TOP STORIES
U.S. Evacuating Personnel from the Middle East amid Growing Tensions with Iran | Axios
The U.S. is evacuating nonessential staff from the embassy in Baghdad and families [of] . . . military personnel from several bases in the Gulf amid growing concerns about the security situation, according to two State Department and Pentagon officials. . . . Israeli officials said the IDF has been on extremely high alert in recent days for possible escalation with Iran.
Israel Considering Military Strike on Iran, Sources Say | NBC News
Israel is considering taking military action against Iran — most likely without U.S. support — in the coming days, even as President Donald Trump is in advanced discussions with Tehran about a diplomatic deal to curtail its nuclear program, according to five people with knowledge of the situation. Israel has become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran as the negotiations between the United States and Iran appear closer to a preliminary or framework agreement that includes provisions about uranium enrichment that Israel views as unacceptable.
IAEA Board Declares Iran in Breach of Non-Proliferation Obligations | Reuters
he U.N. nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations on Thursday for the first time in almost 20 years, raising the prospect of reporting it to the U.N. Security Council. The major step is the culmination of several festering stand-offs between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran that have arisen since President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of a nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers in 2018 during his first term, after which that deal unravelled.
UANI IN THE NEWS
US Orders ‘Nonessential’ Staff to Evacuate Baghdad | Jewish News Syndicate
“I think these U.S. steps are not insignificant,” Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told JNS. “With the Iranians delivering a negative response to the U.S. nuclear proposal and the president’s deadline for a deal expiring this week, this could mean many things.” “It may be part of a U.S. effort to further bolster the development of a credible military threat against Tehran, preparatory work as a prelude to a strike by Israel and/or the United States on Iran’s nuclear program,” Brodsky told JNS. He added that it could also be “an attempt to bolster U.S. defenses against Iranian attempts to retaliate over a historic censure resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency finding Tehran in violation of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years.” “The U.S. government may also have intelligence that Iran plans to start resuming attacks against U.S. forces in the region amid stalled nuclear talks,” said Brodsky.
Jason Brodsky, the policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran, framed the move as a likely sign of action, noting that congressional testimony by Gen. Erik Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command, set for Thursday morning, had been postponed. “Something is cooking,” Brodsky said.
The Texas state government has handed over $13 million of federal and state monies to mosques and community groups aligned with Islamist movements such as Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as hostile foreign regimes. . . . Between 2021 and 2023, Texas handed over $485,000 to the Islamic Education Center. The only organization with that name in Texas is Islamic Education Center of Houston (IEC Houston), a leading outpost of the Iranian regime, which uses “Islamic Education Center” as its DBA. Writing in the Dispatch, Moshe Kwiat and Jason Brodsky indicate the IEC is directly managed from Tehran.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran Says It Will Accelerate Nuclear Work After U.N. Atomic Agency Censure | Wall Street Journal
Iran said it would open a new uranium enrichment facility and increase its production of highly enriched fissile material after the U.N. atomic agency member states declared Tehran had failed to comply with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations, casting a fresh shadow over struggling U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. Iran’s announcement comes ahead of a sixth round of nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran expected on Sunday. President Trump said on Monday he had grown less confident about striking a deal with Tehran.
Trump Envoy to Meet Iran’s Foreign Minister for Stalled Nuclear Deal Talks | Independent
Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Oman on Sunday as negotiations over a nuclear deal remain deadlocked. Mr Witkoff is travelling to Muscat to discuss Tehran’s response to America’s latest proposal for a nuclear agreement.
Against the backdrop of recent satellite images showing construction and changes at Iran’s nuclear sites, Western intelligence officials believe Tehran is using the time afforded by ongoing negotiations to make alterations that would reduce the effectiveness of any future military strike. “While nuclear talks are taking place, and Iran keeps scheduling yet another meeting, they are exploiting the time to modify nuclear facilities in ways that could diminish the impact of a potential military strike on those sites and their outcomes,” one of the intelligence sources told The Jerusalem Post. . . . While Trump is increasingly losing trust in the Iranians, he still believes he can bring them to the negotiating table, Western diplomats and US officials told the Post. “Trump believes the Iranians will eventually fold,” one of the sources said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine declined to definitively say on Wednesday whether they believed Iran would use a nuclear weapon if it acquired one.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran Stops Fuel Smugglers as UKMTO Warns Tensions Are High in the Region | Maritime Executive
Iran’s official news agencies are reporting a further crackdown on fuel smugglers operating in the Gulf saying that it stopped four vessels on Tuesday, June 10. The reports came as the UK Maritime Trade Operations monitoring operation for the region said it had been made aware of increased tensions within the region. . . . The UKMTO Ops Centre also posted an advisory today warning of the increased tensions, which it said “could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners.” It advised vessels to transit the region including the Arabian (Persian) Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Straits of Hormuz with caution.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran Will Respond ‘Forcefully’ to Any Israeli Strike | Telegraph
Iran has warned that it will respond “more forcefully and destructively” than ever before if Israel launches a military strike. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, made the threat in an interview with state media after Tehran claimed it had received intelligence about a possible Israeli attack.
U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem Braces for Possible Israeli Strike on Iran | New York Times
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem restricted the movement of employees on Thursday as American diplomats and soldiers in the Middle East scrambled ahead of a possible Israeli attack on Iran.
Iran Begins Military Drill Focused on 'Enemy Movements' | Times of Israel
Iran’s military has begun drills earlier than planned to focus on “enemy movements,” state media reports, as Washington withdraws personnel from the region during heightened frictions. Earlier today, US networks CBS and NBC reported that Israel is ready to carry out an attack on Iran, and could take action in the coming days.
Iran Says It Is Ready for Military Confrontation | IranWire
The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that the force is prepared for military confrontation and has a “strategy to defeat enemies.” “If our hands are untied, we will win victories that will make the enemy regret its actions,” said Major General Hossein Salami. A newspaper affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards reported that Iran is prepared to walk away from nuclear negotiations if its demands are not met. Javan Daily claimed Iran is negotiating “from a position of strength,” with its nuclear capabilities serving as a “deterrent against threats.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Senior MP Bashes Elite Privilege in Iran After Cleric Family Scandal | Iran International
A senior Iranian lawmaker has issued a rare and sharply worded rebuke of the country’s entrenched corruption and perceived cronyism, warning that public anger over inequality and elite privilege is growing. “People see the children of officials—those who just a few years ago couldn’t even afford a motorcycle—now owning ships, planes and industry monopolies. It raises serious questions,” national security committee member Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari was quoted as saying by Iran’s labour news outlet, ILNA. “This behavior has created widespread distrust in society,” the relative moderate and Iran's former envoy to Germany added.
ISRAEL & IRAN
Israel Ready to Strike Iran If Next Round of Talks Fails, Senior Official Says | Iran International
A senior Israeli official has warned that Israel is ready to launch a military strike on Iran if the next round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, set for Sunday in Oman, fail to yield results. The official, speaking to Iran International, said Israel is closely monitoring developments and could act unilaterally if necessary. “The United States would require approximately three days to evacuate non-essential diplomatic personnel and their families from the region,” the source said. “That evacuation process reportedly began on Wednesday and is expected to be completed by Sunday, aligning with the timeline for the talks.”
Israel’s Netanyahu Dodges Early Election as Iran Tensions Rise | Bloomberg
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government survived an attempt by opposition parties to dissolve parliament early Thursday, as tensions spiked over Iran’s nuclear program.
MISCELLANEOUS
CIA Analyst who Leaked Israel Strike Plan Sentenced to Three Years | BBC News
A former CIA analyst who leaked classified documents about Israel's plans to strike Iran has been sentenced to 37 months in prison. Asif William Rahman, 34, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defence information under the Espionage Act.