The IAEA confirmed Monday that Iran has officially ceased all uranium enrichment beyond 5 percent in line with the Nov. 24 “Joint Plan of Action” (JPOA). Iran has also begun diluting its current stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium, and the IAEA has commenced daily inspections at Iran’s Natanz and Fordow enrichment facilities.
FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Summary and Analysis
On January 13, the Senate and House appropriations Committees released the text of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Omnibus appropriations bill, a $1 trillion government spending bill that includes 12 appropriations bills to fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year. The Senate and House are scheduled to vote on and approve the legislation later this week.
An Insurance of Failure in Iran
Senator Robert Menendez OpEd in the January 10, 2014 Washington Post (A Diplomatic Insurance Policy Against Iran) advocates a policy that will ensure failure. If S.1881 (the so-called Nuclear Weapons Free Iran Act) should pass over a promised presidential veto, it is highly likely to scuttle the negotiations between the P-Five plus one and Iran to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
Analysis of Faults in the Menendez-Kirk Iran Sanctions Bill (S. 1881)
Earlier today the P5+1 and Iran announced that after nearly two months of talks, they have reached agreement to begin implementing the first step nuclear deal (i.e. the Joint Plan of Action) later this January. You can read the President’s announcement on the implementation of the deal here. A detailed State Department background briefing with more details on the implementation plan is available here.
The Allure of Conventional High-Precision Strike
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently revealed that Russia has begun to acquire its own version of the US military’s “Conventional Prompt Global Strike” (CPGS) capability. If true, it would appear that Mr. Putin has willfully disregarded his own criticism of such capabilities.
