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“President Trump has told aides privately that he would consider ending the ceasefire with Iran if Tehran kills American troops, U.S. officials said, insisting that the weekslong pause in airstrikes remains intact despite a steady stream of violent skirmishes. The president’s reluctance to reignite the war suggests he might be willing to withstand smaller flare-ups for weeks—or even months—to avoid a broader conflict in the Middle East.”
Enriched Uranium Key Issue in Iran Talks, No Deal Yet, Rubio Says | CBS News
“The fate of Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles is at the center of talks with Washington, and Tehran has not yet agreed to a peace deal, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. Washington insists that Iran must turn over its near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, agree to curb its nuclear activities and re-open the Strait of Hormuz for any peace agreement to take hold. ‘I think now, in some of the papers that have been exchanged back and forth, it's clearly addressed, but we … still don't have final sign off from their system as of this morning,’ Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rubio also doubled down on his assertion that the war in Iran was over, even as Iran attacked Kuwait's airport, killing one and wounding 63 people on Wednesday, in a significant escalation.”
“The House for the first time Wednesday approved a war powers resolution that would halt the U.S. military action against Iran, defying President Donald Trump as a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to end the three-month-long conflict that has reordered politics at home and abroad.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
War May End in Interim Deal That Leaves Iran Battered but Unbowed | Reuters
“‘There have been extraordinary tactical military successes and no fundamental strategic gains,’ said [UANI Senior Advisor] Dennis Ross, a former senior U.S. diplomat. ‘There is no file that has been closed.’”
Interview with UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky | i24
“The Iranian regime is betting on a lack of American resolve. It has bet on a lack of American resolve for decades. And so it sees American public opinion, US lawmakers ranting about this war calling it a war of choice that President Trump started. I think that that’s absolutely counterproductive. This is a war that the Iranian regime started in 1979. It’s the Islamic Republic’s war of choice—the United States has never had a problem with Iran.”
Iran Oil Exports Plunge over 90% as US Blockade Bites | Seatrade Maritime News
“Iranian oil exports by sea plunged 93% in May according to an analysis of tanker movements out of the country by United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI). . . . Commenting on the figures and the impact of the US blockade Charlie Brown, Senior Advisor to UANI told Seatrade Maritime News, ‘As the blockade drags on, the math is likely making both Iran and China very nervous. Iran will be running out of space to store its un-exported oil, and the IRGC’s funding will start evaporating. Meanwhile, China’s independent ‘teapot’ refineries are burning through their remaining floating reserves on tankers in the Malaysia EOPL with little hope of replenishment, while that blockade in in force. The economic crunch is guaranteed to hit both Tehran and Beijing. The only question is whether the Trump administration has the domestic and international political capital to sustain the military effort required to keep the vice tight.”
MILITARY MATTERS
Iran Foreign Minister Says Military Conducting “Self-Defense Strikes” | CBS News
“Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that the country’s military is ‘conducting self-defense strikes on sites the U.S. is permitted to use to attack civilian shipping and violate the ceasefire.’
Iran’s Chief Negotiator Vows “Decisive” Response to Any Attack | CBS News
“Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would meet any attack with a strong response, local media reported Wednesday, after its Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. attacks.”
US Government Watchdogs Begin Iran War Oversight After Deciding Hostilities Passed 60 Days | CNN
“The Pentagon, State Department and USAID inspectors general have launched a joint review of the US war with Iran, announcing in a press release Wednesday that they are mandated by law to probe overseas military operations that exceed 60 days. The announcement is significant because it indicates that the watchdogs believe that, legally, the war has lasted more than 60 days from its commencement on February 28. Under the War Powers Act, the president is prohibited from keeping US troops in active hostilities for more than 60 days without congressional approval.”
U.S. Forces Have Redirected 125 Vessels amid Blockade, Centcom Says | CBS News
“The U.S. military has redirected 125 commercial vessels amid its blockade on Iranian ports and vessels, Central Command said Wednesday. It has disabled another six ‘to ensure compliance,’ CENTCOM said on social media.”
Trump Says Iran War Is ‘Not a Big Thing’ for U.S. | New York Times
“President Trump said on Wednesday that the war in Iran was ‘not a big thing’ for the United States in his latest attempt to play down the effects of the war by pointing to the economy. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump asserted that the conflict, which has killed at least 13 U.S. service members and an estimated 1,700 Iranian civilians, drained military stockpiles, and inflicted financial pain on working-class Americans, was going better than expected. He maintained he was ‘very proud’ of what he called a ‘detour’ to Iran.
What the U.S. Has Accomplished in Iran | Condoleezza Rice in the Wall Street Journal
“The war against Iran has been a limited war, and its outcome is likely to be inconclusive. But it has achieved enough to produce a far better Middle East. The three-month military campaign degraded Iran’s ability to project power by significantly damaging its conventional forces, missile stockpiles and proxies. . . . Most important, along with Operation Midnight Hammer last June, Operation Epic Fury set back Iranian nuclear ambitions significantly. It will be a long time before Iran can build a viable nuclear weapon.”
DIPLOMACY
Iran Says No ‘Tangible Progress’ in War Talks, Trump Says Deal Close | France 24
“Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday that ‘no tangible progress’ has been made in negotiations to end the Middle East war as fresh US and Iranian strikes strained a fragile ceasefire. . . . In contrast with the downbeat Iranian remarks, US President Donald Trump struck an optimistic note, telling reporters at the White House that the Iran talks could yield a result ‘over the weekend.’ . . . Trump also said he wants to separate talks on the conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah and those on the war between the United States and Iran, although Tehran insists the two are linked.”
Oman Resists US Pressure to Break Ties with Iran over Strait of Hormuz | Guardian
“Oman is resisting US pressure to break its links with Iran, and insists it has only been negotiating with Tehran on a future management system for the strait of Hormuz that would be compliant with international law. The aim would be to implement any regime after consulting the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO). . . . In a bid to make its plan compliant with international law, and more palatable to Oman, Iran is proposing a non-discriminatory fee for ships passing through.”
NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Trump Says US ‘Will Go Get’ Iran’s Enriched Uranium | Al Jazeera
“When asked about Iran’s enriched uranium, Trump has reiterated, ‘I want to get it.’ He told reporters in the Oval Office that only the US and China have the ‘equipment’ to do that. ‘We will go get it,’ Trump said.”
PROXY WARS
Teenage Assassin Sent to Britain by Iranian Proxy | Telegraph
“A Norwegian teenager was recruited as a hitman by an Iranian-backed drugs gang and sent to murder a target in the United Kingdom, a court has heard Kingdom, Johannes Natland, 19, was caught in a hotel room in West Yorkshire with two handguns, 17 rounds of ammunition and £2,000 in cash by armed police on March 19, 2025. The Foxtrot Network, Sweden’s most powerful organised crime group and proxy for the Iranian regime, had arranged for the teenage ‘assassin’ to ‘undertake a hit’ in exchange for money, jurors at London’s Old Bailey were told on the opening day of his trial. The alleged intended victim has not yet been identified.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Hangs Protester from January Uprising | Iran International
“Iran executed a protester from the January 2026 uprising on accusations of killing a police officer, judiciary-linked Mizan News reported on Wednesday. Mizan identified him as Fathollah Avari and said his death sentence had been carried out. The judiciary had accused Avari of killing a law enforcement officer during the protests.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iranian Oil Slips to Discount on Poor Chinese Demand Despite Tighter Supply | Reuters
“Iranian oil prices slipped into discounts for the first time since April, while Russian crude premiums eased as traders cut prices to entice Chinese buyers amid sluggish demand, trade sources said. The drop in prices of Iranian and Russian crude in the world’s top buyer is expected to weigh on oil revenues in Russia and Iran, which is also facing a U.S. blockade that has severely reduced its exports.”
“A dual U.S.-Iranian national and CEO of an Iran-based technology company was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with violating U.S. sanctions against Iran by acquiring sophisticated U.S.-origin networking, security, and encryption equipment for Iranian customers — including the Iranian regime’s nuclear and military establishment. Jamshid Ghomi, 63, of Newport Coast, is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.”
CYBER WARFARE & PROPAGANDA
“Researchers say that social media accounts affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps posed as Scottish and Irish nationals in order to cultivate their following, before switching their narrative to spread pro-Iranian discourse online.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran’s Khamenei Warns Against Divisions After ‘Enemy’s Defeat on Battlefield’ | Reuters
“Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a message on Thursday that Iran’s enemies, having been defeated on the battlefield, were now seeking to undermine public resilience and sow internal divisions. Khamenei called for national unity in the face of those threats and said any action that created pessimism or frustration among the public amounted to helping the enemy.”
Iran Faces Limited Options amid New Energy Imbalance | Al Jazeera
“Iran is facing more energy constraints as its summer season begins, with the widespread use of air conditioning and other needs during hotter months contributing to an imbalance between supply and consumption. The impact of the war on Iran’s economy mean the government has fewer tools at its disposal to deal with an energy crisis this summer. One 35-year-old owner of a welding workshop near Tehran told Al Jazeera that a surge in his monthly energy bill from 40 million rials ($23) in the previous Persian calendar year to three times that today.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
Trump Hits Back at ‘Unpatriotic’ Vote After House Rebukes Him over Iran | BBC News
“US President Donald Trump has hit back at lawmakers who voted to send him a rebuke over the war in Iran, labelling the group ‘unpatriotic.’”
Mike Johnson Calls on U.S. Allies to Help Reopen the Strait of Hormuz | CBS News
“[House] Speaker Mike Johnson said he spent three hours at the White House with President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as Mr. Trump is working on ‘that final piece’ to reopen commerce. ‘I am, all of us, are calling on our allied nations and friends — the Arab states in the region, and NATO partners and everyone else,’ the Republican told reporters at the Capitol about the Monday meeting. ‘The entire world has an interest in the Strait of Hormuz being reopened for commerce. That's what he's working on.’”
RUSSIA, UKRAINE & IRAN
Iran Ambassador: Larijani Traveled to Moscow Seven Times in a Year and a Half | IranWire
“The Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Russia said [the late senior Iranian official] Ali Larijani has traveled to Russia at least seven times over the past year and a half, but only two of these trips were made public.”