TOP STORIES
Trump Waved Off Israeli Strike After Divisions Emerged in His Administration | New York Times
Israel had planned to strike Iranian nuclear sites as soon as next month but was waved off by President Trump in recent weeks in favor of negotiating a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program, according to administration officials and others briefed on the discussions. Mr. Trump made his decision after months of internal debate over whether to pursue diplomacy or support Israel in seeking to set back Iran’s ability to build a bomb, at a time when Iran has been weakened militarily and economically.
Iran ‘Not Far’ from Nuclear Bomb, Says Head of UN Atomic Agency | Agence France-Presse
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi says Iran still has a way to go before getting the bomb, but adds: “They’re not far from it, you have to acknowledge.” Grossi likens the development of a nuclear weapon to a jigsaw puzzle, adding that Iran “has the pieces and they could eventually put them together one day.”
US Imposes Sanctions on a Chinese Refinery Accused of Buying Iranian Oil | Associated Press
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions Wednesday on a Chinese refinery accused of purchasing more than $1 billion worth of Iranian oil, saying the proceeds help finance both Tehran’s government and Iran's support for militant groups. The sanctioned refinery in China's Shandong province received dozens of shipments of crude oil from Iran worth more than $1 billion, the Trump administration said. Some of the petroleum came from a front company for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, U.S. authorities said. Officials also announced that several companies and vessels involved in the shipments were added to the sanctions list.
UANI IN THE NEWS
According to US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, Shandong Shengxing Chemical— the refinery sanctioned on Wednesday—received over 28m barrels of Iranian oil since 2019. UANI’s research director Daniel Roth said in a social media post that the group wrote to the refinery two weeks ago warning it that sanctions are likely coming their way. According to preliminary figures from UANI, Tehran exported an average of 1.5m bpd of crude and condensates in 1Q25, roughly unchanged from the corresponding period last year. UANI’s chief of staff Claire Jungman recently told Lloyd’s List that the sharp uptick in Ofac designations at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025 created a supply-side shock for Chinese buyers earlier this year, which “triggered a ‘buy now, worry later’ approach,” especially for sanctioned Iranian, Russian and Venezuelan barrels. Refiners in China and India began accelerating purchases in anticipation of tightening enforcement and logistical hurdles, she said.
Trump and Witkoff's Mixed Signals on Iran Raise Concerns Over Plausibility of Nuclear Deal | Haaretz
UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky told Haaretz: "I applaud Special Envoy Witkoff's clarifying tweet this morning. It reflects President Trump's longstanding position on the flaws of the Obama nuclear deal with Iran, which have been spot on from the very beginning, since 2015. The Trump Doctrine on Iran has long held that either the regime verifiably dismantles its nuclear program or the U.S. and Israel will do it themselves."
Tehran is ready to ease US concerns over its nuclear activities but scrapping uranium enrichment is off the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said as the two sides prepare for a second round of talks this weekend over Iran's nuclear program. Araqchi’s comments came in response to a statement by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on April 15 saying Iran “must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.” “We applaud Special Envoy Witkoff's statement,” wrote Mark Wallace, chief executive of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a US-based nonprofit, after Witkoff changed his tone. “It is clear under the Trump Doctrine that Iran must verifiably dismantle its nuclear program or the US and Israel will do so,” said Wallace, a former US diplomat.
Trump Administration Issues Ultimatum on Iran’s Nuclear Programs | Floridian
President Donald Trump’s administration has reportedly warned Iran that it must terminate all of its nuclear weapons development programs or face severe consequences. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) recently published an article in which former Ambassador Mark D. Wallace and Governor Jeb Bush commend Trump for reversing President Biden’s Iran strategy. “President Trump has shown strong leadership on Iran, presenting a stark choice for Tehran: verifiably dismantle your nuclear program—or have it dismantled for you,” reads the article.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran Confirms That the 2nd Round of Nuclear Talks with the US Will Be in Rome | Associated Press
Iran confirmed Wednesday that the next round of nuclear talks with the United States this weekend will be held in Rome after earlier confusion over where the negotiations would be held. The state TV announcement said Oman will again mediate the talks on Saturday in Rome.
Iran's Conservative Media Warn Against Overreliance on US Talks | Iran International
Tehran media outlets controlled by hardliners warned the government on Thursday not to place hope in the outcome of renewed talks with the United States, set to resume in Rome on Saturday. Kayhan, a daily overseen by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office, warned that portraying negotiations as the solution to Iran’s economic problems is both misleading and dangerous.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Iranian-American FAA Contractor Pleads Guilty to Acting as Agent for Tehran | Iran International
An Iranian-American man who worked as a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pleaded guilty on Wednesday to acting as an agent of the Iranian government without notifying US authorities, the Justice Department said. According to court documents, Rahmati offered his services to Tehran in 2017 and later traveled to Iran, where he met with intelligence officers and agreed to obtain information for them about the US solar energy sector.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Israel Planned to Strike Iran Several Times Since October, Sources Tell ‘Post’ | Jerusalem Post
Israel has seriously considered attacking Iran’s nuclear program multiple times since October 2024, The Jerusalem Post can reveal on Thursday, following the New York Times report.
‘Time to Change the Middle East’: Gantz Urges Coordinated Strike on Iran’s Nuke | Times of Israel
[Israeli] National Unity party leader Benny Gantz reacts to the report that Israel shelved a plan to strike Iran’s nuclear sites after US President Donald Trump rejected it and chose diplomacy. “The Iranian Regime are experts at stalling,” the senior opposition politician tweets in English. “The State of Israel must, and can remove the prospect of Iranian nuclear capabilities.” In a Hebrew-language version of the post, Gantz explicitly says Israel “must and can strike Iran.”
“Coordinating closely with our great ally the United States, it is time to change the Middle East,” he adds.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Bipartisan Senators Push Tougher Penalties for Foreign-Backed Crimes on US Soil | Fox News
In the wake of the arrest of two foreign nationals seeking to murder a U.S. journalist on behalf of the Iranian government, a bipartisan group of senators put forward a bill Tuesday to stiffen penalties on people who commit crimes in the U.S. on behalf of foreign countries. Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Jim Banks, R-Ind., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced the Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors (DETERRENCE) Act. The bill increases penalties on murder-for-hire schemers, those convicted of attempted murder or assassination of federal officials, as well as suspects allegedly involved in attempting to kill former officials because of their actions while in office.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, & IRAN
Iran and Russia Deepen Alliance amid US Tensions | Newsweek
Russia’s upper house of parliament ratified a sweeping 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran on Wednesday, deepening military and nuclear cooperation just as fears of conflict between Washington and Tehran intensify.
Iranian Minister Arrives in Russia with a Message from Khamenei, State Media Says | Reuters
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi landed in Moscow on Thursday to deliver a message from the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian state media reported.
EUROPE & IRAN
Iran Rejects UK Accusation of Links to Swedish Criminal Gang | Reuters
Iran on Wednesday rejected a British accusation that it was connected to the Sweden-based criminal gang known as ‘Foxtrot’ after Britain's government had earlier this week sanctioned the group saying it had committed attacks on behalf of Tehran.
GULF STATES & IRAN
Saudi Defense Minister Arrives in Tehran Ahead of Iran-US Talks | Reuters
Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman arrived in Tehran on Thursday for meetings with officials, Saudi state news agency SPA reported, in a visit ahead of weekend talks between Iran and the United States over the Iranian nuclear program.
MISCELLANEOUS
US Shutters Office That Flags Disinformation from Russia, China and Iran | Associated Press
The State Department has shut down its office that sought to deal with misinformation and disinformation that Russia, China and Iran have been accused of spreading. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Wednesday that he had closed what had been known as the Global Engagement Center because it had taken actions to restrict freedom of speech in the United States and elsewhere.