TOP STORIES
Trump Says Iran Must Stop Support of Proxy Groups as Part of a Nuclear Deal | Associated Press
President Donald Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday he urgently wants “to make a deal” with Iran to wind down its nuclear program but Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the region as part of any potential agreement. Iran “must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons,” Trump said in remarks at a meeting of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi capital. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
“I want to make a deal with Iran. If I can make a deal with Iran, I’ll be very happy if we’re going to make your region and the world a safer place,” Trump says during a foreign policy speech in Riyadh. “But if Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure [and] drive Iranian oil exports to zero like I did before,” he says. “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. But with that said, Iran can have a much brighter future,” he adds. “This is an offer that will not last forever. The time is right now for them to choose… Things are happening at a very fast pace,” Trump says.
US Imposes Sanctions on Network Sending Iranian Oil to China | Reuters
The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a shipping network it says has sent millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China, the State Department said, days after Iran and U.S. negotiators concluded a fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman. The sale of the oil helped fund Iranian weapons and attacks by the Houthi militant group on shipping in the Red Sea, the U.S. Navy and Israel, it said. The network facilitated the shipment of oil worth billions of dollars to China on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy, it said.
UANI IN THE NEWS
As part of an effort to condemn Iran for contributing to conflicts the world over, a Shahed-136 drone was recently displayed in the U.S. Capitol. The Iranian-made drone, which has been used to devastating effect by Russia, was captured in Ukraine and brought to the United States via Poland, according to the Kyiv Post. “The weapon was displayed during an event inside the U.S. Congress’s Cannon Office Building organized by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a nonprofit organization that focuses on countering threats posed by the Islamic regime, including its nuclear program and military actions,” the publication noted.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran, Europeans to Hold Nuclear Talks on Friday, Diplomatic Sources Say | Reuters
Iran will hold talks in Istanbul on Friday with European parties to their now-moribund 2015 nuclear deal, two European and an Iranian diplomatic source said on Tuesday. The talks among senior diplomats come as both sides seek to position themselves ahead of an expected fifth round of U.S.-Iranian negotiations in the coming days.
Trump Calls Iran the 'Most Destructive Force,' Vows It Won't Get Nuclear Weapon | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Iran the “most destructive force” in the Middle East, blaming Tehran for instability across the region and warning that the United States will never allow it to obtain a nuclear weapon. Offering what he described as both a final warning and a potential opening for diplomacy, Trump said Iran has a choice between continuing its “chaos and terror” or embracing a path toward peace.
Iran Urges US to Show ‘More Realistic’ Approach at Nuclear Talks | Bloomberg
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator said he hopes the US will show a “more realistic approach” at the next round of talks between the two countries. “There’s now a better understanding on the other side of Iran’s fundamental principles and positions,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV after a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday. “We hope they will come to the next round of negotiations with a more realistic approach,” he added, without elaborating.
Iran Rejects Trump's Negative Portrayal of Its Regional Role | Reuters
Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday called his country's characterisation by U.S. President Donald Trump as the “most destructive force” in the Middle East “deceptive,” days after a fourth round of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks.
Iran’s President Says Supreme Leader Sets Terms for US Talks | Iran International
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said any indirect negotiations with the United States will proceed in full coordination with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and reaffirmed that Iran will not retreat from its core principles.
Iran Proposes Partnership with UAE and Saudi Arabia to Enrich Uranium | Guardian
Iran has floated the idea of a consortium of Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to enrich uranium as a way of overcoming some US objections to Iran continuing to have its own enrichment programme. The proposal would be one way of locking the Gulf states into supporting the Iranian position that it must be continued to be allowed to enrich.
Saudi Arabia fully supports the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks and hopes for positive results, the kingdom's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said on Wednesday.
In High-Stakes Negotiations, Trump’s Opponents Are Learning His Patterns | New York Times
President Trump often takes maximalist positions, only to back down and declare a win. His opponents are catching on.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Trump Urges Gulf Leaders to Enforce Iran Sanctions | NBC
During comments at the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, President Trump urged Gulf leaders to join the U.S. in “fully and totally enforcing” recent sanctions imposed on Iran.
Iran Says Recent Negotiations with U.S. Useful, Sanctions Not Compatible with Talks | Reuters
Iran said on Tuesday a recent round of talks with the U.S. had been fruitful but the imposition by Washington of further sanctions was not compatible with the negotiations.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Iranian Celebrities Call for Cancellation of Rapper Tataloo’s Death Sentence | IranWire
Iranian rapper Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, known as Tataloo, has asked for clemency as several celebrities voice opposition to his death sentence. . . . Tataloo is already serving a 10-year prison sentence for “encouraging corruption.” His other charges include “propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic,” “operating a gambling website,” “publishing obscene content,” and “inciting immoral crimes.”
Boxer Begins Prison Term in Iran | IranWire
Masoud Bidarigh, 45, a professional boxer from Gilan province, has begun serving a one-year prison sentence. . . . According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Bidarigh was sentenced by a preliminary court in Rasht on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” “insulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,” and “disturbing national security.” His trial was held without the presence of his chosen legal counsel. Bidarigh has denied all charges.
Iranian Tour Guide Sentenced to Electronic Monitoring for ‘Hijab Violations’ | IranWire
Maryam Karimi, a tour guide in northern Rasht, has received a two-year and seven-month electronic monitoring sentence from Gilan Province’s Appeals Court. Karimi announced the verdict in a public post, saying she was found guilty of “promoting immorality by encouraging others to remove their hijab” and “displaying indecent images in public view.”
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Houthi Ceasefire Followed US Intel Showing Militants Sought Off-Ramp | Reuters
Days before a surprise U.S. ceasefire agreement with Houthis, U.S. intelligence started picking up indications the Yemeni fighters were looking for an exit after seven weeks of relentless U.S. bombings, four U.S. officials said. Houthi leaders began reaching out sometime around the first weekend in May to U.S. allies in the Middle East, two of the officials said. . . . Two sources said Iran played an important role in encouraging the Iran-aligned Houthis to negotiate, as Tehran pursues its own talks with the United States over its nuclear program aimed at ending crippling U.S. sanctions and preventing a military strike by the U.S. or Israel.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran to Shield Industry from Blackouts at Public’s Expense amid Discontent | Iran International
As Iran grapples with a worsening electricity crisis, the government has resolved to prioritize power supply to industries, sacrificing residential comfort and daily public services in a bid to avert economic collapse.
EUROPE & IRAN
Tzipi Hotovely has praised the UK for standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel in countering recent Iranian terror threats against Jewish communities and dissidents in this country. In her speech at the Israeli embassy’s Independence Day event at the British Museum in central London on Tuesday evening, Israel’s ambassador to the UK said recent Iranian-linked activity uncovered here in the UK showed the regime in Tehran “is the most dangerous state actor in the world today.”
CENTRAL ASIA & IRAN
Iran’s President Looks to Central Asia for Increasing Ties | Seth Frantzman in the Jerusalem Post
Iran continued its attempts to foster stronger ties with Central Asian countries this week as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hosted the prime minister of Uzbekistan.