TOP STORIES
Airstrikes Intensify as Israel-Iran Clashes Leave Ceasefire on Brink | Washington Post
“Israel and Iran traded fresh volleys of long-range missile strikes early Monday in a widening escalation that threatened a resumption of all-out war and the collapse of President Donald Trump’s peace talks. . . . The Israeli military said Monday morning that its air force had struck a petrochemical plant and military targets across Iran, while Iran launched several waves of missiles at Israel, setting off sirens and sending Israelis scrambling for shelter for the first time since April. Iran’s attacks were joined by a missile launched at Israel by the Houthi militia in Yemen, which had refrained from joining in hostilities for months. . . . The recent cycle started after Israel launched a targeted strike on Sunday against Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in apparent defiance of Iranian warnings that Israeli attacks on the Shiite militia in Lebanon must stop as a condition for any ceasefire deal they sign with Trump.”
Trump Calls on Israel and Iran to “Immediately Stop Shooting” as Ceasefire Frays | Axios
“President Trump called on Israel and Iran to ‘immediately stop shooting’ in a post on Truth Social on Monday. . . . Trump claimed Israel and Iran were both ‘looking to do an immediate ceasefire,’ though neither side gave any such indication. An Israel Defense Forces official told reporters that Israel was preparing for several days of fighting.
Trump Says US Would Only Unfreeze Iranian Assets After Peace Deal | The Hill
“President Trump said Friday that the U.S. will unfreeze Iranian assets only after the two sides reach a peace deal. . . . ‘If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking’ about unfreezing assets and lifting sanctions, Trump added.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Trump Says Iran Has Made a ‘Big’ Nuclear Promise. It Isn’t New | New York Times
“‘The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Fox News last month. Iran, he added, has ‘agreed to that, and it was very interesting.’ . . . But Mr. Trump’s boasts of an Iranian commitment have puzzled nuclear experts. . . . Many analysts argue that Iran’s promises alone are virtually meaningless and lack credibility. ‘An Iranian promise, by itself, is worth very little,’ said Daniel Roth, the research director at United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit policy group. ‘Iran has long maintained that it does not seek nuclear weapons despite a mountain of contrary evidence.’”
“[UK Prime Minister] Sir Keir Starmer may claim this is ‘not our war,’ but that’s not how the IRGC sees it. The Guard has been at war with Britain for almost five decades, and in recent years it has intensified its campaign. Since 2022, not only have 20 major Iran-linked terror plots been foiled, but the regime has been targeting British parliamentarians and critical infrastructure. . . . Still, the prevailing Iran war narrative on the Left and much of the media would have you believe that Trump and the US are the pariah aggressors, and somehow represent greater threats to our security than the IRGC. This framing has, in turn, shaped our politics, with Starmer effectively boasting about ‘standing up’ to our most important ally, instead of standing up to a regime one of whose slogans is ‘Death to England’ and which continues to plot terror on British streets. The anti-Trump narrative surrounding the Iran conflict has blinded us to the very threat we face here in Britain.”
Panel with UANI Senior Policy Director Jason Brodsky | Iran International
“I think that there is a [U.S.] strategy, that there is a plan. Some of it may not be in public view, but I think the President believes very strongly in coercive diplomacy. This is what he has been using all along since he took office—he alternates between threats and conciliation with the Islamic Republic. While that might appear to be dizzying to some members of an international audience, I think that’s how he keeps the decision makers in Tehran off base, While threatening what the president has shown to be a credible military threat of force should the Islamic Republic not play ball and provide the United States with the kind of concessions that it is seeking here. The challenge is that the Islamic Republic gets a vote here too, while the President may want to conclude the fighting and may want to conclude a deal. The Iranian regime plays a much longer game than the United States does in terms of its strategic patience and strategy, and so that’s a challenge that the Trump Administration is going to have to face as it seeks to bring this conflict to closure.”
Can Trump Crack Iran’s Negotiating Playbook? | Iran International
“‘The Islamic Republic gets a vote here too,’ Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told Eye for Iran. ‘The Iranian regime plays a much longer game than the United States does in terms of its strategic patience and strategy.’ Brodsky said Iran has historically used prolonged negotiations to wear down international demands, pointing to how the original US position of zero enrichment eventually gave way to the 2015 nuclear deal’s limited enrichment framework. But he argued Trump has changed the baseline by demonstrating a willingness to use force. ‘For the first time in decades, the Islamic Republic is not enriching uranium,’ Brodsky said, crediting US and Israeli military action with changing the facts on the ground.”
U.S Navy Interdicts Sanctioned, Stateless Oil Tanker MT Davina In Indian Ocean | Marine Insight
“According to data compiled by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a non-profit policy organisation, the economic impact of the US blockade has been devastating for Tehran. The agency said that Iran’s total oil exports fell by more than 90% in May, with the total shipments recorded being just 2.01 million barrels for the entire month, a 93% decline from April’s figures. In the long run, this could create funding shortages for the IRGC, and Iran could also run out of storage space for its crude.”
“The U.S. blockade greatly reduced Iran from exporting oil last month, according to United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit policy organization. The group reported that Iran’s oil exports fell by more than 90 percent in May. UANI found that Iran’s total volumes and the number of loadings fell compared to previous months in 2026. Iran exported 2.01 million barrels of oil in May, down 93 percent from April, UANI said. The value of exported oil in May was $219 million, down 94 percent from the previous month, according to UANI data. ‘As the blockade drags on, the math is likely making both Iran and China very nervous,’ Charlie Brown, senior advisor to UANI, told USNI News. Brown co-authored the May report. . . . ‘The economic crunch is guaranteed to hit both Tehran and Beijing,’ Brown said. ‘The only question is whether the Trump administration has the domestic and international political capital to sustain the military effort required to keep the vise tight.’”
Iran’s Crude Oil Exports Plunge 84% in May amid US Blockade | Crypto Briefing
“In May, Iran’s crude oil shipments collapsed by 84% compared to April, falling to their lowest levels in more than six years. The cause: a US naval blockade enacted in mid-April and a fresh wave of Treasury sanctions that have systematically dismantled Tehran’s ability to move crude to buyers. . . . Shipping analysts from Lloyd’s List and United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit that tracks Iranian oil shipments, both confirmed the severity of the drop.”
Photo caption: “Despite the impact the War on Iran has had on the world, Asian economies are remaining resilient. (Charlie Brown/United Against Nuclear Iran via AP)”
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ CRISIS
Iran Blames US for Latest Exchanges of Fire with Israel | Reuters
“Overnight exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel will only worsen an already ‘chaotic diplomatic process’ with the United States, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, adding that Tehran was exchanging messages with Washington in an atmosphere of ‘extreme suspicion.’ Baghaei said Israel’s actions in Lebanon, whether carried out with U.S. knowledge and consent or not, were aimed at sabotaging diplomacy. He said Washington, as a party to the April 8 ceasefire, bore direct responsibility for any violations, including attacks attributed to Israel, and he added that the world should be concerned about a broader regional conflict.”
Trump Tells Netanyahu Not to Strike Iran | Axios
“President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday not to retaliate against Iran’s missile attack and allow more time for diplomacy, according to a senior U.S. official and an Israeli source familiar with details of the call. . . . Trump told Netanyahu during the call to hold off because ‘we are close to doing something good in terms of a deal,’ according to the U.S. official. Netanyahu pushed back but ultimately ‘pseudo agreed’ to stand down, the official said.”
“The IDF says its strike on a petrochemical complex in southwest Iran this morning aimed to destroy infrastructure used by Iran to produce raw materials for the manufacture of missiles.”
Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthis Threaten Israeli Shipping in the Red Sea | Reuters
“Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday that they would ban Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, adding to challenges for global shipping through the Middle East during the Iran war. The group said in a statement it had launched an attack on Israel and enacted a total ban on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, warning of further escalation.”
US Downs Two Iranian Drones Threatening Strait of Hormuz Traffic | Euronews
“US forces shot down two Iranian attack drones threatening international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). The interceptions came a day after US forces downed four other Iranian attack drones launched towards the Strait of Hormuz, which the military said posed a threat to maritime traffic.”
US Strikes Iran Radar Sites After Iranian Drone Launch | Reuters
“The U.S. military said it carried out strikes on Iranian radar sites on Friday in what it called a defensive action after Iran launched four attack drones toward the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military shot down all of the Iranian drones, saying they ‘posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic.’ It said the Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites targeted by the U.S. were located in Goruk and on Qeshm Island.”
Iran Lawmaker Says Ships Pay up to $2 Million to Cross Hormuz | Iran International
“Iran currently receives an average of $1.5 million to $2 million from each ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Mohsen Zanganeh, a member of parliament’s budget and planning committee, told IRGC-linked Fars News on Sunday. The money is deposited into the treasury under the budget law and spent in designated areas, according to the report. Some payments were not made in cash and were instead settled through US Tether, a dollar-linked cryptocurrency, or barter, the report said.”
Iran Envoy Says Discussing ‘New Conditions’ for Strait of Hormuz with Oman | Al Jazeera
“The Iranian ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, says the future of the key Gulf waterway will be decided by Tehran and Muscat. ‘This strait will be opened, but under new conditions,’ Jalali told Russian newspaper Izvestia. And these new conditions will be determined by the Iranian and Omani authorities,’ the envoy said.”
Trump Says Iran Retains 21 to 22 Percent of Missile Stockpile | Iran International
“US President Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ that Iran still has about 21 to 22 percent of its missile arsenal remaining . . .”
“A plan developed by Israel and the Mossad intelligence agency to topple the Iranian regime could still succeed if given time, but it has not been carried out to completion due to the United States’ decision in April to halt the war against the Islamic Republic, a former senior Mossad official told Channel 12 on Saturday. In any event, he insisted, the regime will fall sooner or later.”
DIPLOMACY
Adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Says U.S.-Iran Talks Are “At a Deadlock” | CBS News
“Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN the U.S.-Iran negotiations "are at a deadlock and Trump must break this deadlock.’ ‘The ball is in Trump's court,’ he continued. Rezaei said Iran wants the U.S. to unseal billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, calling it ‘a sign of trust-building’ and a ‘test that America must pass.’ Rezaei warned that if the U.S. blockade on Iran isn't lifted and the war continues, Iran could ‘give another dimension to the war’ by attacking U.S. bases. He also said Iran could expand the conflict to the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial shipping passage that connects the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.”
IAEA’s Grossi Says US and Iran Close to Agreeing to Nuclear Framework | Al Jazeera
“The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog says Iran and the US are close to agreeing on a nuclear framework, which would give both parties time to address outstanding issues.”
Trump Says Netanyahu Will Have ‘No Choice’ but to Accept a Deal with Iran | Financial Times
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept any deal the US negotiates with Iran, Donald Trump said, because the US president ‘calls the shots.’ . . . ‘We’ll see how it ends up. But they [the missile strikes on Israel] were attacks that did not kick at all. It’s one of those things that’s been going for 3,000 years, or 47 years, depending on how you count.’ . . . He underlined that Iran’s attack on Sunday would not affect his calculus. ‘The deal may make it on its own merit, or not, but this will not have any effect on it.’ Asked what would happen if any such deal failed ‘on its merits,’ Trump said he would consider a commando raid on Iran.”
Iran Has ‘No Choice’ but to Reach Deal with US, Trump Says | Iran International
“US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iranian leaders have not yet reached an agreement with the United States to end the ongoing conflict because they are ‘strong’ and ‘proud,’ but added that they ultimately have ‘no choice’ but to strike a deal.”
Trump Says the U.S. Will Work with Iran to Destroy Its Uranium If They Can Make a Deal | NBC News
“President Donald Trump said the U.S. will work with Iran to retrieve and destroy its highly enriched uranium if he is able to cut a deal with Tehran to end the three-month-old war between the countries—or, in the absence of an agreement, that he will further degrade the Iranian military to the point that American forces can safely collect the material on their own. . . . The two sides are ‘very close’ to signing a pact, Trump said, but he is pushing for Iran to go further in abandoning its nuclear ambitions. ‘We have a couple of points. They don’t even seem like big points,’ he said. ‘They’ve conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons. We had a clause in there that [they] will not develop nuclear weapons. And everybody was very happy with it except me. And I said, ‘Well, what happens if they, not develop, but they go out and purchase, they acquire? I want to put the word, ‘if they buy, purchase or acquire,’’ he said. ‘You know, you’ve got to have that in there, too, because that’s not developing. So, they don’t have the right to develop or purchase, acquire or buy.’ He added that the Iranians pushed back ‘a little bit’ on his demand. ‘And then they didn’t.’”
Trump’s Iran Envoys Quietly Convene Nuclear Experts in Tennessee | Axios
“President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to the national lab in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on Thursday for consultations with a team of technical experts that could play a role in nuclear negotiations with Iran, Axios has learned. The White House is trying to reach a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran to end the war and begin in-depth nuclear negotiations, and wants to have experts at the ready should those talks be launched.”
Pakistan’s Naqvi Visits Iran with ‘Special Letter’ for Supreme Leader | Al Jazeera
“Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has travelled to Iran to deliver a ‘special letter’ to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as part of diplomatic efforts to end the United States-Israeli war on Iran, which began 100 days ago.”
TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
Romanians Convicted of Stabbing Journalist in UK, Prosecutors Say They Acted for Iran | Reuters
“Two Romanian men whom British prosecutors said were acting as proxies for the Iranian government were on Friday found guilty of stabbing a journalist working for a Persian-language media organisation in London. Pouria Zaratifoukolaei, known as Pouria Zeraati, a British journalist of Iranian origin who works for Iran International, was stabbed three times in the leg near his home in southwest London in March 2024.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Student Protests Widen over Final Exams and University Entrance Rules | Iran International
“High school students in about 20 Iranian provinces have held protests against education policies, final exam rules and changes affecting the national university entrance exam, with some gatherings met by violence and arrests.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
US Says It Issued Sanctions on Network Smuggling Iranian LPG | Reuters
“The U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday that it had imposed sanctions on a network of individuals, entities, and tankers smuggling Iranian-origin liquid petroleum gas disguised as Omani LPG to South and East Asia. . . . The latest targets include 12 entities, five of which are based in the Marshall Islands, four in the UAE, and one in China, according to details posted on the department’s website. Six LPG tankers were targeted, including four Panama-flagged vessels.”
“The Treasury Department will use Iranian assets to help U.S. Gulf allies recover from damage caused by Tehran’s regime during the Iran war, a source familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s thinking told CBS News Saturday.
Iran Rejects Idea of Using Its Assets to Pay Damages to US Allies | Reuters
“Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Sunday that regional governments were ‘not in a position to demand reparations,’ responding to what he said were reports that the U.S. could use Iranian assets to compensate regional allies for war-related damages. Gharibabadi added in a post on X that Iran’s assets were ‘neither war spoils for Washington nor a payment fund for its allies.’”
HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
“Lebanese President Joseph Aoun delivered a searing rebuke to Iran on Friday, accusing it of using his country as a bargaining chip against the wishes of the Lebanese people in the conflict with the United States and Israel.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Communication with Mojtaba Khamenei Disrupted, Source Says | Iran International
“Communication between Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian officials has been disrupted since Sunday night, according to information obtained by Iran International. A source familiar with developments said Monday’s missile attacks on Israel were likely carried out under pre-established military protocols without coordination with the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The source added that the Revolutionary Guards’ response to Israel's strike on Beirut's southern suburbs appeared too rapid to have followed an exchange of messages with Mojtaba Khamenei.”
UN & IRAN
US Draft Resolution at IAEA Demands Iran Open up on Sites, Uranium Stocks | Reuters
“The U.S. is lobbying other countries on the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors to back a draft resolution demanding that Iran tell the agency what happened to its bombed nuclear sites and the enriched uranium stored there.”
MISCELLANEOUS
Iran’s Soccer Team Allowed Into U.S. for World Cup, but Many Staff Denied | New York Times
“After months of uncertainty about its participation at the World Cup, Iran’s soccer team has finally been granted visas to enter the United States, where it is scheduled to play all three of its group stage games, according to four senior officials. . . . . Applications from all members of the 26-man roster have been accepted, but more than a dozen members of the support staff—that could include coaches, trainers, analysts and medical personnel—and Iranian soccer federation officials expected to accompany the team were rejected, according to the four officials. The president of the Iranian federation, Mehdi Taj, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also had his visa rejected, the first official added.”