia out: meet the Astute-class National Interest9/10/19 The Astutes are among the most formidable submarines in the world, and certainly pose a major threat to any Russian designs on the North Atlantic or the Arctic. Special Interest Group statement on nuclear arms control European Leadership Network9/12/19 Ahead of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, over 100 members of the European Leadership Network’s network of political, diplomatic and military figures call on leaders at UNGA to address rising nuclear risk, and renew commitments to international nuclear diplomacy and arms control.