TOP STORIES
U.S. Nears Hormuz Deal, Aiming for Wednesday Announcement | Axios
“The U.S., Iran and Oman are closing in on an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the U.S. aiming for a Wednesday announcement, according to two regional sources and a U.S. official. . . . According to two regional sources, the deal under discussion sets up a 60-day temporary arrangement between Oman and Iran in the Hormuz strait, which could be extended. All inbound traffic of ships through the strait and into the Gulf would go in a northern lane through Iranian waters. All outbound traffic through the strait and into the Arabian Sea would go in a southern lane through Omani waters, in coordination with Iran. No tolls or fees would be charged during the 60-day period. The parties would work on clearing naval mines from the median lane of the strait within 30 days. After the median lane is cleared, it would be used for inbound and outbound traffic under the terms of a permanent arrangement to be negotiated between Oman and Iran.”
Trump Officials Pressure Oman to Accept Iran’s Terms on the Strait of Hormuz, Says Diplomat | MS NOW
“A senior Middle East diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks between Iran and Oman told MS NOW on Tuesday that the U.S. and Europe are placing a great deal of pressure on Oman to accept a temporary agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The senior Middle East diplomat told MS NOW on Monday that the current version of the temporary agreement, if finalized, would give Iran temporary control of both the inward and outward routes ships would use to sail through the strait.”
Iran Executed 56 People on National Security Charges Since March, UN Official Says | ABC News
“Iran executed at least 56 people on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 individuals in cases linked to nationwide protests in January, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement on Wednesday. More than 100 people are at risk of execution on similar charges, Turk said, adding that executions for drug-related offences are also continuing at ‘an alarming rate.’”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Interview with UANI CEO Amb. Mark D. Wallace | NewsNation
“. . . Iran seeks leverage. Remember, they support proxies and terror groups through the region. Why? For leverage, and to dominate the region. They sought a nuclear weapon for leverage, to hold it over the United States and our allies. . . . The last gasp of that leverage is, frankly, the Strait of Hormuz. And it remains to be seen if Iran really, truly wants to be at peace with its neighbors, the United States, and the West, and not think of the world as a leverage point in order to exert power over its neighbors and the United States.”
Iran’s Unseen Supreme Leader Becomes Weapon in Escalating Power Struggle, Experts Say | Fox News
“Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, said the competing claims surrounding Pezeshkian and Mojtaba Khamenei reflected a deeper struggle inside what he described as an ‘Islamist oligarchic mafia system.’ . . . ‘The very essence of this mafia system is built on a godfather,’ Aarabi said. ‘If the godfather is absent, whether because he is severely incapacitated or nonexistent, that vacuum . . . re-emerges between the various Islamist oligarchic clans.’”
An Angry Trump Struggles to Understand Iran’s Defiant Leaders | New York Times
“President Trump’s angry claim on Monday that Iran was being ‘unbelievably duplicitous’ in its dealings with the United States was just the latest sign of his struggle to understand his rivals in Tehran. . . . [UANI Senior Advisor] Dennis Ross, a veteran of Middle East diplomacy who served presidents of both parties, said that ‘the Iranians seem to understand us better than we understand them.’ . . . ‘They tend to read our sense of urgency as a form of leverage,’ Mr. Ross said. ‘We always seem in a hurry to get things done. They operate under the premise that time serves their interests more than ours.’”
DIPLOMACY
US and Iran Having ‘Very Good Discussions,’ Trump Says | Reuters
“U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration had ‘very good discussions’ with Iran during all-day negotiations on Tuesday . . . The Strait of Hormuz ‘is going to be open very soon,’ Trump added. ‘If they back out again, they are going to get hit really hard.’”
Trump Says More Details on Iran Would Be Announced ‘In 48 Hours’ | ABC News
“Speaking to reporters on the tarmac before heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran are ‘moving along very nicely’ and said there would be more information in 48 hours.”
“The U.S. and Iran could reach a deal on Tuesday or Wednesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with freedom of movement for commercial ships, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
Iran Is Staking Everything on Controlling the Strait of Hormuz | Wall Street Journal
“Iran’s leadership has made a high-stakes calculation in its showdown with President Trump: maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz is a nonnegotiable red line. By asserting authority over a critical waterway for global crude-oil flows, Tehran is betting that its ability to inflict pain on the American economy is its best leverage to avoid future military action from the U.S. and Israel. With gasoline prices and inflation elevated, Tehran believes Trump will ultimately accept its terms ahead of fast-approaching midterm elections that could determine the future of his presidency. Centering strategy on controlling the Strait of Hormuz is an extraordinary gamble. It assumes Trump will prefer a messy, volatile stalemate over an all-out war. In playing this card so aggressively, Tehran risks miscalculating Washington’s breaking point and threatening its own economic survival.”
Iran Sees US as Weak After Trump Backs Off Strikes, CSIS Says | Bloomberg
“Iran believes it holds the upper hand in its conflict with the US after the Trump administration repeatedly held off following through on its most severe threats, said Mona Yacoubian, Middle East program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. ‘Every time he does it, however, Iran takes away the message that the US is weak and that Iran has the upper hand in this conflict,’ Yacoubian said . . .”
Iran Eyes Pakistani Ports as Route Around US Blockade | Iran International
“Iran is exploring using two of Pakistan’s ports to keep trade moving amid the US blockade of its own ports, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday. Mohammad-Ali Dehghan Dehnavi, head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization, said Karachi and Gwadar could serve as hubs for re-exporting Iranian goods to third countries. He said Pakistan could also supply Iran with essential goods and industrial raw materials. . . . Pakistan and Iran said they would work toward increasing trade to $10 billion, advancing a free trade agreement and removing barriers involving customs, border logistics and cargo movement.”
Iran Weighs Allowing Europe to Clear Mines in Hormuz | Bloomberg Television
“Iran is considering allowing European nations to remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz in a potential climbdown that could form part of a deal to normalize shipping in the waterway. Iran has repeatedly said it won’t allow foreign countries to join demining efforts, but in private meetings in recent weeks Tehran has softened that stance, according to diplomats familiar with the matter.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Bookstores and Cafes Shut Down Across Iran | IranWire
“Amid an ongoing wave of commercial closures and enforcement actions against cultural centers in Iran, at least three cultural and commercial establishments in Babol, Mashhad, and Tehran have been sealed in recent days by order of judicial authorities or supervisory bodies. . . . These actions coincide with a renewed crackdown by judicial, law enforcement, and security entities on cafes, bookstores, businesses, and social media accounts.”
UN Condemns Persecution of Baha’is in Iran | IranWire
“A group of UN Special Rapporteurs and human rights experts issued a joint statement expressing grave concern over arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and other forms of cruel treatment targeting members of Iran’s Baha’i community, warning that the physical and mental health of numerous detainees is at serious risk.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Khamenei Warns Pezeshkian Next Resignation Will Be Accepted, In-Law Says | Iran International
“Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has warned President Masoud Pezeshkian that his next resignation would be accepted, a relative of Khamenei by marriage said in a video released Monday, prompting sharp denials and political backlash. Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, a senior cleric whose sister is married to Khamenei’s brother, claimed Pezeshkian had threatened to resign ‘28 times’ but stopped after being warned that his next resignation would be accepted.”
Khamenei’s Office Denies His In-Law’s Claim About Pezeshkian Resignations | Iran International
“The office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei denied as ‘entirely false’ a claim by one of his relatives who quoted him as saying he would accept President Masoud Pezeshkian’s resignation if it were submitted again.”
Iran’s President Denies Threatening to Resign During Talks over Strait of Hormuz | Guardian
“Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, has been forced to deny claims that he has repeatedly threatened to resign as he battles hardline factions opposed to reaching a settlement with the US over the strait of Hormuz.”
Iran’s President Met Mojtaba Khamenei in the Back Seat of a Car | Iran International
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was taken to a secret Tehran location and allowed only minutes in a dark, tinted-window car with a man presented as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, sources familiar with the episode told Iran International. Pezeshkian could not see the man beside him and later asked whether the voice he had heard had really belonged to the supreme leader, according to the sources.”
CANADA & IRAN
Former Iranian Conscripts Seeking Asylum in Canada Fear Deportation | Global News
“Some legal experts say too many people who fled the Iranian regime are being refused refugee or resident status in Canada as a result of prior military involvement. Lorne Waldman, an immigration lawyer, said many of these men were arbitrarily assigned to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a result of conscription. . . . Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told Global News in a written statement that membership in the IRGC warrants inadmissibility and that ‘individuals who served as a result of compulsory military service are assessed on a case-by-case basis.’”