US, Iran Work to Resolve Centrifuge Sticking Point

Hints - The U.S. and Iran are working on the draft of a framework deal that caps Iran’s number of centrifugues at 6,000, a 40 percent cut from the number currently operating, in exchange for phased sanctions relief, AP reports. It’s unclear how close the draft is to a final agreement. http://bit.ly/1xBq9DL

--Negotiators continue to emphasize that key differences remain and that an agreement is unlikely in the next several days. “We are pretty far away. There are a lot of issues that still need to be resolved. The Iranians must make substantial concessions.” http://reut.rs/1CAiRb8

Misunderstanding - “When nuclear monitors said Iran had started testing a single advanced centrifuge last year, some U.S. politicians and analysts jumped on the report as proof the Islamic Republic can’t be trusted. To U.S. officials negotiating with Iran, it was probably just a mistake,” Bloomberg reports.

--“Describing the incident in detail for the first time, U.S. officials, who asked not to be identified following diplomatic rules, said the testing was probably done by a low-level employee on Iran’s nuclear program who didn’t understand the limits placed on his experimentation.” http://bloom.bg/1O778Uk

Poll - A snap poll shows that 76.7 percent of international relations scholars believe that a long term nuclear deal with Iran would be helpful to U.S. national security. Full poll from Foreign Policy and the College of William & Mary here (pdf). http://bit.ly/1BSJRit

Decision time - “The Obama administration’s challenge is concluding an agreement that is good enough to prevent an Iranian nuclear breakout but is also acceptable to both the U.S. and Iranian domestic constituencies—as well as U.S. allies in the Middle East, especially Israel and the Arab Gulf states that feel threatened by Iran and its nuclear capabilities,” writes retired Israeli Brigadier General Shlomo Brom in an overview of the key elements of a good deal.

--Key recommendation: “The United States should invest effort in keeping the P5+1 united both during and after the negotiations in order to maximize the probability of success and enable joint action after a potential failure. That implies the United States should be cautious and not take any unilateral steps—including actions taken by the U.S. Congress—during the negotiations without consulting the other P5+1 members.” http://ampr.gs/19C3v9e

Show me the money - The Navy and Congress have yet to find money for the newly created National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund – a special account created specifically to fund the Ohio Replacement program. The budget sleight-of-hand is the Navy’s attempt to save the 32 to 69 ships that will be cut if the Navy has to pay for the full fleet of nuclear-armed subs. Full story from Military.com. http://mil-com.me/1Evga5C

Tweet - @rethink_media : March Madness comes in many forms. For Congress, it’s about the #IranTalks. #NCAA #MarchMadness

Reviving cooperation -U.S. officials are “right to call attention to these violations and to stand firm in pressuring Russia to fulfill its obligations, but the U.S. needs to take a holistic approach to our arms-control agreements with Russia,” write General Norton Schwartz and Stanley Weiss for The Huffington Post.

--To revive nuclear security cooperation with Russia, the U.S. should: Provide the resources needed to pursue nuclear dismantlement initiatives; make a concerted push to get relations back on track; and lead by example in pushing for implementation of the NPT. Full column by here. http://huff.to/1B5l4Ef

Quick Hits:

--“Seven key questions about the Iran nuclear negotiations,” by Paul Richter for the Los Angeles Times. http://lat.ms/1xBEss8

--“Surprise at the diplomatic discord between Washington and Pretoria,” by Douglas Birch for The Center for Public Integrity. http://bit.ly/1C0bIOV

--“Putin's allusion to being prepared to use nuclear arms is intolerable,” in the Chicago Tribune. http://trib.in/1964Bcb

Events:

--Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland, hearing on Air Force Force Structure and Modernization. With William LaPlante, Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition; Lt. Gen. Tod Wolters, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations; and Lt. Gen. James Holmes, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements. March 19 at 2:30 PM. Located in room S 222, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC. Webcast on committee website. http://1.usa.gov/1Muu2kZ

--Briefing and Report Release: “Naval Nuclear Reactors and Use of Highly Enriched Uranium.” Hosted by the Federation of American Scientists. Featuring Dr. Charles D. Ferguson, President, FAS, Dr. Alireza Haghighat, Professor Virginia Tech Transport Theory Group (VT3G), Nuclear Science and Engineering Laboratory (NSEL) and Dr. Alan Kuperman, Associate Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. March 20, 2015 from 11:45 a.m.-1:45 PM. Located in Room 385 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. RSVP to rsvp@fas.org or 202-454-4694 by Wednesday, March 18, 2015.

--Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories, public meeting. March 24 from 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM. Located at the Hilton at Mark Center, Laurel Conference Room, 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA. RSVP required. http://1.usa.gov/1MNE7JW

--House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water. Hearing on the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Nuclear Nonproliferation and Naval Reactors budgets. With Frank Klotz, Administrator, NNSA; Anne Harrington, Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, NNSA; and Adm. John Richardson, Director, Naval Reactors. March 25 at 9:30 AM. Located in 2362-B Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC. Webcast on the committee website. http://1.usa.gov/1ptJEtv