TOP STORIES
Trump Cancels US Strikes, Suggesting Agreement Is Close | CNN
“President Donald Trump said he was canceling the strikes against Iran Thursday night that he’d previewed hours earlier because ‘final points’ of an agreement between the two sides had been approved. ‘Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said ‘discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved.’ He listed the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt as nations involved in the approvals. ‘The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized,’ he said. ‘Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly,’ he said.”
Trump Claims Iran Deal Reached, Tehran Says No "Final Decision" | Axios
“President Trump announced that he canceled planned strikes against Iran on Thursday and claimed Iran's leadership ‘approved’ a draft agreement that would extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch 60 days of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. Trump has claimed an agreement was close multiple times before, and Tehran said in response to Trump's latest claim that there had been no ‘final decision.’ However, three sources briefed on the talks told Axios that key gaps were narrowed during talks between Iranian officials and Qatari mediators on Wednesday.”
Iran’s Oil Lifeline Faces ‘Biggest Test Yet’ as China Steps Back | Bloomberg
“Iranian oil shipments to China, a resilient trade that’s survived years of US sanctions to provide a crucial economic lifeline to Tehran, is coming under huge strain from waning demand and an American blockade. China’s independent oil refiners, known as teapots, have dialed back purchases and cut operating rates as they grapple with mounting economic losses, while recent US sanctions have made some buyers wary about the Iran trade. That’s prompted sellers to slash prices to try and entice buying interest.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Three Ships Attacked by the US in Three Days: What We Know | BBC News
"Settebello, which is owned by an Indian company called Aqua Aurora Shipping Lines, has not been sanctioned by the US but is on the sanctions list of the campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) which says it has been involved in transporting Iranian crude oil."
"Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told JNS that the president has been 'practicing his own brand of coercive diplomacy.' Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked media outlets denying that there is a deal is not the same as Iranian officials denying it, according to Brodsky. 'I’ll believe there’s a deal when I see there’s a deal,' he said. 'This is not a final deal,' he added. 'This is a memorandum of understanding that paves the way for more talks about Iran’s nuclear program.'”
Trump Calls Off Iran Strikes Claiming Peace Deal Approved | Jewish Chronicle
"Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told JNS that the president has been 'practising his own brand of coercive diplomacy.'"
Product Tanker Was on ‘Ghost Armada’ List Before Deadly US Strike | TradeWinds
"United Against Nuclear Iran, a US-based advocacy group, said the ship had been on its 'ghost armada' list since April 2021."
U.S. Forces Disable Third Tanker This Week Off Oman with Indian Crew | Maritime Executive
"Past tracking data, as well as reports from the NGO UANI (United Against Nuclear Iran), however, have tracked the vessel transporting Iranian oil in the past. It was also noted that neither the Settebello nor the Jalveer has been sanctioned."
Heading Off: New Technique Helps Track Grain Smuggling Expansion to Libya | Bellingcat
"We shared our research with Charlie Brown, a former US Naval Officer and Senior Advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran where he focuses on maritime sanctions enforcement and the tracking of illicit shipping. Brown told Bellingcat that while satellite imagery of vessels remained key for identification, when looking for reliable data in a spoofing environment it made sense to look at the various elements of AIS data to try and find some accurate information, despite GNSS spoofing. 'It’s quite standard for the independent gyro compass to be providing the heading […] I think the majority would not [be subject to spoofing] so it’s a good methodology to parse out the particular data and then make some inferences from that.' 'It’s neat to think of what can be derived from data that would otherwise be dirty or wrong. So there’s still some elements of use in there.'”
DIPLOMACY
What's in the Iran Deal Trump Says He's Ready to Sign | Axios
“The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding President Trump claims will soon be signed calls for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen immediately without tolls and for Iran to receive sanctions relief based on compliance, according to a diplomat from one of the mediating countries and a U.S. official.”
US and Iran Nearing a Peace Deal Around G7 Meeting Next Week | Bloomberg
“The US and Iran are edging closer to signing an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the Group of Seven world leaders are set to meet next week, according to senior officials.”
Trump Says “I Understand” Iran’s Supreme Leader Has Agreed to Tentative Deal | CBS
“President Trump was asked if Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has approved of the deal he's discussing. ‘I understand the answer is yes,’ he said. Iran has yet to confirm such an agreement.”
Mediators Have Hit Some “Breakthroughs” in US-Iran Talks, Source Says, amid Trump Post | CNN
“A source with knowledge of the situation has acknowledged real “breakthroughs” in US-Iran peace negotiations amid a post on social media from US President Donald Trump that an agreement with Tehran is imminent. The source told CNN that mediators are ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the parties getting a deal over the finish line. They cited the latest series of discussions held by Qatari negotiators in Tehran on Wednesday and Thursday. Mediators involved in US-Iran negotiations are signaling that Qatari negotiators visit to Tehran yesterday and talks until early morning today helped push it forward despite the tit-for-tat situation, the source said, referring to the latest volleys of strikes. ‘Mediators have hit some breakthroughs,’ they said.”
US Officials Believe Iran-Qatar Meetings This Week Helped Resolve Sticking Points | CNN
“US officials believe meetings between Iranian and Qatari officials in Tehran this week helped resolve some of the remaining sticking points in an agreement with the US, according to a person familiar with the matter. The sticking points included details of how the future negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program will unfold and the sequencing of financial relief for Iran. Iran passed along its latest draft of the proposed agreement with the United States through Qatari mediators earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. Trump had returned a proposed deal with changes nearly two weeks ago, looking to harden some of the language around the nuclear issue. He had been growing frustrated that Iran was taking too long to respond. But the discussions through Qatar this week helped narrow some of the gaps. US officials had been in frequent contact with the mediators, even as the US and Iran were trading strikes on consecutive days this week. Still, Trump has voiced optimism about a deal frequently over the last month with nothing materializing.”
Qatari Delegation Delivered Iran’s Approval of Final Draft MOU | Iran International
“A Qatari delegation returning from Tehran delivered Iran’s approval of the final draft of an Iran-US memorandum of understanding, Al Arabiya reported, citing a senior source.”
Trump Says Iran Deal Could Be Signed in Europe over Weekend | Iran International
“President Donald Trump said an Iran deal could be signed over the weekend, probably in Europe, and that documents for the agreement were in a ‘pretty final stage.’ He said Vice President JD Vance would attend the signing. Trump added that he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would speak to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.”
MILITARY MATTERS
“More than 50 Iranian military bases, including the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), have been damaged by US-Israeli attacks since the war began, satellite images show.”
“Kuwait's military said Thursday that it had ‘dealt with’ 24 Iranian attack drones within the country's airspace over the last two days. Ministry of Defense spokesperson Major General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi said ‘the Iranian aggression resulted in limited material damage without any human casualties.’ Iran has stepped up its targeting of U.S. Persian Gulf allies this week as the two sides resume reciprocal attacks. The renewed fighting was sparked by an Iranian drone bringing down a U.S. Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz early this week.”
Iran’s Kharg Island Is Key to Its Oil Exports. Targeting It Carries Major Risks | Associated Press
“Iran’s Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil, has emerged as a focus of the war launched in late February by the United States and Israel. Strikes on oil infrastructure on Kharg — or a ground invasion — would severely curb Iran’s oil exports, a key source of revenue for the Islamic Republic. An assault would also mark a major escalation that could provoke even heavier retaliatory attacks on Gulf Arab infrastructure and further drive up oil prices. The skyrocketing cost of fuel is already threatening the world economy.”
Iran’s Joint Military Command Says Oil and Gas Exports ‘For Everyone or No One’ | Al Jazeera
“Iran’s top joint military command, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, has said recent US threats on Iran’s oil infrastructure would jeopardise all oil and gas exports in the region. ‘In light of recent US threats against Iran’s oil infrastructure, it is declared that either oil and gas exports will be possible for everyone, or they will be possible for no one,’ said the military command in comments carried by Iran’s IRIB broadcaster. The remarks follow an earlier social media post by Trump in which he said the US would ‘assume total control’ of Iran’s oil and gas markets ‘in the not too distant future.”
PROXY WARS
Iran and Proxies Have Carried Out or Threatened 14 Attacks Since War’s Start: Bulletin | ABC
“One hundred days into the war, Iran is doing what U.S. intelligence officials feared it would. Since the February start of the war with Iran, the country and its proxies have "inspired lone wolf actors in several instances that resulted in attacks against critical infrastructure and US citizens," according to a state homeland security intelligence bulletin reviewed by ABC News. The bulletin, citing information from the Department of Homeland Security, cited 14 threats and actual attacks undertaken by Iranian proxy groups, cyber actors and lone wolves since Feb. 28, 2026, including a deadly shooting in Austin, Texas; a cyberattack against a medical technology company that wiped out more than 200,000 systems, servers, and mobile devices and extracted 50 terabytes of critical data; the vehicle ramming attack at Temple Israel in Michigan and the attack on the White House correspondents' dinner. ‘Iranian-aligned hacktivist groups including Handala Hack, Cyber and 313 Team and various others have targeted U.S. companies and critical infrastructure networks in retaliation for the war. Iran has vowed to seek revenge on the United States in the aftermath of the war,’ the bulletin said.”
What We Know About the U.S. Consulate Shooting Probe | Toronto Star
“The investigation that led to a Toronto police officer being killed on duty may have ties to the U.S. Consulate shooting in March, according to reports. American authorities arrested Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, in May, and charged him with six terrorist related offences for his alleged role in plotting nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. In wiretaps, he took credit for masterminding the U.S. Consulate shooting in Toronto and another synagogue attack in Canada, although its location is unknown. Al-Saadi was a commander with Kata’ib Hizballah, a Shia militant group in Syria and Iran, and an operative for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, according to investigators. ‘In Europe, we have our guys; even in America, for example the other day, and in Canada, we have our guys,’ Al-Saadi was quoted as saying to a confidential source.”
NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Trump Says Iran Will Not ‘In Any Way Develop’ Nuclear Weapon | Al Jazeera
“Asked whether Iran has committed not to pursue a nuclear weapon under the terms of a deal being worked out, Trump says: ‘They will not have a nuclear weapon. They have agreed to that.’ Trump also said Iran would not purchase or in any way develop a nuclear weapon as part of a future agreement. For years, Iranian leaders have rejected US claims that the country was seeking a nuclear weapon.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
US Asks to Drop Iran Sanctions Case Against Turkish Halkbank | Bloomberg
“The Justice Department asked a judge to let it drop a long-running US criminal case against Turkish state-owned lender Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS over alleged Iran sanctions violations. Prosecutors told US District Judge Richard Berman that Halkbank had met all the conditions for dismissing the case under a deferred prosecution agreement signed with the bank in March.”
Iran Weighs Adding Elon Musk Linked Interests in Region to Its Target List, Iranian Report | CNN
“Iran is considering adding business interests linked to Elon Musk across the Middle East to its military target list, after accusing the billionaire’s companies of supporting US and Israeli military operations attacking Iran, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency. The move comes after ‘the US and Israeli militaries have used infrastructure managed by Elon Musk, including Starlink,’ during the conflict with Iran, according to Fars. Fars, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also claimed that ‘Musk’s military assistance to the US military’ had previously been disclosed through ‘projects such as Starshield’ and through ‘the launch of military satellites for activities including Earth observation, encrypted communications, and secure data transfer.’ The Fars report said that ‘Starlink ground stations located in Israel, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, and Oman, along with SpaceX shareholders — including infrastructure linked to the two companies Alpha Dhabi and Mubadala — are among the entities reportedly included in Iran’s new target bank.’ Fars also claimed, citing an informed source, that the US military, with support from companies linked to Musk, ‘had attacked water infrastructure in southern Iran,’ and that ‘Iran reserves the right to strike all facilities associated with holding companies managed by Musk in the region and in Israel.”
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
“An Iran-linked hacker group claims to have breached FBI drones and has threatened to target the World Cup that kicked off this week, a monitoring group says.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Tehran Mayor Says State Funeral for Khamenei to be Delayed Several Weeks | Agence France Presse
“The mayor of Tehran says that the state funeral of late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed by US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the Middle East war, will be postponed until the end of June or early July.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
Sen. Kennedy, Vocal Ally of Trump, “Worried” About a Kharg Island Operation | CBS
“Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, a staunch Republican ally of President Trump, expressed concern for a potential operation to take Iran's Kharg Island after the president said earlier it was part of the plan. Kennedy even compared the idea of an operation on Kharg Island, a key location for the country's oil production, to the quagmire that became the Vietnam War. ‘I'm worried about the move on Kharg Island,’ Kennedy told reporters Thursday on Capitol Hill. ‘I'm not saying the president's wrong, but this is how it started in Vietnam. Committing troops is a very, very, very dramatic step.’ However, Kennedy took a strong stance against negotiations with Iran, saying, ‘I have never believed that Iran will say truthfully, 'OK, we've given up, we're not going to develop a nuclear warhead.' They may promise to do that, but they lie like fish swim." He added, in relation to the key demand about unfreezing Iranian assets, ‘We should not give them a dime, not in any deal."
GOP Senator Backs Trump Pressure on Iran but Warns One Hurdle Remains | Fox News
“Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., defended President Donald Trump's approach to Iran on Thursday, arguing the administration must keep pressure on Tehran while pursuing a potential agreement aimed at preventing the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The North Dakota Republican told reporters that the administration's blockade and military pressure campaign have been effective in pushing Iran toward negotiations, while stressing that any deal must be enforceable. ‘Think about who we're dealing with. We're dealing with Iran. They never, ever keep their word,’ Hoeven said. ‘You've got the Revolutionary Guard, you've got the ayatollahs, and then you've got their parliament. Who even speaks for the country? So it's a very difficult situation.’ Hoeven's comments came after Trump announced he had canceled planned strikes against Iran on Thursday evening, claiming negotiations had advanced to the highest levels of Iran's leadership and that the sides were nearing an agreement. ‘But remember, no matter what we do or whatever kind of agreement they sign, you've got to be able to enforce it,’ Hoeven said. ‘And so the blockade and these other measures are about making sure that we can enforce whatever agreement we get."
EUROPE & IRAN
Attacks on Gulf States Unacceptable, EU’s Top Diplomat Tells Iran’s Foreign Minister | BBC
“The EU's foreign policy chief has described renewed attacks on Gulf states as ‘unnacceptable’ in a call with her Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. In a post on X, Kaja Kallas says ‘the resumed attacks on the Gulf countries and their critical infrastructure are unacceptable.’ ‘A return to full-scale war would come at a tremendous cost to the entire region. The diplomatic route remains the best path out of this war.’ Earlier Araghchi said he condemned US ‘aggression’ in the phone call with Kallas, which took place this morning. Araghchi said he told Kallas that recent US strikes were a ‘violation of international law’ and rendered the ceasefire ‘ineffective.”
GULF STATES & IRAN
Qatar Pursued Secret Talks with Iran to Shield Gas Complex from Strikes | Washington Post
“The missile attack that Iran launched against Qatar in mid-March sent plumes of smoke rising from the largest natural-gas production facility in the world. . . . Seeking to protect its economic crown jewel, these officials said, Qatar approached Tehran at the start of the war to present a mutually beneficial arrangement: Iran would refrain from hitting Ras Laffan, and Qatar would halt gas production unilaterally — a move that would send energy prices soaring and put economic pressure on the United States and Israel to shorten the war.”
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that Iran would be made to pay for any damage it does to U.S. allies in the Gulf. ‘Any damage it [Iran] inflicts on our allies in the Gulf will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian Accounts,’ Bessent said on X, without offering any further details. A source familiar with Bessent's thinking told CBS News on Saturday that the Treasury was seeking estimates from Gulf allies of the costs associated with repairing the damage caused by Iran's ongoing attacks. Bessent said Thursday that ‘any tolls paid to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority’ – the newly-created Iranian agency Tehran insists is in charge of overseeing commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz – ‘will be offset by funds extracted from their accounts.’ ‘Every attack Iran launches will only deepen the economic and financial consequences it faces,’ Bessent said.”
UAE and Iran Meet Face-to-Face to Try to Deescalate Tensions | Bloomberg
“Senior national security officials from the United Arab Emirates and Iran held a face-to-face meeting for the first time since the start of the US-Israeli war against Tehran, according to people with knowledge of the situation. This week’s meeting marked a stark turnaround for both sides and comes amid their growing acknowledgment of the importance of calmer bilateral ties, the people said, asking not to be named discussing sensitive matters.”