TOP NEWS Underground areas identified at the Yongbyon nuclear facility: Purpose unknown 38 North A year later, Iran finds evaporating sympathy at the U.N. New York Times Will nuclear weapons make a comeback? Foreign Affairs United States Trump’s new Iran sanctions tie Democrats’ hands on nuclear deal reentry Al-Monitor9/20/19 Although Congress first slapped sanctions on Iran’s central bank in 2011, the additional designation under the Treasury Department’s counterterrorism authority could set up political roadblocks for most Democratic presidential candidates who have vowed to lift sanctions and reenter the nuclear deal. Middle East Zarif doubtful if U.S. will join Iran nuclear meeting in New York Radio Farda9/21/19 Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in New York that he has received no proposal about a possible participation of the United States in an upcoming meeting of the signatories of the nuclear deal to be held in New York. For Trump, long odds on securing new U.N. action against Iran Wall Street Journal9/22/19 The U.S. plans to make Iran’s ‘exploratory violence’ a theme of this year’s U.N. General Assembly following Tehran’s alleged missile strike on Saudi oil facilities A year later, Iran finds evaporating sympathy at the U.N. New York Times9/23/19 Mr. Rouhani has promised a carefully calibrated and easily reversible program of further violations, until the Europeans pay up. But the further he goes, the more the agreement gets hollowed out. East Asia Underground areas identified at the Yongbyon nuclear facility: Purpose unknown 38 North9/19/19 Two previously unidentified underground complexes have now been identified at Yongbyon based on the presence of tunnel entrances and visible spoil piles, which have become far less obvious with time. North Korea envoy hails Bolton’s ouster and Trump’s talk of a new approach New York Times9/20/19 North Korea’s new envoy to nuclear talks with the United States on Friday welcomed the ouster of President Trump’s former National Security Adviser, John R. Bolton, and the president’s suggestion that Washington would use a “new method” in negotiating with the North. Russia Pompeo to meet with Russia’s top diplomat Lavrov at U.N. Agence France Presse9/23/19 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will on Friday meet with top Russian diplomat Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the state department announced Sunday. Analysis/Opinion Will nuclear weapons make a comeback? Foreign AffairsEric Brewer, CSIS PONI Deputy Director 9/23/19 Washington is by no means powerless—but it needs to wake up to how geopolitical shifts are chipping away at decades of efforts to prevent proliferation. Russia and America wanted ‘nuclear reactors’ with wings National InterestCaleb Larson 9/21/19 The Tu-95LAL and the Convair NB-36H carried onboard nuclear reactors in the Cold War. Stealth F-35: America’s next nuclear bomber? National InterestKris Osborn 9/20/19 The F-35 would be an important addition to the nuclear triad. Just how many nuclear facilities is Iran hiding? National InterestTzvi Kahn 9/20/19 Iran is still not fully cooperating with international inspectors over its nuclear program. Get rid of nuclear weapons Chicago TribuneOlivia Alperstein 9/20/19 The U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, known as the nuclear ban treaty, was approved by 122 nations in 2017. To date, 70 nations have signed the treaty, and 26 have ratified it.