TOP STORIES
Trump Says US Close to a Nuclear Deal with Iran | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and Tehran had “sort of” agreed to the terms. “We're in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace,” Trump said on a tour of the Gulf, according to a shared pool report by AFP. “We're getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this . . . there (are) two steps to doing this, there is a very, very nice step and there is the violent step, but I don't want to do it the second way," he said.
US Issues Sanctions to Hit Iranian Efforts to Build Ballistic Missiles | Reuters
The United States issued sanctions on Wednesday to target Iranian efforts to domestically manufacture components for ballistic missiles, the U.S. Treasury Department said. The sanctions target six individuals and 12 entities for what the Treasury Department said was “their involvement in efforts to help the Iranian regime domestically source the manufacturing of critical materials needed for Tehran’s ballistic missile program.”
Persian Social Media Applauds Trump’s Public Shaming of Iran’s Leaders | Iran International
When US president Donald Trump torched Iran’s leadership in a long speech in front of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince in Riyadh on Tuesday, he likely didn’t anticipate how warmly his words would resonate with many Iranians—or perhaps he did. Across Persian-language social media, many users were almost in awe, surprised with both the content and tone of Trump’s speech. Even journalists inside Iran couldn’t help risking reprimand by praising a US president.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Until now, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been happy with the comparisons his hard-core supporters make between him and Ali ibn Abi Talib—Shia Islam’s first divinely ordained Imam. Ironically, this insistence on Khamenei’s infallability, combined with the current acquiescence to strategic flexibility or policy concession, is eroding that sense of trust with Khamenei’s core base of hardline supporters.
In late summer of 2022, Alpha Marine Service, a Ukraine-based crewing agency, posted a tanker recruitment notice on the messaging app Telegram. While the advert did not provide the vessel's IMO number, the vessel mentioned in the advert was registered in Panama and had an accurate deadweight tonnage, which matched that of a vessel named Glaucus. Glaucus had appeared on the United Against Nuclear Iran group’s shadow fleet list and was sanctioned by the U.S. government for smuggling Iranian oil.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
U.S. Gave Iran Nuclear Deal Proposal | Axios
The Trump administration gave Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal during the fourth round of negotiations on Sunday, a U.S. official and two other sources with direct knowledge tell Axios. It was the first time since the nuclear talks started in early April that White House envoy Steve Witkoff presented a written proposal to the Iranians. . . . Witkoff and his team prepared a U.S. proposal laying out the Trump administration's parameters for an Iranian civilian nuclear program and requirements for monitoring and verification, the sources said.
Trump Says Expects Iran Diplomacy Will ‘Work Out’ | Agence France-Presse
Trump, on his first visit to the Middle East since returning to the White House, said he spoke about Iran with the leader of Qatar, which maintains relations with both longtime adversaries. “It’s been really an interesting situation. I have a feeling it's going to work out,” Trump said of Iran after talks with the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Iran is ready to sign a nuclear deal with certain conditions with President Donald Trump in exchange for lifting economic sanctions, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader told NBC News on Wednesday. Ali Shamkhani, a top political, military and nuclear adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is one of the most senior Iranian officials to speak publicly about the ongoing discussions. He said Iran would commit to never making nuclear weapons, getting rid of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium which can be weaponized, agree to enrich uranium only to the lower levels needed for civilian use, and allow international inspectors to supervise the process, in exchange for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions on Iran.
Iran Has No Secret Nuclear Site, Atomic Agency Chief Says | Iran International
Iran's nuclear chief on Thursday rejected allegations of secret weapons activity, saying the country has never operated an undeclared nuclear site and that all its activities remain under the oversight of the UN nuclear watchdog. Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, told the closing session of the 31st National Nuclear Conference in Mashhad that “Iran has never had any undeclared or covert nuclear activity,” and that all operations are conducted “within the framework of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
Iran Rejects Nuclear Suspension, Demands Guarantees | IranWire
“Without receiving specific commitments, no agreement will be achieved,” [Iranian] Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Tuesday. Baghaei ruled out a halt to Iran’s nuclear activities, saying, “The suspension of the nuclear program is not under discussion.”
Enrichment to 93% Is Iran’s Right Under NPT, Lawmakers Tell UN Watchdog | Iran International
Iran’s parliament warned on Wednesday that any perceived infringement by the UN's nuclear watchdog on its nuclear rights, including the right to enrich uranium up to 93%, would be met with backlash.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran Passes Bill That Could Remove It from Dirty Money Watchdog Blacklist | Reuters
Iran's top arbitration body has approved a bill that could help remove Tehran from the blacklist of a global financial crime watchdog, state media reported on Wednesday, potentially advancing efforts to widen trade and investment opportunities. Iran has been on the blacklist of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force since 2020, after failing to comply with international standards on anti-terrorism financing and fighting organized crime.
HOSTAGES
Over 20 foreign nationals who themselves endured years of captivity in Iran on Wednesday urged Sweden to step up efforts to free a Swedish-Iranian citizen sentenced to death in the country, after he had a heart attack last week. Ahmadreza Djalali, an academic who was sentenced to death in 2017 on espionage charges he denies, suffered a heart attack in Tehran's Evin prison, his wife said Friday.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
The Siege of Bandar Kolahi: Iran’s War Against Baluch Livelihoods | IranWire
In southern Bandar Kolahi, Iranian special forces are systematically demolishing homes in what the government calls an anti-smuggling operation. For the Baluch community living in this small port town in Hormozgan province, the raid is not only a law enforcement action but an existential threat to their survival.
Iran Police Kill Two Baluch Men in Southeastern Saravan | IranWire
The Islamic Republic’s security forces shot and killed two Baluch men in southeastern Saravan after opening fire on their vehicle. One officer was reportedly injured during the confrontation. According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the victims, Rahman Gomshadzahi, 24 and Khodabakhsh Mazarzahi, 23, both from Jihadabad village in Sistan and Baluchistan province, were shot on May 12. Security forces reportedly opened fire on their vehicle without warning.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Iran Reacts to Trump Speech: ‘Pure Deception’ | Newsweek
“The fact that the US turns a blind eye to Israel's threats and all the crimes committed by Israel in the region, while trying to portray Iran as a threat, is pure deception,” [Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas] Araghchi told reporters on Wednesday, according to the semi-official Iranian Mehr News Agency.
Iran President Says Country Will “Not Bow to Any Bully” After Trump's Statements | Reuters
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not “bow to any bully” in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of Tehran during his Gulf tour. "He (Trump) thinks he can come here, chant slogans, and scare us. For us, martyrdom is far sweeter than dying in bed. You came to frighten us? We will not bow to any bully," he said on Wednesday in comments broadcast live on state TV.
After Iranian Backlash over ‘Arabian Gulf,’ Trump Seemingly Avoids Naming Dispute | Amwaj.media
US President Donald Trump appears to have done a U-turn on reported plans to rename the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf.” The seeming turnaround follows a sharp and cross-partisan outcry from media and officials in Iran, with warnings of a nationalist backlash.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Over 200 Republicans Urge Trump to Dismantle Iran’s Uranium Enrichment | Iran International
A large bloc of Congressional Republicans is urging US President Donald Trump to maintain a hardline stance on Iran, calling in an open letter signed by more than 200 lawmakers for the complete dismantling of Iran's uranium enrichment technology. All Republican senators except one, along with 177 GOP representatives, signed the letter warning against any agreement resembling the 2015 nuclear deal brokered under former President Barack Obama.
Inside Tom Cotton’s Pressure Campaign on an Iran Nuclear Deal | Axios
Sen. Tom Cotton is trying to build a public pressure campaign to encourage the Trump White House to hold the line on an Iran nuclear deal. . . . Cotton urged senators in a closed-door lunch on Tuesday to join him in publicly applauding top officials who demand zero uranium enrichment to give the U.S. maximum leverage in negotiations.
IRAQ & IRAN
Head of Iran’s Quds Force Heads to Iraq Ahead Arab Summit | Jerusalem Post
The Iranian head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, travelled to Iraq this week. He is arriving in Baghdad ahead of an Arab summit. Iraq is one of Iran’s last allies in the region, and Iran wants to show its clout in Iraq and pressure Baghdad.
GULF STATES & IRAN
Trump Urges Qatar to Help Him Persuade Iran to Give Up Its Nuclear Program | Associated Press
President Donald Trump urged Qatar on Wednesday to use its influence over Iran to persuade the country’s leadership to reach an agreement with the U.S. to dial back its rapidly advancing nuclear program. Trump, who is visiting the Gulf nation as part of a three-country Mideast swing, made the appeal during a state dinner held in his honor by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Trump Visit Highlights Delicate but Evolving Saudi-Iran Relationship | Iran International
President Donald Trump’s high-profile trip to Saudi Arabia has drawn renewed attention to the often fraught relationship between the Middle East’s main heavyweights: Sunni Saudi Arabia and its Shi’ite rival Iran. While Trump’s trip may not have fundamentally shifted the course of Iran-Saudi relations, it underlines how central their evolving dynamic remains to the region’s future especially as nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington continue to unfold.