TOP STORIES
Iran to Present Counter-Proposal to US in Nuclear Talks | Reuters
Iran will soon hand a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal to the United States via Oman, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, in response to a U.S. offer that Tehran deems “unacceptable.” The spokesperson also called on the international community to force nuclear disarmament upon Israel, Iran's longstanding foe which Tehran says is trying to thwart the nuclear negotiations. “The U.S. proposal is not acceptable to us. It was not the result of previous rounds of negotiations. We will present our own proposal to the other side via Oman after it is finalised. This proposal is reasonable, logical, and balanced,” Baghaei said. “We must ensure before the lifting of sanctions that Iran will effectively benefit economically and that its banking and trade relations with other countries will return to normal.”
“[Iran] won’t be enriching. If they enrich, then we’re going to have to do it the other way,” Trump told reporters, hinting at a military strike against Iran’s nuclear sites if a deal does not pan out, while reiterating that a diplomatic agreement is his preferred option.
Iran Uses Embassies Abroad for Surveillance and Subterfuge, Ex-Staff Say | Iran International
Iran uses its overseas missions to covertly surveil dissidents and fund influence operations via state-backed cultural initiatives, multiple former Iranian diplomats and embassy staff members told Iran International. Their accounts document a sprawling overseas network operating under direct orders from the Supreme Leader’s office and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence arm well out of step with common diplomatic practice. “Every embassy has a list. People to watch. People to engage. People to silence,” an Iranian former diplomatic employee told Iran International.
UANI IN THE NEWS
UANI Research Director Daniel Roth Discusses Iran | Asharq News
UANI Research Director joins Asharq News to discuss the U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations amid recent U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Dispatch 66—Fire Edition | gCaptain
Panama is firing back at accusations from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which alleges the country is enabling Iran’s sanctions-busting oil trade. UANI claims 17% of suspected Iranian oil carriers fly Panama’s flag, prompting CEO Mark Wallace to call for sanctions against the registry. In response, Panama’s Maritime Authority says it has de-flagged over 650 vessels since 2019, including 107 this March, and enacted tough new rules—like Executive Decree No. 512—to boot sanctioned vessels. It also points to global partnerships like the Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) as proof of its commitment. But UANI isn’t convinced. Two of three ships recently sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury still flew Panama’s flag, fueling criticism that enforcement lags behind rhetoric.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran conducted and covered up “a number” of implosion tests that are key to developing a nuclear weapon in 2003, an analysis of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s May 31 report on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program reveals. According to the Washington, DC-based Institute for Science and International Security think tank, which analysed and published key points from the IAEA report, the activities carried out by Iran were in preparation for a “cold test” in the development of a nuclear bomb, which involves the creation of “a fully assembled nuclear device with a surrogate core of natural or depleted uranium rather than weapons-grade uranium.”
Iran Hid Illicit Nuclear Materials from IAEA, Rafael Grossi Says | Jerusalem Post
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi on Monday told the IAEA Board of Directors that he has concluded that Iran had previously hidden illicit nuclear material in at least three locations: the Varamin, Marivan, and Turquzabad sites. Grossi also reported a huge jump by Iran to over 400 kilograms of 60% highly enriched uranium, a problem which was widely leaked to the media last week. This was most significant because it showed that the Islamic Republic's advanced centrifuges could enrich enough uranium for multiple nuclear weapons in a matter of only around three months.
Tehran warns it would reduce its cooperation with the United Nations’s nuclear watchdog if an anti-Iran resolution is passed at an upcoming meeting of the world body.
Iran Threatens Retaliation Ahead of Likely Censure at IAEA Board Meeting | Iran International
Iran has warned it will take retaliatory steps if the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) proceeds with a resolution censuring its nuclear activities, following the publication of a detailed report alleging undeclared nuclear work across multiple covert sites. Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the agency had “lost its credibility” by acting under “unilateral American influence.” “We have no hidden program and no deviation from our obligations,” Eslami said in an interview with Al-Arabi TV of Qatar ahead of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting this week. “We will not endanger the health of our people by surrendering to political pressure.”
Iran Angered over New US Santions, Says No New Nuclear Talks | Jerusalem Post
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said there is currently no news about a new round of nuclear negotiations and criticized the United States for imposing fresh sanctions despite claims of easing them. “The claim of halting sanctions was untrue, and new sanctions have been imposed,” the ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei said. “This contradictory behavior shows the US is not serious and increases our suspicion.”
Iran Warns European Nations over Move to Censure It for Nuclear ‘Non-Compliance’ | The National
Iran’s Foreign Minister warned the UK, France and Germany on Friday against backing a resolution censuring Tehran at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency next week, saying such a move would be a “strategic mistake.”
Iran Needs US Deal to Avert UN Referral, Former Iranian Official Says | Iran International
Hamid Aboutalebi, former political director of the [Iranian] presidential office, issued a forceful warning in a post on X Sunday, highlighting the layered diplomatic pressures Iran faces in preventing the referral of its case to the UN Security Council and avoiding a European snapback of 2015 nuclear deal sanctions. “It appears that Iran has only one path forward to prevent its nuclear case from being referred to the UN Security Council,” he asserted, “(coming to) an understanding with the United States and establishing diplomatic relations with that country.”
UN Nuclear Chief Rafael Grossi: ‘I Am a Calm Person. I Focus on What I Can Do’ | Financial Times
[International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi:] “Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon at this moment, but it has the material.” A bomb could emerge very swiftly. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has reopened talks. But Israel’s threats mean that “the Iranian thing has incredible potential to become catastrophic. If there is a failure in negotiation, this will imply most probably military action.” Worse, Iran’s nuclear capabilities could not be destroyed with a single surgical strike. “The most sensitive things are half a mile underground—I have been there many times,” he says. “To get there you take a spiral tunnel down, down, down.
Trump Is Running Out of Time to Crush Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions | Richard Kemp in the Telegraph
Trump needs to understand that, even if a deal is agreed, it won’t be worth the paper its written on. Tehran has repeatedly breached the terms of Obama’s deal as well as its obligations under the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty. Whatever obfuscation it comes up with, Iran will not voluntarily surrender its nuclear weapons programme. All these negotiations will therefore achieve is to obstruct and delay the inevitable. It is imperative that the US now gives a green light to Netanyahu to do what he has to do, and provide him with whatever support he needs.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Alleged Iran Money Laundering Network Hit with US Sanctions | Bloomberg
The US imposed sanctions on a network of individuals and companies it accuses of laundering billions of dollars from illegal activities for the Iranian government, as the Trump administration continues its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. The Treasury Department said the penalties target more than 30 individuals, as well as 16 companies based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. . . . The Treasury announcement names Iran’s Zarringhalam brothers—Mansour, Nasser, and Fazlolah—as facilitators behind the network that gives sanctioned Iranian individuals and organizations access to the international financial system. It allegedly operates as a parallel banking system, where Iran-based exchange houses broker settlements through front companies in Hong Kong and the UAE.
An Iran Sanctions Pause Dies a Quiet Death | Wall Street Journal Editorial
It’s remarkable what a little sunlight can do. On Monday these pages reported that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, working with the new National Security Council, had instructed the Treasury and State Departments to pause all new sanctions activity against Iran. The news didn’t go over well with President Trump, and by Tuesday we heard the pause had been lifted. On Friday the Administration confirmed it by issuing new Iran sanctions, the first since May 21.
Iranian state-controlled media on Friday lashed out at the Trump administration’s latest round of sanctions, suggesting the move demonstrates that President Donald Trump is not sufficiently committed to a nuclear deal.
Malaysia, Thailand, and China have emerged as top-priority destinations in Iran Air’s revised international route map after sweeping EU and UK sanctions—imposed due to alleged ties between the airline and Russia’s military operations—forced a complete halt of its European services. With access to Western airspace and airports cut off since late 2024, Iran Air is strategically turning eastward, targeting stable, cooperative Asian markets to maintain global connectivity, restore long-haul traffic, and ensure commercial resilience amid intensifying geopolitical restrictions.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
The tattoos covering Iranian rapper Tataloo’s face stand out against the gray prison uniform the 37-year-old now wears as he awaits execution, his own rise and fall tracing the chaos of the last decade of Iranian politics. Tataloo, whose full name is Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, faces a death sentence after being convicted on charges of “insulting Islamic sanctities.” It’s a far cry from when he once supported a hard-line Iranian presidential candidate. Tataloo's music became popular among the Islamic Republic's youth, as it challenged Iran’s theocracy at a time when opposition to the country's government was splintered and largely leaderless. The rapper’s lyrics became increasingly political after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent wave of nationwide protests. He also appeared in music videos which criticized the authorities. . . . The Iranian Supreme Court last month upheld his death sentence.
Iran Summons 16 Teacher Union Activists to Court | IranWire
Iranian courts have summoned 16 teacher union activists to face charges, according to the Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Union. . . . Security agencies have summoned, detained, and sentenced many union activists and teachers to prison or dismissal in recent years, particularly after continuous teacher protests over the past four years and teachers’ support for protesters.
The council said pursuing teachers’ and students’ demands “will not be stopped by violence.”
Iran Arrests Relative of Death Row Activist | IranWire
Intelligence forces of the Islamic Republic arrested a relative of Varisheh Moradi on Sunday, according to a campaign advocating for the prisoner's release. Karim Asghari, the son-in-law of death row prisoner Moradi, was detained at his workplace in the Shivisheh town along the Sanandaj-Marivan road, the Varisheh Moradi Freedom Campaign reported. Eyewitnesses said the arrest involved beatings and violence and that public protests at the scene failed to prevent the detention, according to the campaign. . . . Varisheh Moradi is a Kurdish social activist, writer, and advocate for women’s and children’s education. . . . Iran’s judiciary later sentenced her to death on charges of "national security violations and propaganda against the state."
Iran Says US Travel Ban Shows ‘Deep Hostility’ for Iranians, Muslims | Reuters
Tehran on Saturday blasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban on countries including Iran, saying it showed “deep hostility” toward Iranians and Muslims. . . . Separately, Iran on Saturday condemned new sanctions imposed by the United States targeting more than 30 individuals and entities Washington said are part of a “shadow banking” network linked to Tehran that has laundered billions of dollars through the global financial system.
Iran Trolls US over LA Riots | Newsweek
Iran has seized on violent protests rocking Los Angeles to mock the United States, ramping up social media taunts and state media headlines. As federal immigration raids triggered days of unrest and National Guard deployment, Tehran's outlets amplified scenes of chaos to question American stability and governance.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Hegseth Says Iran Rebuilding Missiles, US Aims to Be Ready If No Deal | Iran International
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday said his mission is to ensure readiness in case no agreement is reached with Iran. In an interview with Fox Nation, Hegseth said he hopes Iran stops uranium enrichment and dismantles its nuclear capabilities, but added that the United States is prepared for any scenario. Iran is working to rebuild its defenses and missile capabilities, Hegseth said, adding that Washington recognizes the threat Iran poses to Israel and is closely monitoring the situation.
Trump Changes Top Middle East General for Strong Iran Hawk | Newsweek
The U.S. has underlined the priority of maritime operations and integrated joint forces in the Middle East with the nomination of a naval officer as the region's top commander ahead of a potential confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program and other threats. President Donald Trump has nominated Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, currently the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), to be appointed to the rank of admiral and serve as its new commander. He has been a strong critic of Iran and supportive of Israel in the past.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Sons of Senior Iranian Cleric Arrested on Corruption Charges | Iran International
Two sons of prominent Iranian cleric Kazem Sedighi have been arrested on corruption charges, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, more than a year after the hardline cleric himself was implicated in a land grab scandal.
Iran Expands Dog-Walking Ban | BBC News
Iranian officials have expanded a ban on dog walking to a swathe of cities across the country, citing public order and health and safety concerns. . . . Dog ownership has been frowned upon in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with dogs viewed as “unclean” by authorities and a legacy of Western cultural influence. But despite efforts to discourage it, dog ownership is rising, particularly among young people, and it is viewed as a form of rebellion against the restrictive Iranian regime. . . . Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has previously described dog ownership—other than for the purposes of herding, hunting and security—as “reprehensible.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
Bipartisan House Group Insists on No Enrichment for Iran | Jewish Insider
A new bipartisan letter sent Friday by 16 House lawmakers to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff argues that any nuclear deal with Iran must permanently dismantle its capacity to enrich uranium—a notable message particularly from pro-Israel Democrats to the administration. . . . “We wholeheartedly agree that Iran must not retain any capacity to enrich uranium or continue advancing its nuclear weapons infrastructure,” the letter, which frames the appeal as an endorsement of Rubio and Witkoff’s public positions on the subject, states. “There is widespread bipartisan support for this requirement and we appreciate your commitment to this essential cornerstone of any agreement.”
Trump’s Iran Deal Must Go Beyond Original JCPOA, Senior Democrat Says | Iran International
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said any future nuclear agreement between President Donald Trump’s administration and Iran must be more robust than the 2015 accord, with stronger safeguards and verifiable terms. “Iran should never be allowed to become nuclear capable,” Jeffries told Iran International's Marziya Hussaini on Friday. “And to the extent that there’s an agreement that is reached that is designed to build upon the JCPOA, it should be longer and stronger than what had previously existed and should be done in a manner that is verifiable and resilient.”
EUROPE & IRAN
Three Alleged Iranian Spies Appear at Old Bailey | Sky News
Three Iranian nationals charged with spying offences have appeared in court. Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, charged with offences under the National Security Act. They are alleged to have targeted journalists working for Iran International, an independent media organisation based in London. They are all charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist the Iranian foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025. They arrived in the UK between 2016 and 2022 by irregular means, including by small boats and a lorry, and appeared in court via video link.
ISRAEL & IRAN
Israeli Teen from Shfela Recruited by Iranian Spy Network | Jerusalem Post
A 16-year-old boy from a “well-off family” in the Shfela region has been charged with contact with a foreign agent during wartime, after allegedly being recruited by Iranian operatives to carry out sabotage acts, according to a Saturday report by N12. The boy’s parents, both working professionals, his father in high-tech and his mother a teacher, told N12 that their son, "A," had no political motivations and had been driven purely by financial incentives.
Iran Claims Without Evidence That It Took Israeli Nuclear Files | Associated Press
Iran’s intelligence minister claimed without offering evidence Sunday that Tehran seized an “important treasury” of information regarding Israel’s nuclear program, ahead of a week in which the Islamic Republic likely will face new diplomatic pressure over its own program.
Israeli Analysts Cast Doubt on Iran’s Promised Intel Revelations | Iran International
Israeli security experts have cast doubt on Tehran’s recent claims of obtaining sensitive Israeli intelligence as exaggerated or psychological warfare while Iran’s intelligence minister says the documents will soon be made public.
Iran Condemns Israel Interception of Gaza-Bound Aid Boat as 'Piracy' | Times of Israel
Iran condemns Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid vessel carrying international activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, describing it as an act of piracy. “The assault on this flotilla — since it happened in international waters — is considered a form of piracy under international law,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei tells a press briefing in Tehran. Israel says the boat was trying to enter a closed military area and ignored several warnings to turn around.
MISCELLANEOUS
Iran has embarked on a series of high-level phone calls with regional countries during the Eid al-Adha Islamic holiday. The goal is to push for Islamic unity. Iran also wants to use this against Israel. . . . These calls are important. Iran’s leadership didn’t need to make all these calls for the holiday. Iranian state media is highlighting this to show how Iran has strong diplomatic connections.