TOP STORIES
Trump Reins in Netanyahu over Lebanon After Iran Threatens to Quit Talks | Axios
“President Trump on Monday hit the brakes on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to bomb Hezbollah targets in Beirut after Iran threatened to abandon its negotiations with the U.S. over Israel’s actions in Lebanon. An Israeli official told Axios the planned strikes on Beirut would not be happening. . . . The Lebanese Embassy in Washington later announced that Hezbollah accepted a U.S. proposal for a ‘mutual cessation of attacks’ and that Trump had told the Lebanese ambassador he’d secured Netanyahu’s agreement.”
Iran Halts Ceasefire Talks with US, Says It Will Keep Strait of Hormuz Closed | The Hill
“Iran has accused the Trump administration of ceasefire violations and will move to close the Strait of Hormuz and stop exchanging messages with the U.S. through intermediaries, Iran’s state-affiliated outlet Tasnim News Agency reported Monday. The report . . . pointed to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah as a violation of the ceasefire with the U.S. The report said an Israeli ceasefire in Lebanon is a precondition for the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. and that the ceasefire ‘has now been violated on all fronts.’”
Iran Eyes Limited US Deal to Relieve Economic Strain and Buy Time | Reuters
“Iran is pushing for a limited interim agreement with the United States in a bid to ease mounting economic pressure and stabilise the situation at home, while avoiding major concessions on its nuclear programme, according to sources and analysts. The approach reflects a familiar playbook for the Islamic Republic: absorb pressure, avoid irreversible compromises and keep negotiations alive without shifting core positions, three Iranian sources close to decision-makers said.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Interview with UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky | ABC News
“I think that this episode [President Trump’s facilitation of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah] shows that President Trump is firmly in the driver’s seat here—not [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahu leading him along, dictating U.S. policy. This is the United States dictating its own policy, and I think it shows the president wants to see these negotiations with Iran continue and that he’s committed to removing any kind of excuse that the Islamic Republic has to say ‘No.’”
Interview with UANI Research Director Daniel Roth | Newsmax [Begins at 20:00]
“The expectation for the president to perform miracles is based on his historic achievements . . . the IRGC-controlled economy is on its knees, the nuclear odds are higher and the timeline much longer, the leadership is reduced to hiding in bunkers, and the missiles program is severely degraded.”
Finish the Job—Close the Wallet | Lance Gordon for Real Clear Defense
“The dark fleet is the regime's hidden artery. The Journal's May 27 investigation documented how Iran moves crude to China despite the blockade — a network of aging shadow tankers conducting ship-to-ship transfers in the Eastern Outer Port Limits (EOPL), a 500-square-mile gray zone off Malaysia's coast that the Journal calls a ‘little epicenter of maritime lawlessness.’ Iran reaped roughly $31 billion in oil revenue from China last year, accounting for about 45 percent of the government's budget. Treasury has frozen $344 million in Iranian cryptocurrency and named USDZ, the IRGC-linked stablecoin, as a sanctions target. United Against Nuclear Iran recorded 679 such transfers in 2025, up from 280 in 2023. Per the group’s Charlie Brown, a former US naval officer: ‘China cannot get its oil from Iran without going through the EOPL.’”
MILITARY MATTERS
U.S. Military Says It Redirected 121 Vessels, Disabled 5 amid Blockade | CBS News
“The U.S. military said Monday it has redirected 121 commercial vessels since the start of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and vessels. It has disabled another five ships ‘to ensure compliance,’ U.S. Central Command said on X.”
Ship Struck by “Unknown” Projectile in Northern Gulf, Naval Monitor Says | CNN
“A cargo vessel traveling through the northern Persian Gulf has been struck by an unknown projectile, according to a British military-run maritime security organization. The incident occurred some 40 miles south-east of the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq, said the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO), which monitors incidents worldwide.”
Senior Iranian Officer Says Renewed War with US ‘Inevitable’ | Agence France-Presse
“‘The United States demands our total surrender, and the Iranian nation will never surrender,’ says Mohammad Jafar Assadi, deputy head of Iran’s central military command, Khatam al-Anbiya. ‘Without surrender, war is inevitable.’”
Iran Warns Northern Israel Residents to Evacuate If Beirut Attacked | Iran International
“Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters commander warned residents of northern Israel to leave the area if Israel carries out threatened attacks on Beirut, in response to an earlier Israeli military evacuation warning for residents of areas in Beirut.”
DIPLOMACY
U.S. Presses Neutral Oman to Pick a Side and Cut Ties with Iran | Wall Street Journal
“Washington increasingly interprets Oman’s approach toward Tehran as hostile to America and, according to U.S. and Arab officials, has pressed Oman to pick a side and cut diplomatic ties with Iran. . . . U.S. officials said the genesis of the Trump administration’s distrust of Muscat came a day before the first U.S.-Israeli airstrikes when Oman’s foreign minister appeared on U.S. television to claim an agreement on nuclear issues to avoid a conflict was ‘within our reach, if we just allow diplomacy the space it needs to get there.’ No agreement was that close, the officials said, noting Iran hadn’t made a serious offer to limit its nuclear work.”
Iran Studying Deal to Halt War as Stalemate Persists | Reuters
“Iran is reviewing a proposed agreement with the United States to halt the war between the two countries, Iran’s Mehr news reported on Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said talks to reach a deal were continuing.”
Trump Tells CNBC: ‘I Don’t Care’ If Iran Negotiations Are Over | CNBC
“President Donald Trump on Monday shrugged off the possible collapse of peace negotiations with Iran, telling CNBC, ‘I don’t care if they’re over, honestly.’”
“Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says that while it is ‘difficult,’ transferring Iran's enriched uranium abroad is ‘not impossible.’ . . . Grossi also added that several other options are being considered, including ‘downblending’ the uranium to a lower level of enrichment.”
Iran Gets Trump to Rescue Hezbollah | Wall Street Journal Editorial
“Anytime it wants, Iran could tell Hezbollah to stop shooting and end the war, which Israel has no desire to wage. Instead it encouraged Hezbollah’s fire, so it could cut off U.S. talks when Israel inevitably responded in force. The regime has two interests here: Protecting its terror proxy while it attacks Israel and resisting the U.S. changes to the draft memorandum of understanding that we reported on Thursday. Iran’s regime sees this as one war, and it has been testing Mr. Trump on all fronts. If it fires on U.S. forces in the Strait or Gulf, will he still try to salvage the cease-fire? How about stepped-up attacks on Israel? How about claiming to quit negotiations? In each case, Mr. Trump has chosen to avoid escalation and keep talking. If he won’t send a different message, it will be difficult to get the regime to comply with a deal, no matter what it promises now.”
TERRORISM & PROXY WARS
‘We Are in a War,’ Alleged Iran-Backed Militant Exclaims in US Court | Reuters
“An alleged member of an Iran-backed militia pleaded not guilty on Monday to U.S. criminal charges he was involved in multiple attacks against American interests in Europe, proclaiming in a courtroom outburst, ‘I am not a criminal.’ Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi spoke in Manhattan federal court after his lawyer, Andrew Dalack, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to eight counts including conspiracy to provide material support to Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. ‘I am not guilty and we are in a war situation,’ Al-Saadi said through an Arabic interpreter. ‘Children are being killed by your rockets,’ Al-Saadi added, gesturing in front of him toward where U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon and prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office were seated.”
U.S. Says More People May Be Charged in Terror Case Linked to Iran | New York Times
“The U.S. government said on Monday it might charge additional people as part of a terror case that links attacks in Europe to Iran’s campaign of retaliation against the United States and Israel for the war that began in February.
Chilling Post Adds New Twist to Ivanka Trump Assassination Plot | Daily Wire
“A social media post buried inside a newly unsealed federal terrorism complaint appears to place an Iran-backed terror group frighteningly close to first daughter Ivanka Trump during a family trip to Disneyland Paris earlier this year. According to the complaint, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya—a group the Department of Justice says is part of the U.S.-designated terror organization Kata’ib Hizballah—issued a message to President Donald Trump via Snapchat on April 20 that specifically referenced Ivanka Trump. ‘From the heart of the matter, where your daughter Ivanka, that whore who throws herself into the arms of men, adorns her face lightly and breathes with delight wherever she falls upon the edge of a rich wealthy man,’ the message read before warning: ‘You moron, your daughter was on the brink of death thirteen days ago, but our men don’t kill whores.’”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Executes Two More Men Arrested During January 2025 Protests | CBS News
“Iran has executed two more men arrested during anti-regime protests in January 2025, according to Mizan News, the Iranian national judiciary authority’s media outlet. Iran accused the men of being ‘key organizers’ of the protests in Tehran. The two men, identified as Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki, were convicted in connection with an arson attack on the Jafari Mosque in Kooy-e Nasr, Mizan said Monday, as well as charges including destruction of public property, clashes with security forces, blocking streets, and disrupting public order.”
Iranian Man ‘Going to Prison’ for Filming Tehran’s Tiananmen Moment | Radio Free Europe
“It was a viral image of defiance at the very beginning of mass protests that would shake Iran. In late December last year, a figure in black sat hunched in the middle of one of Tehran’s main streets, facing off against ranks of security forces on motorbikes. The shaky video of the incident recalled the famous ‘Tank Man’ protester on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, who single-handedly defied an armored column during pro-democracy protests in 1989 that were subsequently crushed by tanks. In each case, it is not known what has happened to the lone protester. But the man who shot the video in Tehran six months ago released a new video on June 1 confirming that, tomorrow, he will go to jail. ‘I’m going to prison tomorrow so my 10-year sentence can start,’ Masud Piyahu said in his video. ‘The one thing I want to say is that I never denied that I filmed that scene that day on Jomhuri (Republic) street. But I had nothing to do with its spread and I never intended that video to be shared. Here’s hoping for better days,’ he added.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
IRGC Cleric Cites Ex-Leader’s Wartime Addresses, Urging Public Updates | Iran International
“An IRGC cleric said on Tuesday that the public should be given updates on the country’s wartime situation, citing how former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei spoke directly to people when he was still alive.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
“[Secretary of State Marco Rubio] will sit before House and Senate committees [June 2] to make the State Department’s annual budget request. But the focus is likely to shift quickly to the already unsteady ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which has been further tested in recent days by back-and-forth attacks.”