On the radar: Pressure track speeds along; Iranian politics; Ankara’s atomic ambitions; Engaging China on North Korea; Aegis test; and AU celebrates 50th anniversary.

May 16, 2013 | Edited by Benjamin Loehrke and Alyssa Demus

Sanctions and diplomacy - At a hearing on Iran yesterday, Senate lawmakers suggested the administration impose new sanctions on Iran’s ability to sell oil and obtain gold. “While the sanctions are working, they aren’t enough, and they aren’t working fast enough,” said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

--Describing the current US policy toward Iran’s nuclear program, Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said, “We are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon...Our preference is to resolve this through diplomacy. However...there should be no doubt that the United States will use all elements of American power to achieve that objective.” Joby Warrick at The Washington Post has the full story. http://owl.li/l5T6i [1]

Rafsanjani’s election bid - Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani recently entered Iran’s upcoming presidential race. While it’s impossible to predict the outcome of the election, Rafsanjani’s bid means that “All political factions have been forced to rethink, if not entirely reconsider, their electoral alliances and strategies,” write Sahar Namazikhah and Reza Marashi in The National Interest. Full story here. http://bit.ly/10Ic2Mc [2]

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Missile defense test - “The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS Lake Erie (CG-70) successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, resulting in the intercept of a separating ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by the Aegis BMD 4.0 Weapon System and a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB missile.” Pentagon press release here. http://1.usa.gov/1073nq3 [7]

Atoms for Anatolia - “Turkey appears to have neither the capability nor the desire to develop nuclear weapons. Nonetheless, the speed and tight budget with which it has been pursuing nuclear power pose risks” on nuclear safety and materials security. Aaron Stein and Chen Kane explain Turkey’s nuclear ambitions for The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. http://bit.ly/1042xqG [8]

Tweet - @Reuters [9]: Iran says ready for nuclear talks with world powers. reut.rs/YY7WEE [10]

View from Beijing - A senior State Department diplomat on North Korea, Glyn Davies, visited China on Wednesday to discuss “all aspects of the North Korea issue,” with top Chinese officials. In remarks for reporters, Davies said “the Chinese have said to us that they will faithfully implement U.N. Security Council sanctions and are doing so.” Bree Feng at The New York Times has the story. http://owl.li/l5PLM [11]

Tweet - @CNASdc [12]: Journalist Jim Lobe discusses, in an Inter Press Service Agency article, @ColinKahl's @CNASdc new report on Iran. bit.ly/13g3DQK [13]

Events:

--"Strengthening ROK-U.S. Strategic Cooperation: Nuclear Governance and the North Korean Problem," Gary Samore and 12 other speakers. May 17, 9:00am-4:00pm. CSIS, B1, Conference Center. Details here. http://owl.li/kYFWU [14]

--House Foreign Affairs Committee, markup of the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013, H.R. 850. May 22, time TBD. 2172 Rayburn House Office Building. Webcast here. http://owl.li/l3A4S [15]

--”Options for Reducing Nuclear Arms,” Bruce Blair, Keith Payne, and Steven Pifer. Moderated by Michael O’Hanlon. May 22, 10:00-11:30am @ Brookings. Details here. http://owl.li/l3xE2 [16]

Dessert:

JFK at American - Press release: American University Recognizes 50th Anniversary of JFK's "A Strategy of Peace" http://bit.ly/10u6w2K [17]

--Fancy new website: http://www.american.edu/jfk/ [18]