TOP STORIES
Warning Iran, Trump Orders Large-Scale Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis | Washington Post
U.S. forces launched a “decisive and powerful” attack on Houthi militants in Yemen, President Donald Trump said Saturday, an escalation against the group targeting maritime traffic and American troops in the Red Sea that doubled as a sharp warning to Iran, its major backer. In his statement, Trump directly addressed the militants’ sponsors in Iran, who are believed to provide them with weapons and funding: “Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY!” he said, warning the government in Tehran that “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”
Iran-Backed Houthis Claim Second Attack on US Ships in 24 Hours | Times of Israel
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim responsibility for a second attack on an American aircraft carrier group in 24 hours, calling it retaliation for US strikes. A spokesperson for the group says that “for the second time in 24 hours,” Houthi fighters launched missiles and drones at the USS Harry S. Truman and several of its warships in the northern Red Sea. The statement also vows to keep targeting Israeli vessels until the “siege” on Gaza is lifted.
Iranian General Raises Prospect of Response amid US Strikes on Houthis | ABC News
An Iranian general warned on Sunday of the potential for a “decisive and devastating” response to any executed threat, a day after the U.S. conducted strikes on Houthis in Yemen. Gen. Hossein Salami also denied that Iran had backed the rebel group, which continues to wage a campaign against international ships in the Red Sea and off the Yemeni coast.
UANI IN THE NEWS
US Sanctioned VLCC Awaits Beaching in Ctg | Daily Sun
The ‘Itaugua,’ a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, is reportedly awaiting near Chattogram to be brought ashore for scrapping at a recycling yard. The United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a watchdog monitoring tankers transporting Iranian fuel oil, had included the Itaugua on its list of vessels accused of carrying Iranian cargo more than two years ago.
South African Envoy ‘No Longer Welcome’ in US, Rubio Says | Jewish News Syndicate
South Africa has led international efforts accusing Israel of genocide, and its envoy has praised Hamas. “Worth noting Rasool owns a keffiyeh signed by the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was indicted by the U.S. government on terrorism charges,” wrote Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran to Respond to Trump Letter After Scrutiny | Reuters
Iran will respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's invitation to talks after proper scrutiny, the foreign ministry said on Monday, accusing Washington of not matching actions with words. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian have rejected Trump's letter and public exhortations for nuclear talks as deceptive and bullying.
Iran Says Official to Meet UN Nuclear Chief on Monday | Al Arabiya
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, will meet UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna on Monday, the foreign ministry said. Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency was “part of our ongoing engagement with the agency.”
Despite Tough Talk, Economic Woes May Force Iran to Bargain with Trump | Reuters
For Iran’s clerical leaders, engaging with the “Great Satan” to hammer out a nuclear deal and ease crippling sanctions may for once be the lesser of two evils. Though it harbours deep mistrust of the United States, and President Donald Trump in particular, Tehran is increasingly concerned that mounting public anger over economic hardships could erupt into mass protests, four Iranian officials said.
Iran Says Russia and China Agreed Talks Will Focus Only on Nuclear Issue | Iran International
A top Iranian diplomat said on Friday that the Islamic Republic had agreed with China and Russia that any future talks over Iran's nuclear program must not stray into other issues.
G7 Urges Iran to Resume Nuclear Diplomacy | Iran International
Foreign ministers from the G7 grouping of wealthy democracies criticized Iran for destabilizing the Middle East and urged it to resume negotiations over its nuclear program.
MISSILE PROGRAM
Second Iranian Ship Suspected of Carrying Missile Ingredient Leaves China | Voice of America
A second Iranian ship that Western news reports have named as part of a scheme to import a missile propellant ingredient from China is heading to Iran with a major cargo load, an exclusive VOA analysis has found.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Mock Executions as Iran ‘Crushes Dissent’ Under New President | The National
Iran is staging mock executions and ramping up enforcement of its hijab laws for women as part of a “concerted effort to crush dissent,” UN investigators said on Friday.
Iran Opposition Leader Karroubi to Be Freed from House Arrest | Reuters
Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi will be released from house arrest on Monday, 14 years after he was detained for protesting against the results of presidential elections, state and semi-official media reported. Karroubi's political ally, former Prime Minister Mirhossein Mousavi, would also be released from house arrest in the coming months, Karroubi's son Hossein told Jamaran, a semi-official newspaper linked to moderate political factions. Karroubi, now 87, and Mousavi, 83, ran on a reformist platform in the 2009 vote that returned hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power and triggered mass rallies by protesters who said the results were rigged. Both were detained in 2011 after taking a leading role in the protests, though they were not put on trial or publicly charged.
G7 Points Finger at Iran’s Use of Arbitrary Arrests, Foreign Assassination Attempts | Reuters
Foreign ministers of leading Western democracies warned on Thursday of the threat from Iran's growing use of arbitrary detention and foreign assassination attempts as a tool of coercion.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
White House says ‘Multiple’ Houthi Leaders Killed, Iran ‘On Notice’ | Agence France-Presse
US strikes killed “multiple” Houthi leaders in Yemen, the White House says, adding that Iran was “put on notice” to stop backing the rebel group and its attacks on Red Sea shipping.
‘All Options Are on the Table’ When It Comes to Iran, Mike Waltz Says | Politico
Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, on Sunday did not rule out the use of force against Iran, either in relation to its support for Yemen’s Houthis or its potential development of a nuclear weapon. Waltz also made it clear that the Trump administration won’t allow Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to have his “finger on the nuclear button.” “All options are on the table to ensure it does not have one,” Waltz said of a nuclear device. “And that’s all aspects of Iran’s program. That’s the missiles, the weaponization, the enrichment. They can either hand it over and give it up in a way that is verifiable, or they can face a whole series of other consequences.”
Houthis Say They Are Ready to Escalate After US Strikes Yemen | Reuters
Yemen's Houthi movement said on Sunday it was ready to “meet escalation with escalation” after U.S. strikes targeting the Iran-aligned group over its threat to resume Red Sea shipping attacks triggered a diplomatic backlash from Moscow and Tehran.
US Strikes on Houthis Send Warning to Iran, Experts Say | The National
“The main message is for Iran, President Trump wants to tell them he can target them next. As he likes to say, ‘negotiation through strength’,” Baraa Shiban, a Yemen expert and associate fellow at the Rusi defence think tank, told The National. “It looks, from the intensity of the strikes, like this operation will continue, which will degrade their [the Houthis] capabilities, similar to what happened with Hezbollah in Lebanon."
ASSASSINATIONS
Former IRGC Minister Admits to Directing International Assassinations | IranWire
Brigadier General Mohsen Rafighdoost, the first IRGC minister before its merger with Iran’s Defense Ministry, said he ordered the assassinations of prominent Iranians in Europe. They include artist Fereydoun Farrokhzad, navy officer Shahriar Shafiq, and former Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar.
CHINA & IRAN
What China Wants From Iran Nuclear Talks | Foreign Policy
For Beijing, there are also several reasons driving its diplomacy. After brokering a détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, China is looking for further opportunities to project an image of itself as a responsible great power. China also has an economic stake in the issue. Iran is a significant source of oil for China—it imports some 15 percent of its supply from Iran, despite Western sanctions on Tehran.
SYRIA & IRAN
Historic Kurdish-Syrian Agreement Reshapes Regional Politics as Iran Watches Warily | IranWire
A landmark agreement between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has triggered widespread reactions, potentially reshaping the Middle East’s geopolitical order. It appears that rather than Turkey being affected by this agreement, as portrayed by Islamic Republic-controlled media, it is the IRGC and the Islamic Republic that are dissatisfied.
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, & IRAN
Amid Tensions with Iran: 3 F-35i Jets Land in Israel | Israel Hayom
Three advanced F-35i “Adir” stealth fighter jets landed at Israel's Nevatim Air Force base last Thursday, bolstering the Israeli Air Force fleet amid escalating tensions with Iran. The arrival comes as Israeli officials closely monitor Iranian military exercises specifically designed to simulate defense against potential Israeli airstrikes, highlighting the growing regional tensions following months of conflict that have seen the Israeli F-35 fleet accumulate over 15,000 operational flight hours across multiple combat theaters.
A man said to be a retired colonel in the Iranian air force urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to facilitate a coup by striking the home of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 broadcast on Saturday. “And we, the military can take over sensitive political centers and officially announce Iran’s freedom and friendship with Israel,” he added.
Hezbollah, Hamas Not Expected to Recover, Former Iranian Officers Say | Jerusalem Post
Several Iranian officers believe that Hamas and Hezbollah will not recover in strength and have also spoken out against the Islamic Republic regime in a rare interview with the N12 news site published on Saturday. Javad, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operative, spoke publicly for the first time to Israeli media, revealing his past involvement in suppressing protests, his recruitment into the extremist Basij militia, and shared details of the Islamic Republic’s reaction to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last July.
GULF STATES & IRAN
Iran Foreign Minister Travels to Oman After US Attacks on Yemen | Bloomberg
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Oman on Sunday following the US attacks on Iran-backed Houthi forces, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
ANTI-SEMITISM
‘An Enemy Called Jew’: Inside Iran’s Systematic Campaign of Antisemitism | IranWire
Antisemitism and Holocaust denial remain consistent pillars of the Islamic Republic’s official rhetoric. At every opportunity, authorities attempt to either deny the historical suffering of Jews or present an alternative narrative of the Holocaust.