TOP STORIES
Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including an assault that sparked a huge fire at Kuwait International Airport. . . . Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the war, “and we do not plan on any negotiations.” . . . Press TV, the English-language broadcaster on Iranian state television, quoted an anonymous official as saying, “Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.” It attributed to the anonymous official an Iranian five-point proposal that included a halt to killings of its officials, means to make sure no other war is waged against it, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran Suspected of Creating Bogus Group to Claim Attacks in Europe | Wall Street Journal
Authorities are investigating Iran’s suspected involvement in a string of terrorist attacks in Europe that have targeted Jewish sites in response to the war in the Middle East, security officials say. They suspect Iranian agents recruited individuals online to carry out attacks on Jewish schools, synagogues and companies linked to Israel, and set up a bogus group to claim responsibility for them. . . . Videos of these incidents were posted and amplified on pro-Iranian regime social-media channels and in at least one case an attack was announced in advance, according to investigators and counterterrorism experts. . . . Over the past year, Iran has pre-positioned arms and ammunition for proxy cells in countries including Germany and Austria, as well as along migrant routes in the Balkans, several European and U.S. officials said.
Russia Sending Drones to Iran, Western Intelligence Says | Financial Times
Russia is close to completing a phased shipment of drones, medicine and food to Iran, according to western intelligence reports that detail Moscow’s efforts to keep its embattled partner fighting. . . . Nicole Grajewski, a professor at Sciences Po university in Paris who studies the Russia-Iran relationship, said Tehran could want to reverse engineer the drones to help improve its indigenous systems. . . . Grajewski said: “The Russians dramatically improved the Shaheds, including modifications to the engines, navigation and anti-jamming capabilities. So these systems are already more advanced than the ones Iran was producing domestically.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
6 Big Questions at CPAC 2026 | CNN
. . . [The conference] includes prominent supporters of the war like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former United Nations Ambassador Mark Wallace, who heads a group called United Against Nuclear Iran.
Has a power vacuum emerged in Iran’s regime, and who is really calling the shots? As the conflict enters its fourth week, these questions are shaping Western policy and military strategy. The answer reveals why prematurely stopping the war will almost certainly produce a far more extremist regime.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran and a former White House policy fellow during the Obama administration, has questioned whether the new entity is truly independent. ‘It still retains many of the existing Alavi leadership team,’ Brodsky told the Daily Mail.
The Revolutionary Guard, established in 1979 as the clerical regime’s bodyguard, has since the 1990s become the most important organization in the Islamic Republic. Ali Khamenei repeatedly treated the Guard as the central pillar of the regime’s survival. The organization strongly pushed for Mojtaba’s elevation and has tightened its grip over wartime decision-making despite major losses in its command structure. Even if Mojtaba is alive, the structure around him is already moving toward direct Guard control. . . . A hidden chain of command dominated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is far less likely to compromise, de-escalate, or test a diplomatic opening. The men around Mojtaba are not pragmatists; they are hardliners shaped by intelligence work, internal repression, missile doctrine, and survivalist thinking. They do not see war as a reason for moderation, but as proof that only coercion, ideological discipline, and regional escalation can save the system.
MILITARY MATTERS & REGIME CHANGE
Trump Tells Aides He Wants Speedy End to Iran War | Wall Street Journal
President Trump has told associates in recent days that he wants to avoid a protracted war in Iran and that he hopes to bring the conflict to an end in the coming weeks. Nearly one month into the war, the president has privately informed advisers he thinks the conflict is in its final stages, urging them to stick to the four-to-six-week timeline he has outlined publicly, according to people familiar with the matter. White House officials planned a mid-May summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing with the expectation that the war would be concluded before the meeting begins, some of the people said.
Pentagon Prepares for Massive “Final Blow” of Iran War | Axios
The Pentagon is developing military options for a “final blow” in Iran that could include the use of ground forces and a massive bombing campaign, according to two U.S. officials and two sources with knowledge. A dramatic military escalation will grow more likely if no progress is made in diplomatic talks and, in particular, if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Some U.S. officials think a crushing show of force to conclude the fighting would create more leverage in peace talks or simply give Trump something to point to and declare victory.
Gulf Countries Want Trump to End Iran War—but Not Yet, Officials Say | Washington Post
As the Trump administration makes what is says are initial peace overtures to Iran, U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf, initially skittish about the war, have become fearful of a hasty settlement that leaves the region less stable than it was a month ago, officials and analysts say.
Israel Races to Hit Iran Hard While It Still Can, Officials Say | New York Times
With the growing potential for talks between the United States and Iran, the Israeli military is striking as many key targets as it can, concerned the war could soon be brought to a halt, two senior Israeli officials and two people briefed on the matter said. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that every effort be made over the next 48 hours to destroy as much of the Iranian arms industry as possible, according to the two officials.
U.S. and Israel Temporarily Remove Two Iranian Officials From Target List | Wall Street Journal
The U.S. and Israel have temporarily removed two senior Iranian officials from their list of officials to eliminate as they explore possible peace talks, U.S. officials said. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have been removed from the target list for up to four or five days as President Trump opens the door to high-level negotiations for ending the war, the officials said.
U.S.: Most of Iran's Missile Production Facilities Are Damaged or Destroyed | Wall Street Journal
The U.S. and Israel have badly damaged or destroyed most of the Iranian facilities used to build missiles, drones and warships, the U.S. Central Command said Wednesday. “We have damaged or destroyed over two-thirds of Iran’s missile, drone and naval production facilities and shipyards,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video issued by the command. “We are on a path to completely eliminate Iran’s wider military manufacturing apparatus.”
“They’ll Get Mowed Down”: Trump Rebuffed Netanyahu Idea to Call for Iran Uprising | Axios
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to call on Iranians to flood the streets to protest their government last week, but President Trump told him it was just too risky, two U.S. officials and an Israeli source said. “Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they’ll just get mowed down,” Trump said to Netanyahu during their call, according to a U.S. official briefed on the conversation. . . . The U.S. and Israel agree on most of the military objectives of the war, but the outlooks differ on the question of regime change in Iran and the amount of chaos and bloodshed that's acceptable to try to bring it about. While Netanyahu lists creating the conditions for a popular uprising among Israel's core objectives, U.S. officials say Trump sees regime change as more of a “bonus.”
Iran War Tests Donald Trump’s Tolerance for ‘Pain’ in Oil Market | Financial Times
Investors are hunting for the “pain point” that prompts Donald Trump to make policy pivots on his war in Iran as the US president’s social media posts ignite severe swings in the oil market. Since Trump launched the war in the Middle East, he has tended to intensify his threats against the Iranian regime over weekends, when oil markets are closed, and hint at impending peace when prices are rising.
Cruise Missile Production Sites in Tehran Were Hit, Israel Says | Iran International
Two naval cruise missile production sites in Tehran were struck in recent days, the Israeli military said on Wednesday. The sites were operating under Iran’s defense ministry and being used to develop and manufacture long-range naval cruise missiles capable of hitting targets at sea and on land. The military said the strikes caused extensive damage to Iran’s cruise missile program and were part of a broader effort to weaken the country’s military production infrastructure.
Iran’s Attacks Force U.S. Troops to Work Remotely | New York Times
Iran has bombed U.S. bases across the Middle East in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war, forcing many American troops to relocate to hotels and office spaces throughout the region, according to military personnel and American officials. . . . The result, according to current and former military officials, is a war that is much harder to prosecute.
Ghalibaf Warns US over Troop Deployments in Region | Iran International
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned the United States on Wednesday over troop movements in the region. “We are closely monitoring all US movements . . . Do not test our resolve to defend our land,” he said on X. He added that US forces could “fall victim” to what he described as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions.
North Koreans Fear Possible Deployment as Iran War Intensifies—Report | Iran International
North Koreans are increasingly worried about the possibility of overseas troop deployments as the Iran war intensifies, with rumors of involvement spreading in border regions and among families of military-age men, according to reports from North Korea. Daily NK reported that residents in northern areas were closely following the war and asking whether it could eventually pull Pyongyang in.
The past 3½ weeks of war have confirmed what we have known for nearly 50 years—Iran’s revolution is a threat to global security and economic stability. We can’t let Iran hold the U.S., the United Arab Emirates and the global economy hostage. A simple cease-fire isn’t enough. We need a conclusive outcome that addresses Iran’s full range of threats: nuclear capabilities, missiles, drones, terror proxies and blockades of international sea lanes.
“No imminent threat,” declare the sceptics. “An illegal war,” they insist. Such phrases betray a profound misunderstanding of history and responsibility. They treat sovereignty as a shield for aggression and “imminence” as a stopwatch that only starts once the warhead is in flight. We in the region’s Arab states—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman—ought to know better. We have lived with the Iranian threat for forty-seven years.
DIPLOMACY
White House Downplays Reports Iran Rejected Trump Peace Proposal | Axios
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran remain “productive,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed on Wednesday after Iranian state media reported that Tehran had rejected Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war. Leavitt rejected the idea tha[t] talks were at a dead end—a scenario that raised fears of imminent escalation. . . . It’s not entirely clear how much of the Iranian position is posturing vs. actually closing the door on negotiations. A U.S. official said the Trump administration had yet to receive any messages from Iran rejecting the offer.
Trump to Hit Iran Harder if Tehran Does Not Accept Defeat, White House Says | Reuters
President Donald Trump will hit Iran harder if Tehran fails to accept that the country has been “defeated militarily,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday. “President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again,” Leavitt told reporters in a press briefing.
INTEL MATTERS
The [Israeli] State Attorney’s Office indicts a 14-year-old boy on espionage charges after he allegedly carried out intelligence missions on Iran’s behalf, including filming the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. The teenager made contact with an Iranian agent online last April and began carrying out tasks for him, earning over $1,170, prosecutors say.
HOSTAGES
British Woman Jailed in Iran Speaks to ITV News in First Interview Since the War Began | ITV X
A British woman sentenced to ten years in jail by an Iranian court says she has come to accept she may die behind bars, and fears the war could leave no one within the regime able to secure her release. Speaking from inside Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison in her first interview since the war began, Lindsay Foreman told ITV News about life under bombardment. She exists in a prison shaken by conflict, but where she runs laps of the courtyard and bakes shortbread for fellow inmates, to provide small comforts against the sound of explosions.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
IRGC Pressured Pezeshkian to Appoint Zolghadr as Security Chief | Iran International
Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council under direct pressure from senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including newly installed IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi, according to informed sources.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Top Republican Attacks Pentagon for Not Providing Details on Iran | Politico
House Armed Services Committee chair Rep. Mike Rogers said members warned defense officials that troop movements in the region should be “thoughtful and deliberate.” They also made it clear the administration isn’t offering details on American efforts in the U.S. campaign, dubbed Operation Epic Fury. . . . “We want to know more about what’s going on, what the options are, and why they’re being considered,” the Alabama lawmaker said. “And we’re just not getting enough answers on those questions.” . . . “That’s what I conveyed to them at the end of this hearing, is this has consequences if you don’t remedy it,” Rogers told reporters.