NATO Chief: Russia’s Nuke Threat “Destabilizing and Dangerous”

Russia and NATO- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg decried Russia’s plans to move nuclear forces to Kaliningrad, near the Polish border, and Crimea. "Russia's recent use of nuclear rhetoric, exercises and operations are deeply troubling," Stoltenberg said.

--“When it comes to nuclear weapons, caution, predictability and transparency are vital… Russia's nuclear saber-rattling is unjustified, destabilizing and dangerous,” he warned. Stoltenberg also criticized Russia’s snap military exercises on the Ukrainian border and its “aggressive nationalism” towards its neighbors. AFP has the full story. http://bit.ly/1FiyJuK

--See also: “NATO Secretary General Says Russia’s Nuclear Threats Destabilizing,” by Julian Barnes for The Wall Street Journal. http://on.wsj.com/1QcI64n

Tweet - @ctbto_alerts: #OTD in 1998: #Pakistan conducts a series of #nuclear tests http://bit.ly/1GGAMx8

Home stretch - “US Secretary of State John Kerry is set to launch a final high-stakes diplomatic push to seal a ground-breaking nuclear deal with Iran, as some officials warned Wednesday the negotiations may go beyond a June 30 deadline,” reports Jo Biddle for the AFP. “Kerry will on Saturday once again huddle with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva… seeking to narrow the gaps on what would be an unprecedented deal on curtailing Iran's nuclear program.” Full report here. http://read.bi/1d1Cg97

Tweet - @nukes_of_hazard: Obama’s Chief Negotiator Wendy Sherman in #Iran nuclear talks plans to leave shortly after June deadline #Irandeal http://ow.ly/Ny8jh

Bigger fish - Saudi Arabia’s leaders have become “fixated on containing Iranian power throughout the Middle East, whether real or perceived,” writes Mohamad Bazzi in Reuters. “The Saudis worry that, once economic sanctions are lifted under a nuclear deal, Iran would gain access to tens of billions of dollars in frozen funds and new oil revenue, which Tehran could use to expand its influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.”

--Iran should be the least of their concerns, Bazzi argues. Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni Arab states have other internal problems that threaten the stability of their regimes, including economic, demographic, and social pressures. Full piece here. http://reut.rs/1d1ytbT

IDF chiefs on Iran talks - “Iran poses an existential threat to Israel and is the biggest security concern for the Jewish state. This mantra is constantly repeated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, congressional opponents of the White House’s Iran diplomacy, and Republican presidential hopefuls,” writes Eli Clifton for LobeLog. “But one key group of experts doesn’t buy into that threat assessment: namely, the heads of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

--“The Forward’s J.J. Goldberg reported on Tuesday that: ‘Israel’s military General Staff and intelligence services are in the midst of a series of formal discussions focused on just the opposite assumption: the likelihood that the emerging nuclear agreement between Iran and the major powers could minimize the Iranian threat for an extended period, allowing the military to redirect budgets and resources toward areas of more immediate concern.’” Full story here.http://bit.ly/1LMnSNw

--See also: “What Israel’s Chief of Staff is Worried About - No, It’s Not Iran” by J.J. Goldberg for Forward. http://bit.ly/1cl6e7m

Just like our Congress! - “Iranians have been captivated by a video circulating on social media that shows lawmakers arguing over the ongoing nuclear negotiations with world powers,” The Telegraph reports.

--“The video, which surfaced Monday, shows Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who has led the nuclear talks, and hard-line lawmaker Mahdi Kouchakzadeh in a heated exchange, apparently during a closed session of parliament. The hard-liner calls Zarif a "traitor," … which then prompts an angry reaction from the minister.” Full story here. http://bit.ly/1euXu0d

Under pressure - “The top nuclear envoys of the United States, South Korea and Japan agreed on Wednesday to ratchet up pressure on North Korea, including a more effective and creative enforcement of sanctions on the impoverished country,” reports Choe Sang-Hun for The New York Times.

--“The three allies also said that their efforts to curtail North Korea’s nuclear weapons ambitions would now include increasing pressure on North Korea to improve its human rights record — a highly delicate topic that they have so far kept separate from their nuclear negotiations with the North.” Full report here. http://nyti.ms/1QcHM5K

Tweet - @Cirincione: Think Again: North Korean Nuclear Diplomacy Worked, by @ArmsControlWonk http://bit.ly/1HJHIYV

Nuclear star wars - The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has hosted a roundtable in which the question is raised: To what extent do anti satellite weapons increase the risk of nuclear war—and what can be done to moderate the risk? Follow the debate here. http://bit.ly/1QcLSuG

Tweet - @CNS_Updates: States need to consider #HEU elimination as permanent threat reduction to combat #nuclear #terrorism http://bit.ly/1KxLxUQ

Events:

--“Sea Based Strategic Deterrence--Maintaining a Credible Force at a Responsible Cost," remarks by Rear Adm Joseph Tofalo, Director, Undersea Warfare Division, at the Huessy Congressional Breakfast Seminar Series. May 29th from 8:00-9:00am at the Capitol Hill Club. http://conta.cc/1FfEoXT

--“70th Anniversary of the Manhattan Project” event from the Atomic Heritage Foundation featuring remarks from Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Patrick Gregerson, Alex Wellerstein, Denise Kiernan, Robert Norris, Richard Rhodes and many more. June 2-3. RSVP and full agenda here. http://bit.ly/1Q8oIFE

--“Weighing Concerns and Assurances about a Nuclear Deal with Iran” New report launch from the Iran Project, featuring Amb. Thomas Pickering, Jessica T. Mathews, Gen. James Cartwright and Gary Samore. June 3rd from 12:00-1:00pm at the Wilson Center. http://bit.ly/1SAh2Qx

--“The Strategic Implications of the Iran Nuclear Deal” featuring Mark Fitzpatrick and Trita Parsi. June 4th from 10:00-11:00am at IISS. http://bit.ly/1KkywdY

--Ploughshares Fund annual gala featuring Reza Aslan, Barbara Slavin and Gen. James Cartwright. June 8th from 6:00-8:30pm in San Francisco. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1LI0ssx

Dessert:

Ears to the ground - While a nuclear test might seem hard to miss, finding evidence of one sometimes comes down to listening carefully. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) maintains a global network of seismic and infrasound monitoring station to listen for the seismic echoes of clandestine nuclear tests.

--A new video by The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists goes in depth into underground monitoring.http://bit.ly/1dzK579