Foreign Policy Experts Endorse the Iran Deal

National security leaders praise Iran Deal anniversary - “In a letter to President Barack Obama shared with POLITICO, more than 75 high-profile signatories praise the controversial nuclear accord and urge the president to bring the U.S. and Iran even closer together. Spearheaded by The Iran Project, a group dedicated to improving U.S.-Iran relations while preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the letter’s signatories include retired Sens. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), J. Bennett Johnston (D-La.) and Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.), as well as former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.),” writes Louis Nelson for Politico.

--“‘The U.S. should develop policies that increase the chances of cooperation with Iran, minimize confrontation, and influence Iran’s actions in the region,’ the letter reads. ‘We acknowledge that opportunities will be limited for testing Iran’s willingness to work directly with the U.S. due to the political uncertainties in both countries in the coming year, but engagement should be the U.S. government’s long-term goal.’” Read the full article here. http://politi.co/29sq7gy

Read the Iran Project letter - “Letter to the President on the Anniversary of the Nuclear Agreement with Iran,” with over 75 signatories including former ambassadors, former members of congress, generals and Nobel laureates. http://bit.ly/29A80T1

Chance for more progress with Iran - “Only four years ago, the Iranian nuclear program was consistently referred to as the United States’ number one national security threat. Senior U.S. officials put the risk of an Israeli attack on Iran at 50–50, a confrontation that the United States would quickly get dragged into. A war that was even more destabilizing than the Iraq invasion was not just a possibility; it seemed likely. Today, however, the talk of war is gone. Even the hawkish government of Netanyahu has gone silent on the matter,” writes Trita Parsi for Foreign Affairs.

--“Although the deal has been remarkably successful in achieving its explicit goals—halting, and even reversing, Iran’s nuclear advances while avoiding a costly and risky war with Tehran—its true value in rebalancing U.S. relationships in the Persian Gulf and creating a broader opening with Iran may be squandered once Obama leaves office. If Obama’s successor returns to the United States’ old ways in the Middle East while hardliners in Tehran stymie outreach to the West, these unique and historic opportunities will be wasted.” Full piece here. http://fam.ag/29G7QeB

See also - “One year on: The Iran deal has fulfilled its promise,” by Shemuel Meir for +972 Magazine. http://bit.ly/29G8zwj

Tweet - @ArmsControlNow: .@KingstonAReif reports for #ArmsControlToday: Pentagon Completes Missile Defense Study https://t.co/BiCcfKmXwh

Obama looks to keep Prague Promise- “In recent weeks, the national security Cabinet members known as the Principals Committee held two meetings to review options for executive actions on nuclear policy. Many of the options on the table are controversial, but by design none of them require formal congressional approval. No final decisions have been made, but Obama is expected to weigh in personally soon,” writes Josh Rogin for The Washington Post.

--“‘It’s pretty clear the Prague agenda has stalled,’ said Joe Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, which supports groups advocating for nuclear nonproliferation. ‘There isn’t anything that the president does that isn’t criticized by his opponents, so he might as well do what he wants. He’s relishing his last days in office.’” Full article here. http://wapo.st/29wWvju

Tweet - @KelseyDav: Looking forward to discussing Almighty with @MrDanZak on Thursday @Politics_Prose! http://bit.ly/29BE3SW

Don’t miss the Timbie Forum - Make sure to attend this year’s James Timbie Forum on Arms Control and Nonproliferation on July 14 and 15. The event’s first day will feature a keynote by William Perry, the 19th U.S. Secretary of Defense and others. The second day will feature Colin Kahl, National Security Advisor to Vice President Biden, Sharon Squassoni of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and others. Register here. http://bit.ly/28Mit1u

Quick Hits:

--“Here’s what could happen if a President Trump tore up the Iran nuclear deal,” by William Spaniel for The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/29z7Ds7

--“North Korea: High-Level of Activity at Nuclear Test Site Portal but Purpose is Unclear,” by Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. for 38 North. http://bit.ly/2a5Bg3X

--“Theresa May's first job: decide on UK's nuclear response,” by Richard Norton-Taylor for The Guardian. http://bit.ly/29BswE7

--“The grave nuclear risk of North Korean instability,” by Andrei Lankov for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. http://bit.ly/29TZv8Q

Events:

--Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, hearing on "Nuclear Cruise Missile Budget," with William Perry, former Defense Secretary; John Hamre, former Deputy Defense Secretary; Franklin Miller, former Senior Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control, National Security Council; Adm. Cecil Haney, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command; Rose Gottemoeller, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security; Madelyn Creedon, Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; and Robert Scher, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities. July 13 at 10:30 a.m. at 138 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington. Webcast on the committee website. http://bit.ly/29Kxkry

--“Nuclear Proliferation Success and Failure: Iran and North Korea webinar,” Mark Fitzpatrick, International Institute for Strategic Studies. July 14 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. BST, RSVP online. http://bit.ly/2978mP9

--“The Iran Nuclear Deal One Year Later: Maximizing or Minimizing the Opening?” with six speakers. July 14 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at 340 Cannon House Office Building, Washington. Sponsored by the National Iranian American Council. RSVP online. http://bit.ly/29TFMGt

--The James Timbie Forum for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. At the State Department (July 14) and George Washington University (July 15). Register here. http://bit.ly/28Mit1u

Dessert:

The internet’s nuclear history - “Behind every Rickroll is a technology designed at the height of the Cold War to guarantee nuclear annihilation. Since the late 1990s, this technology has gone by vague names like ‘differentiated services,’ ‘AF41,’ and ‘CS5.’ But the manuals still use their old names: precedence, a system for making certain the most critical messages would always get through; Flash Override, designed to allow the President to reliably control nuclear weapons after a surprise Soviet attack; and CRITIC/ECP, a priority so high that even the US Strategic Air Command never used it,” writes Yonatan Zunger for Motherboard.

--“So remember next time you’re streaming an old X-Files episode on Netflix that you’re actually using a mechanism designed to ensure that nuclear war could be reliably fought, even if it had to be done from a modified Boeing 707 after Washington was destroyed. The truth, in this case, is in there.” Full piece here. http://bit.ly/29twOyS