On the radar: Dangers of Corker-Graham; Distorting the deal; Jeb on Iran; Supreme Leader on sanctions; Bomber bidding war; Chart: Nonpro funding takes a hit; and Atomic vacations.

February 19, 2015 | Edited by Will Saetren and Mary Kaszynski

Unhelpful - “Congress has a constructive role to play in [the Iran deal] process. But the Corker-Graham measure isn’t it. Their bill risks placing the United States on the path to another war in the Middle East,” writes Col. Lawrence Wilkerson in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

--“What if Congress votes “no” on the final deal? Our allies and partners in these talks will conclude that the U.S. is neither capable of, nor interested in, making a deal with Iran… The talks will be dead and Iran’s nuclear program will once again be unconstrained to the point that it is closer to building a nuclear weapon.” http://bit.ly/1A9gt89 [1]

Cherry-picking - “The United States is not going to be in a position of negotiating this agreement in public, and particularly when we see that there is a continued practice of cherry picking specific pieces of information and using them out of context to distort the negotiating position of the United States,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in response to questions on alleged Israeli leaks of the U.S. stance on Iran.

--“There is an obligation when you’re participating in these kinds of negotiations to ensure that those consultations and that those negotiations are carried out in good faith. And that means giving negotiators the room and the space to negotiate.” Full transcript of the White House press briefing here. http://1.usa.gov/1CN75En [2]

--See Also: Wondering what a good deal should look like (with all the details)? Check out this Arms Control Association Issue Brief: http://bit.ly/1DUqipU [3]

Fact-checking - “When he launched his negotiations, President Obama said [this] was his goal: Stop Iran’s nuclear program. Now we’re told the goal has changed and the point of these negotiations isn’t to solve the problem, it’s to manage it,” potential GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush said at an event yesterday.

--“Actually, the Obama administration’s main goal has always been to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon; that hasn’t changed,” writes The Los Angeles Times’ Doyle McManus. “But Bush’s position suggests that if the administration concludes a deal, it will face ferocious opposition from every potential Republican presidential candidate.”

--“It also makes it less likely that an agreement can be reached – since Iran’s leaders have long questioned whether the next president will stick to any deal that Obama concludes,” McManus concludes. http://lat.ms/17tD83s [4]

--See Also: “Jeb Bush on Iran: 'Holy Schnikes,'” from Bloomberg. http://bloom.bg/19xHd8q [5]

Sanctions expectations - “Iran’s supreme leader said on Wednesday that he did not believe that all sanctions against his country would be lifted, a move he had previously said was an essential condition for nuclear talks to succeed.” The New York Times Thomas Erdbrink reports. http://nyti.ms/1EsnkZW [6]

Tweet - @stevelevine [7]: Is Khamenei preparing the Iranian public for a nuclear deal that does not wholly lift sanctions as he has demanded?

Competition heats up - The Air Force is “trying very hard” to stick to their $500 million per copy goal for the new nuclear bomber, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told the Air Force Times. The bomber program is shrouded in mystery, but big bucks are at stake, and major industry contractors are already vying for a piece of the pie. Full story here http://bit.ly/1AooYLa [8]

Factsheet - “FY 2016 Defense Nuclear Non-Proliferation Budget Request” by Greg Terryn and Sarah Tully at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. http://bit.ly/1DDXPGB [9]

Don’t block a good deal - “Congress should not block a potential deal by imposing obstacles such as up/down votes and more sanctions with prearranged triggers,” writes Steve Sheffey in The Hill. “If negotiations are not successful, let them be unsuccessful because of Iran's intransigence, not because of unwarranted interference by Congress.”

--“One year is more than enough time to detect and prevent a move toward breakout. We would know within days, if not hours, if Iran started moving toward breakout, and that would give us a year to take appropriate military or economic action,” the author concludes. http://bit.ly/17hi9RF [10]

Quick Hits and Long Reads:

--“Iran, U.S. to hold talks in Geneva to narrow nuclear gaps: IRNA,” by Parisa Hafezi for Reuters. http://reut.rs/1EWF6nT [11]

--“N. Korea lashes out at S. Korea over nuke issue, concerned over US-led invasion,” in The Korea Times. http://bit.ly/1AWTjm5 [12]

--“Pakistan's Battlefield Nuclear Policy: A Risky Solution to an Exaggerated Threat,” by Jaganath Sankaran in International Security. http://bit.ly/17Zj9ea [13]

--“Nuclear Command-and-Control in the Millenials Era,” by Peter Hayes of the Nautilus Institute. http://bit.ly/17hkDiP [14]

Events:

--Annual “Nuclear Deterrence Summit.” February 17-20 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St. NW, Washington. Register online. http://bit.ly/1zG0IUF [15]

--“Governing Uranium: From Pit to Port.” Featuring Cindy Vestergaard, Danish Institute for International Studies; Melissa Mann, URENCO USA Inc.; and Sharon Squassoni, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). February 19 from x 9:00-10:00 a.m. Located at CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, 212-A/B Conference Room, Washington. RSVP by email at PPP@CSIS.org http://bit.ly/1vDzv0R [16]

--"Nixon Legacy Forum: Detente & Arms Control with the USSR," featuring Phil Odeen, Jan Lodal, David Aaron and Winston Lord, former members of Nixon's National Security Council staff. February 23, 10:00 AM, National Archives Museum McGowan Theater, Constitution Ave. between 7th and 9th Sts. NW, Washington. RSVP online. Webcast on YouTube. http://bit.ly/1M9CBUJ [17]

--“Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories,” public meeting on February 24 from 9:00 AM - noon. Located at the Hilton at Mark Center, Birch Conference Room, 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA. RSVP via e-mail to CRENEL@hq.doe.gov. http://1.usa.gov/1B2aXpx [18]

--“The Past and Future of the Nuclear Enterprise.” Featuring Michael Elliott, Deputy Director for Strategic Stability Plans and Policy Directorate, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Center for Strategic and International Studies. February 25 from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM. Located at CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington. RSVP online. http://bit.ly/1xXGYaE [19]

--“Wait...Nukes Cost HOW Much?” Webinar hosted by Physicians for Social Responsibility. Featuring Theresa Shaffer, Physicians for Social Responsibility and guest speaker Laicie Heeley, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. February 25 from 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST. Register online. http://bit.ly/1vws3dJ [20]

--“An Effective P5+1 Nuclear Deal with Iran and the Role of Congress.” Hosted by the Arms Control Association. Featuring Larry Hanauer of RAND, Richard Nephew of Columbia University and Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association. Moderated by Daryl Kimball. Friday, February 27, from 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM. Located at the National Press Club, First Amendment Lounge, 529 14th Street NW (13th Floor), Washington DC. RSVP online. http://bit.ly/1Joqi8r [21]

Dessert:

Nuclear tourism - It’s hard to believe, but “sixty years ago, Las Vegas hosted parties in celebration of atomic explosions.” Tourists would flock to hotels with a view of the Nevada testing site and sip cocktails as mushroom clouds rose in the background. Today, “nuclear tourism” is possible, but far more serious, writes Chris Leadbeater for The Telegraph. http://bit.ly/1Jq0icL [22]