Iran Keeps Up Its End of the Bargain

Iran keeping to terms - “Iran has met a key commitment under a preliminary nuclear deal setting up the current talks on a final agreement, leaving it with several tons less of the material it could use to make weapons, according to a U.N. report issued Wednesday,” the AP reports. “The confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report said more than four tons of the enriched uranium had been fed into a pipeline that ends with conversion of it into oxide, which is much less likely to be used to make nuclear arms.

--A U.S. “official said that technical problems by Iran had slowed the process but the United States was satisfied that Iran had met its commitments to reduce the amount of enriched uranium it has stored… Iran's meeting conditions of the preliminary deal is an important benchmark as the talks go into the final stage of talks on an agreement meant to put long-term caps on Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief of economic penalties.” Full story here. http://nyti.ms/1RTKH45

2-1 Support - “By a 2-to-1 margin, more Americans support the United States and other world powers pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran than oppose it, according to new results from the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll,” writes Jessica Washington for NBC News.

--“Thirty-six percent of respondents say they back the deal, which intends to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon by allowing inspections into the country's nuclear sites in exchange for reducing economic sanctions that are currently in place. By comparison, 17 percent oppose it.” Full report here. http://nbcnews.to/1T2EpSe

Tweet - @SojoPeace: 40 Organizations to Congress: Support the Iran Deal! "The American public ... does not want another war." http://bit.ly/1Hzy6nc

Christians voice support for Iran deal - “The Iran Nuclear Framework, supported by many Christian leaders in the U.S., is seen as an opportunity to ‘dramatically restrain the capacity of Iran to acquire nuclear weapons’... The agreement mandates intrusive international inspections, with unique provisions for prolonged transparency and accountancy measures. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will have regular access to all of Iran’s nuclear facilities and will install the most up-to-date, modern remote monitoring technologies.”

--“This deal is a big win for the United States and also will benefit Iran as it complies with the terms and re-engages with the international community. As Christian leaders said in their statement of support for the agreement: Hope, but verify.” Read full story by David Cortright for Sojourners Magazine. http://bit.ly/1T8cosh

Amano talks PMD with Iran - Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, “is traveling to Iran on Wednesday to talk to President Hassan Rouhani [and other Iranian officials] about his nation's past nuclear activities and suspected weapons work,” writes Oren Dorell for USA Today.

--“‘Discussions are expected to address ongoing cooperation between the IAEA and the Islamic Republic of Iran’ in accordance with a framework agreement signed in April, the statement said. They will also talk about ‘how to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues related to Iran's nuclear program, including clarification of possible military dimensions.’” Read the full story here . http://usat.ly/1CMTYnD

Iran talks overcoming hurdles - “Envoys negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran have resolved differences over reimposing United Nations sanctions in the event of cheating, as work on drafting a potentially historic agreement continued in Vienna,” write Jonathan Tirone, Indira Lakshmanan and Henry Meyer for Bloomberg. A snap-back mechanism, allowing the UN Security Council “to periodically approve a resolution maintaining sanctions relief” is one of several potential measures under review should Iran appear to violate the terms of the agreement.

--“While Iran is poised to win relief from curbs on its economy once a deal is verifiably implemented, the U.S and European nations have been adamant about maintaining a sanctions threat.” Iran has sought to resolve previous sticking points, including increased cooperation with the IAEA “to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, including clarification of possible military dimensions.”Full story here: http://bloom.bg/1T8bs7d

Tweet - @ReThinkDefense: What will Iran do w sanctions relief? Find out here: http://bit.ly/1H3tl1G Spoiler: It won’t be the catastrophe #IranDeal critics say

Boomer Base Boost - “Upgrades to the Russian Navy’s ballistic nuclear missile submarine (SSBN) base in the Pacific could be completed by October, Russian Navy chief Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Wednesday according to Russian state-controlled media. The improvements to the Russian Navy’s boomer base on the Kamchatka peninsula will include improvements that will allow the operation of the new Project 955 Borei-class submarines.”

--“The next Borei — Knyaz Vladimir — is designated as a Project 955A Borei II and could field up to 20 Bulava missiles…The planned class of eight boats will serve as the backbone of the Russian sea-based nuclear deterrence force.” Full story by Sam LaGrone for USNI News here. http://bit.ly/1f5dXZG

A waste of breath - "Rhetoric about nuclear weapons is heating up between Washington and Moscow, but there is no need to reinstate the foolish and wasteful arms race that dominated the Cold War period,” writes Walter Pincus for The Washington Post. “For one reason, the security challenges have changed. Having 1,500 or more deployed U.S. nuclear warheads... will not help a U.S. president defeat terrorists or deal with proxy wars somewhere in the world.”

--“There are also the astronomical costs to consider. “Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the cost for all that modernization would average $18 billion a year from 2021 through 2035 — or $252 billion over that 14-year period. That annual average is nearly double the proposed nuclear weapons spending for next year and would mean 7 percent of the entire Defense Department budget would be devoted in those out years just to the nuclear weapons program, up from around 3 percent today.”

--“The real question now should be why does the United States need that many new delivery systems and that many deployed nuclear warheads and bombs for the coming decades?” Read full article here. http://wapo.st/1Juwtay

Quick Hit:

--“Dispelling Myths of Sanctions Relief Under Iran Nuclear Deal,” by Tyler Cullis. http://bit.ly/1FRiNij

Events:

—“India’s Evolving Nuclear Force and Doctrine,” featuring Frank O’Donnell, Jogesh Joshi and George Perkovich. Wednesday July 8 from 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Located at Carnegie Endowment, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC. RSVP here.

Dessert:

Nuclear testing cartoon! - “Henry Reich at MinutePhysics, a YouTube-based platform for explanatory videos, examines the efforts of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization to monitor the world for nuclear explosions. Reich explains the science behind the CTBTO’s International Monitoring System... [and] how the failure of eight countries to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty hampers the work of the CTBTO.” Watch full video here. http://bit.ly/1GQMErK