(((James Acton))) Profile picture
Oct 2, 2020 12 tweets 2 min read Read on X
<THREAD>And here it is..

"A ReSTART for U.S.-Russian Nuclear Arms Control" by @pranayrvaddi and me.

It's our proposal for a follow-on to New START. Here are the big ideas. (1/N)

carnegieendowment.org/2020/10/02/res…
1. Extend New START. (2/n)
2. Make all intercontinental ground-launched boost-glide missiles and nuclear-powered torpedoes (whether nuclear or conventionally armed) accountable. (3/n)
3. Discourage heavy MIRVing by lowering the ratio between strategic deployed warheads and deployed delivery systems relative to New START. (4/n)
4. Prohibit nuclear-powered cruise missiles entirely. (5/n)
5. Prohibit the deployment of long-range air-launched ballistic and boost-glide missiles EXCEPT on either (1) treaty-accountable heavy bombers or (2) nonaccountable short-range tactical aircraft. (6/n)
6. Agree that (1) long-range nuclear-armed sea-launched boost-glide missiles, if deployed, will constitute a new kind of strategic offensive arm; (2) such weapons will not be deployed on ships or submarines armed with nonnuclear missiles. (7/n)
7. Require enhanced procedures and greater transparency for conversions of sea-launched ballistic missile launchers. Require launchers converted under New START to be reconverted to the new standard if they are to remain nonaccountable. (8/n)
8. Agree that heavy bombers *of a new type* should only be nonaccountable if they are based at nonnuclear air bases. Provide greater transparency for all converted and nonaccountable heavy bombers. (9/n)
8. Define a "new kind of strategic offensive arm" tightly and narrowly, but make such weapons automatically accountable. (9/n)
Frankly, the most controversial part will be what's NOT included: China, nonstrategic nuclear weapons, and ballistic missile defense.

These are important! And, we'll publish proposals later this year on how to manage them... (10/n)
...but trying to shoehorn them into a bilateral strategic offensive agreement is a recipe for the collapse of negotiations and the end of arms control.

Which may be why, of course, the Trump admin is insistent that the next treaty must deal with China and all warheads. (11/11)

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More from @james_acton32

Jul 28
On Friday, I argued in @ForeignPolicy that Trump admin claims it had set Iran back by "years" were true but disingenuous.

The same day, the normally excellent @IgnatiusPost amplified the misleading U.S. and Israeli narratives.

Let's take a look...

(Links below). (1/n)
First off, here are links for my @ForeignPolicy and @IgnatiusPost's @washingtonpost piece.

foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/25/ira…

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/…

(2/n)
@ForeignPolicy @IgnatiusPost @washingtonpost Ignatius's oped is written as if it's a news story. The "news" in this case is that--SURPRISE!--an Israeli source backed up claims by the Israeli government! (3/n) Image
Read 12 tweets
Jul 21
🧵How much damage was done to Iran's nuclear program?

An analysis of Friday's reporting of the U.S. government assessment. I'll focus on the @nytimes, which was clearer than the earlier but confused @NBCNews story. (1/n) Image
U.S. officials continue to argue that it would take Iran years to rebuild the facilities that were hit. That seems right to me.

But a key question is this: How long would it take Iran to build the bomb? (2/n) Image
Image
Attempts to play down the survival of most or all of Iran's HEU are comical.

It may be true that "only" the HEU at Isfahan is accessible--but that's almost all of it! (3/n) Image
Read 13 tweets
Jul 9
🧵Introducing optimal deterrence.

Here's my proposed U.S. nuclear strategy for managing escalation, arms racing, and proliferation with two nuclear peers, published through @CFR_org.

Health warning: If you like counterforce, take a DEEP breath before reading on. (1/n) Image
The U.S. faces a security environment that's bad and getting worse. There's an emerging bipartisan consensus that, in response, the U.S. needs more nukes. The justification stems from the current policy of "counterforce" targeting. (2/n)

cfr.org/report/optimal…Image
The logic of counterforce targeting is merciless, however, and will catalyze an expensive, tension-generating, and futile three-ways arms race in which the United States will fail to achieve the nuclear superiority it seeks. (3/n) Image
Read 10 tweets
Jun 26
How effective were strikes against Iran?

U.S. and Israeli officials stress how long it would take Iran to rebuild its previous nuclear program.

But there's a MUCH more important issue: How long it would take Iran to get the bomb? For that, a small program would suffice. (1/n)
As in yesterday’s Axios article, these officials stress the damage done to Iran’s major declared facilities.

But the main issue isn't whether the U.S. & Israel severely damaged what they attacked; I'm sure they did. It's what they did NOT attack. (2/n)

axios.com/2025/06/25/ira…Image
I'm sure Israel did indeed destroy "several" centrifuge production lines.

But what about the stockpile of centrifuge components that Iran has ALREADY produced?

Israel has not claimed to have hit them--which suggests Iran could rebuild a new enrichment plant. (3/n) Image
Read 11 tweets
Jun 24
How far has military action set back Iran's nuclear program?

Netanyahu says 2-3 years.

JD Vance says "substantially."

In @politico, I argue that Iran could build the bomb in a year. And it now has much stronger reasons to do so. (1/n) Image
Iran still has its own nuclear triad: highly enriched uranium, centrifuge components, and expertise.

That's right.

A war waged nominally for nonproliferation has left Iran with several bombs worth of un-safeguarded highly enriched uranium. (2/n)

politico.com/news/magazine/…
IAEA DG @rafaelmgrossi has indicated, pretty explicitly, it was removed by Iran to locations unknown before the war began. (3/n)

iaea.org/newscenter/sta…Image
Read 7 tweets
Jun 17
The claim that Iran had 60 days to make a deal is disingenuous since the United States was hardly ready, and did not conduct, an intensive, detailed negotiation. (1/n) Image
For example, there were times when Iran was willing to talk but the United States wasn't (presumably because it needed more time to prepare).

reuters.com/world/middle-e…Image
For some time, the United States seemed to vacillate on whether it would be prepared to sign a deal that allowed any enrichment in Iran. (3/n)

thehill.com/homenews/admin…
Read 5 tweets

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