The Obama administration is set to open talks today on a new arms control deal with Russia. The New York Times reports US and Russian negotiators will propose reducing their stockpiles down to around 1,500 warheads apiece, down from the 2,200 agreed to under President George W. Bush. US officials say they will resist efforts to include the warheads that will be used if the Obama administration goes ahead with Bush’s so-called missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Rather than defending against missiles, the plan is widely seen as a first-strike weapon against Iran.