Lawmakers Wary of Frustrating Iran Nuclear Talks

July 28, 2014 | Edited by Lauren Mladenka

A letter too far - “It's not usually hard to get lawmakers to agree to tough language on Iran,” writes Clara Ritger in Global Security Newswire. “But a letter outlining the conditions Iran must meet in order for Congress to be willing to provide sanctions relief appears to have gone too far. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham were seeking signatures by July 16 for the letter, backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, that was first distributed July 11. Two weeks later -- and one week after the six-nation negotiating group announced it had extended the nuclear talks with Iran to Nov. 24 -- the letter still has not been sent to President Obama.”

--“Some senators are wary that affixing their signature to the document would frustrate the nuclear talks and would mean that they must condemn any deal that does not meet all of the enumerated criteria. Among those are a 20-year, intrusive inspections regime that would allow the members of the P5+1 to independently verify Iranian compliance and the requirement that Iran disclose the full extent of its nuclear program before receiving sanctions relief from Congress. The letter also states that Congress expects to phase in the sanctions relief because it does not trust Iran to respect the terms of the deal.”

--“But leaders on both sides of the aisle in the relevant committees -- Banking, Foreign Relations, and Armed Services -- refuse to sign on. ‘I don't want to do anything to undermine the negotiations,’ said Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the chair of the Armed Services Committee. ‘I think it's a mistake to put in stone what I would vote against unless certain criteria were met.’” Full article here. http://bit.ly/1lMV2Pw

Nuclear madness - Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver takes apart the nuclear weapons enterprise. Hilarity ensues. http://bit.ly/1nNBlg8

Tweet - @cirincione: "Shouldn't we at the very least reduce our nuclear arsenal down to a size where we can manage it properly?" asks @iamjohnoliver

Overrated - “Nuclear weapons have, in an important sense, dominated international diplomacy for the last six decades,” writes Robert Farley in The National Interest. “What they haven’t dominated is warfare, where they appear to be nearly useless in all configurations.”

--“We very occasionally make veiled threats of the combat use of nukes, we often use nukes as diplomatic chips, and we certainly enjoy the deterrent umbrella than the strategic nuclear forces provide. But the weapons themselves haven’t helped us win a war since 1945, even then under arguable circumstances.” Full article on the most overrated weapons of war, including nuclear weapons, national missile defense, the A-10, Tomahawk cruise missiles and Predator Drones here. http://bit.ly/1Ai2Ylx

Tweet - @armscontrolnow: "Why Gulf states seek status quo from Iran nuclear negotiations" reporting/analysis via Christian Science Monitor http://bit.ly/1o6dRgk

Win-win - “Skeptics of the Iran nuclear talks view the recently announced extension of negotiations as a setback,” writes Alexandra Toma in The Hill. “But the extension is actually a win-win for the U.S: Iran’s nuclear program remains frozen and we get extra time to work on eliminating the possibility of an Iranian bomb. Policymakers in Washington should support the work of our diplomats in Vienna and refrain from actions that could undermine the talks.”

--“Diplomatic victories are an essential part of the American legacy. We have the greatest fighting force in the world, but we must take equal pride in our diplomats and lawmakers who go to great lengths to avoid armed conflict that will put our troops in harm’s way. Supporting these continued negotiations will keep us safe and out of war. Congress should recognize that and make every effort to take advantage of this opportunity for a diplomatic victory.” Full piece here. http://bit.ly/UFISk5

Tweet - @CNS_Updates: Success on #IranTalksVienna is possible. The latest from @VCDNP outlines some win-win solutions. w/ @DarylGKimball bit.ly/Ux16V8

Another launch - “North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un guided the military’s latest rocket-firing drill, state media said Sunday, confirming the missile launch which was conducted in defiance of UN censure,” AFP reports. “Saturday’s launch was the first since the UN Security Council on July 17 officially condemned Pyongyang for its recent series of ballistic missile tests, in violation of UN resolutions.”

--“The launch was intended to mark the July 27 anniversary of the ceasefire agreement at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.” Full article here. http://bit.ly/1rXBaOE

Preferring the unaffordable - “A high-ranking official in the Energy Department said the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication facility, or MOX, under construction at the Savannah River Site is the ‘preferred solution’ to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium if sustained funding is available over time, despite the federal government’s efforts to place the project in a cold stand-by.”

--“Sherwood-Randall spoke to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday and was quoted as saying the problem with MOX is not the technical viability of the program, but rather the funding scope. Sherwood-Randall’s comments come two weeks after the White House threatened to veto a U.S. House bill partly because it includes $345 million in funding for construction of the Savannah River Site facility – $149 million more than President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget request.” Derrek Asberry has the story in the Aiken Standard. http://bit.ly/1pm0Qn2

Fiery threat - “Smoldering garbage in a landfill could be creeping closer to an area where old nuclear weapons materials are buried,” Global Security Newswire reports. “A Missouri Natural Resources Department consultant warned in June that subterranean temperature data collected at the West Lake municipal dumping grounds in Bridgeton, Mo., indicated that slowly burning trash could be creeping closer to one section of the landfill where thousands of tons of uranium-contaminated waste is located.”

--“An Environmental Protection Agency report issued in recent months said that were the radioactive waste heated enough, it could lead to the release of higher levels of radioactive radon in the air.” Full piece here. http://bit.ly/1o62ntf

Quick-hits:

--“India’s Additional Protocol Enters into Force” from the IAEA. http://bit.ly/1nQHFSH

--“Generation Prague: An Overview” by Harry Halem in Arms Control Wonk. http://bit.ly/1kiOr4z

--“Justice Dept. Moves to Shield Anti-Iran Group’s Files” by Matt Apuzzo for The New York Times. http://nyti.ms/UFJeqS

--“GOP Members Push Expanded, Expensive Missile Defense Against Russia, China” by Gabrielle Tarini in Nukes of Hazard. http://bit.ly/UxiiKn

Events:

--“Nuclear Politics on the Korean Peninsula.” Discussion with seven speakers. July 28 from 3:00 to 5:15 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW. RSVP here. http://ceip.org/1sTSpjA

--“Iran: Status of the P5+1” Hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Panel One features Wendy Sherman and David Cohen. Panel Two features Gary Samore, olli Heinonen and Michael Singh. July 29 at 10:00 am. http://1.usa.gov/1pSzZhb

--“Protecting the Homeland from Nuclear and Radiological Threats.” Hearing from House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies. Testimony from Huban Gowadia and David Trimble. July 29 at 2:00 at 311 Cannon House Office Building. Webcast available on the committee website. http://1.usa.gov/UgkoOw

--“Iran Nuclear Negotiations: From Extension to Final Agreement?” Hearing of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Testimony from Wendy Sherman and David Cohen. July 29 at 2:00 at 2172 Rayburn House Office Building. Webcast available on the committee website. http://1.usa.gov/1nC8jyk

--“Hiroshima Peace Commemoration.” Sponsored by the DC Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Committee. August 5 at 6:30 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, 1964 Independence Ave., SW, Washington.

--“The Nuclear Zero Lawsuits: Why the Tiny Marshall Islands Took on the Nuclear Nine.” Discussion with Rick Wayman, Neisen Laukon, and Erica Fein. August 6 from 3:00 to 4:00. Registration for online webinar available here. http://bit.ly/1k8nf8p