Human Rights Group Endorses Iran Deal

The view from Iran - “Civil society in Iran remains steadfast and unequivocal in its support for the nuclear negotiations,” shows a new study by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “Iranian civil society has spoken, and they want peace and re-engagement with the world,” said Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director of the Campaign. “If an accord is reached, the world must stand by the people of Iran in their next endeavor: the realization of their basic rights and freedoms.” Full story here. http://bit.ly/1Iwt31d

Tweet - @Cirincione: Take a breath. Reject the hype. Get the facts. New web site gives you what you need. http://t.co/WNApVFas6v

More time acceptable - Officials have publicly acknowledged that they are willing to go past a June 30 deadline in order to reach a final nuclear deal, “insisting they could still unblock remaining obstacles in coming days.” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif told reporters on Monday. “We discussed how we can expedite the discussions in Vienna for the next few difficult days… If there is political will… there is a good possibility that we can finish this by the deadline or a few days after the deadline.” Full story here. http://on.wsj.com/1CqAogO

Tweet - @Cirincione: Can't stop crazies from spreading appallingly inaccurate claim in NYT today by deal critic, but just know it's nuts http://nyti.ms/1SFvYfh

5 criteria for a deal - In weighing whether or not a final, comprehensive agreement supports U.S. interests and security concerns, Congress should measure the deal against the following five criteria, which the Center for American Progress previously laid out in April:

--Does it cut off all of Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon, including through uranium enrichment at the Fordow and Natanz facilities, plutonium production at Arak, and a covert program?

--Is the agreement verifiable through a rigorous international inspections regime of Iran’s entire nuclear supply chain and facilities?

--Is international sanctions relief tied to a clear demonstration of Iran fulfilling its commitments in a deal, and can sanctions be put back in place swiftly without being unilaterally blocked by China or Russia?

--Does it allow the United States the continued ability to counter Iranian support for terrorism or human rights abuses?

--Does it keep all U.S. options on the table to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon?

--“If U.S. negotiators are able to reach a final agreement with Iran that fulfills these five criteria... [it] should be approved by Congress without hesitation.” Read the full analysis here. http://ampr.gs/1Rt5xXJ

Tweet - @DarylGKimball: "The Verification Challenge: Iran and the IAEA." In-depth analysis from Thomas Shea in Arms Control Today. #IranTalks http://bit.ly/1K9FJ46

Kazakhstan’s nuclear fuel bank - Kazakhstan’s new planned nuclear fuel bank has the potential to reduce nonproliferation by providing access to nuclear fuel to countries wishing to pursue peaceful nuclear power. “Access to a reliable fuel bank would help undercut arguments that countries need to develop indigenous enrichment capabilities to support their peaceful nuclear energy programs,” argues Dr. Phillip C. Bleek for The National Interest.

--The new fuel bank would be located in a former Soviet military fuel enrichment facility which once produced fuel for Soviet submarine reactors. “It seems a fitting swords-to-plowshares development that a facility that once produced fuel for nuclear submarines now has the chance to play a key role in reducing the spread of nuclear weapons,” Dr. Bleek notes. http://bit.ly/1FyyNFC

Rep. Forbes on nukes - Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Committee, answers five questions on nukes and subs for War on the Rocks.“70% of the U.S. nuclear deterrent is going to be carried by our next-generation ballistic missile submarines. This is not a Navy mission — it is a national, strategic mission that happens to be carried out by the U.S. Navy,” notes Rep. Forbes.

--Rep. Forbes also voices support for the controversial National Sea-Based Deterrent Fund, a separate budgetary fund for the Ohio Class Submarine Replacement Program (ORP), arguing that the fund “can function like a piggy bank, and DoD can start saving up its spare change for those years in the 2020s and 2030s when the ORP’s multi-billion procurement bills start coming due.” Full interview here. http://bit.ly/1K6WGvY

Experts disagree on tactical nukes- A new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) argues that the U.S. should invest in smaller, tactical nuclear weapons. “Forward deploying a robust set of discriminate nuclear response options conveys the message that the United States will ‘respond in kind’ and proportionately to nuclear attacks on its allies,” writes CSIS advisor Clark Murdock, one of the report’s principal authors.

--Some of the report’s other eight authors disagree. In the report’s dissent, Barry Blechman and Russell Rumbaugh of the Stimson Center argue that “given U.S. conventional military superiority, nuclear weapons serve no military role for the United States beyond deterring nuclear attacks on itself and its allies.” Full report available here. http://bit.ly/1Rt70gA

Quick Hits:

--“Nun who broke into Tennessee nuclear facility likely to stay free,” by Mary Wisniewski for Reuters. http://reut.rs/1IwroIV

--“France wants strong nuclear deal with Iran,” by Adrian Croft and Philip Blenkinsop for Reuters. http://reut.rs/1FyEIKM

Events:

--Panel of historians on "The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb." June 23, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibition, American University, Katzen Arts Center, Third Floor, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington. http://bit.ly/1CqE7L8

--Defense Secretary Ashton Carter attends a NATO defense ministers meeting. June 24-25 Brussels.

--"Annual Global Missile Defense Conference." Retired Gen. James Cartwright, former Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Patrick O'Reilly, former director, Missile Defense Agency; Frank Rose, Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance; and other speakers. June 25 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Atlantic Council, 12th Floor, 1030 15th St. NW, Washington. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1ByCRun

--Elbridge Colby, Center for a New American Security, "A Resurgent Russia: Its Strategy and Strategic Posture, Implications for U.S. and NATO," and retired Maj. Gen. William Chambers, "Northeast Asian Challenges for US Security: BMD and Nuclear Dimensions." June 25, 8:00-9:00 a.m.At the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First St. SE, Washington D.C. RSVP here. http://conta.cc/1FfEoXT

--Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hearing on "Evaluating Key Components of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action With Iran," with David Albright, Institute for Science and International Security; Ray Takeyh, Council on Foreign Relations; and Jim Walsh, MIT. June 25, 10:00 am 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington. Webcast here. http://1.usa.gov/1N9GV5I

--House Armed Services Committee, hearing on "Nuclear Deterrence in the 21st Century," with Adm. James Winnefeld Jr., Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman; Robert Work, Deputy Defense Secretary; and Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Deputy Energy Secretary. June 25, 10:00 a.m. 2118 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington. Webcast here. http://1.usa.gov/1fwRa9a

--Robin Wright, Wilson Center; Suzanne Maloney, Brookings Institution; and Karim Sadjadpour, Carnegie Endowment, "Rouhani at Two Years: An Assessment on the Cusp of a Nuclear Deal." June 25 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Wilson Center, Fifth Floor, Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington. RSVP here: http://bit.ly/1IbYL8e. Webcast here: http://bit.ly/1ByEI2c.

Dessert:

Armageddon’s photo album - “Sprinkled throughout the back roads of America are the remains of Armageddon,” writes Jim Lo Scalzo for Vice News. “Or what could have been Armageddon had the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union suddenly gone hot.”

--“The ghosts of America's atomic arsenal, from development to deployment, are accessible if you know where to look… Collectively, these sites are a visible reminder of America's nuclear history — a time when the threat of doomsday was as much a part of the landscape as the national psyche.” See the full photo collection here. http://bit.ly/1FtCfBe