TOP STORIES
Trump Will Only Accept “Total Dismantlement” of Iran’s Nuclear Program | Axios
President Trump said the goal of the negotiations with Iran is to achieve "full dismantlement" of Tehran's nuclear program. “Total dismantlement. Yes, that is all I would accept,” Trump told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker. “I want Iran to be really successful, really great, really fantastic. The only thing they can't have is a nuclear weapon. If they want to be successful, that's okay. I want them to be so successful,” Trump said. “I just don't want them to have a nuclear weapon because the world will be destroyed,” he added. Trump said he is open to hearing arguments in favor of Iran having a civilian nuclear program, which is something that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said he supports.
‘Iranian Terror Attack’ Foiled with Hours to Spare | Telegraph
A suspected Iranian terror attack was hours away from being launched on British soil, The Telegraph understands. Five men, including four Iranian nationals, were arrested at locations across England on Saturday in what the Home Secretary described as one of the biggest counter-terror operations in recent years. It is understood that authorities feared the attack on a “specific premises” was imminent. Counter-terror police arrested a further three Iranian men in London as part of a separate operation, fearing they would leave the UK or destroy critical evidence against them after the other raids. . . . Speculation mounted on Sunday night that the target may have been a synagogue or another target linked to the Jewish community.
Iran Threatens to Hit US Bases After Unveiling New Ballistic Missile | Iran International
American bases and interests will be targeted if a war is imposed on the Islamic Republic, Iran's defense minister warned on Sunday, after unveiling a new solid-fuel ballistic missile named Qassem Bassir. . . . He also threatened to “employ weapons that have not been used until now” if a war is imposed on Iran. The defense minister's remarks came after he unveiled Qassem Bassir, an upgraded ballistic missile that has a range of 1,200 km. Nassirzadeh said the new missile can “easily overcome THAAD and Patriot missile defense systems thanks to its upgraded maneuverability.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
The Calendar: Thursday | May 8: 9 a.m. Cannon Caucus Room 390—United Against Nuclear Iran displays an Iranian Shahed-136 drone on Capitol Hill to call attention to Iran malign drone proliferation, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); Sen. James Lankford (R-OK); Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) [RSVP to] [email protected].
Trump Seeks Iran Nuclear Dismantling, Hints At Flexibility | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, said Trump's comments had made it clear the administration was not looking for a revamped version of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. “This interview calls that fantasy into question,” he wrote on X.
Experts have also warned that some Iranians who come to study at British universities as international students on state scholarships are also spies. Kasra Aarabi, of the United Against Nuclear Iran think-tank, said IRGC recruiters did not focus on hiring British Iranians, who are usually secular and oppose the Ayatollah regime. But British Shias who originated from Pakistan, Iraq and Lebanon were targeted at the Arbaeen festival in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala, which attracts up to 20 million pilgrims a year.
Iran Talks Continue: Where Are They Headed? | Hamodia
UANI Research Director Daniel Roth interviewed: Iran is kind of counting on probably stalling the Americans up until October 2025, when it has even more leverage. And this is something that we’ve noticed at United Against Nuclear Iran, we’ve noticed that they are actually damping down their anti-Americanism, the rhetoric about “Death to America”; we’re not seeing that quite so much in the last few weeks. I’m a little bit more optimistic that when it comes down to it, I think Trump knows what a good deal is. He knows that it has to be permanent, something that, as I said, the JCPOA last time did severely lack. It was a huge, huge omission.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
As the US continues to negotiate a potential nuclear deal with Iran, the Trump administration has drawn praise from political adversaries and criticism from traditional allies over a perceived reversion to the basic framework of the now-defunct 2015 nuclear accord, which US President Donald Trump has lambasted as a dangerous agreement.
Iran defended on Saturday its “right” to enrich uranium despite growing Western concern that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons and as talks with the United States were delayed. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that “Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle,” citing Tehran’s long-standing membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Iran Says Still Waiting to Hear When Next US Talks Will Happen | Bloomberg
Iran said it’s waiting for Oman to confirm when there will be a new round of nuclear talks with the US, while also saying it had nothing to do with Houthi missile strikes on Israel.
Iran Says Its Stance Toward Nuclear Talks with US Remains Constant | Reuters
Iran remains committed to diplomacy with the United States, the government said on Monday, after a fourth round of nuclear talks with Washington was postponed over the weekend.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Trump’s New Sanctions Threat Looks Past Iran to Target China | Wall Street Journal
President Trump threatened to cut off buyers of Iranian oil or petrochemicals from doing business with the U.S., a warning that in effect targets China while putting more pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. . . . Trump’s new threat will deepen the impact of his pressure campaign on Iran but won’t entirely stop China from buying, said Homayoun Falakshahi, a senior oil analyst at Kpler. “It will be a squeeze by a thousand cuts,” said Falakshahi, who expects China’s imports of Iranian oil to drop by more than 30% in the first half of the year.
Iran Says US Sanctions ‘Will Not Change’ Policy After Trump Warnings | Agence France-Presse
Iran said Friday continued US sanctions on its trade partners will not alter its policy, after President Donald Trump threatened to impose penalties on countries or individuals dealing in Iranian oil.
MISSILE PROGRAM
Iran Unveils New Ballistic Missile with 1,200-km Range | Agence France-Presse
Iran unveils a new solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of 1,200 kilometers (745 miles), state television reports, at a time of rising tensions with the West. . . . Iranian state television broadcasts footage of the new missile during an interview with Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh. “If we are attacked and war is waged against us, we will respond with force and will target their interests and their bases,” Nasirzadeh says. “We hold no animosity towards neighboring states, but American bases are our targets,” he says.
Iran Missile Program Advancing Without Pause, IRGC Adviser Says | Iran International
A senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official said Iran’s missile technology continues to advance without interruption, despite Western support for Israel.
U.S.-ISRAEL RELATIONS REGARDING IRAN
Inside Waltz’s Ouster: Before Signalgate, Talks with Israel Angered Trump | Washington Post
Waltz . . . upset Trump after an Oval Office visit in early February by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when the national security adviser appeared to share the Israeli leader’s conviction that the time was ripe to strike Iran, two of the people said. Waltz appeared to have engaged in intense coordination with Netanyahu about military options against Iran ahead of an Oval Office meeting between the Israeli leader and Trump, the two people said. Waltz “wanted to take U.S. policy in a direction Trump wasn’t comfortable with because the U.S. hadn’t attempted a diplomatic solution,” according to one of the people. “It got back to Trump and the president wasn’t happy with it,” that person said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently expressed frustration in private conversations over the actions of President Donald Trump regarding the Middle East. Netanyahu reportedly told his aides that while Trump says all the right things during their meetings and phone calls, particularly on Iran and Syria, his practical steps do not align with those statements.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Withdraws Violence Against Women Law After Hardliner Revisions | Iran International
Iran’s government has announced the withdrawal of a critical draft law on violence against women from parliament after hardliners watered it down, dealing a new setback to women's rights in the theocracy. . . . Unlike the original bill, the revised version does not propose increased penalties for a broad range of injuries inflicted on women—such as cuts, bruises, or other forms of bodily harm but only limits harsher punishments to cases involving dismemberment.
ISRAEL, MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Missile from Iran-Backed Houthis Hit Israel’s Busiest Airport | Iran International
Iran-backed Houthis launched another missile towards Israel on Sunday, with the Israeli military reporting an impact near Ben-Gurion Airport [the attack injured six people]. It comes as the Iran-backed group continues almost daily aerial attacks on the Jewish state amid the ongoing war in Gaza, in spite of warnings from the US that Iran will be held accountable for the Houthis' military actions.
“We, along with the entire world, are under threat from the Houthis. We will not tolerate it and will take very strong retaliatory action against them,” [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said] . . . according to a readout from his office. “We will always remember that they acted under the orders and with the support of their patron—Iran,” the premier added. “We will do what needs to be done to deliver a proper warning to Iran that we cannot tolerate such acts.” Netanyahu on Sunday also endorsed a message by US President Donald Trump, in which the American leader vowed to hold Iran responsible for the Houthis’ actions. “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!” wrote the US president in a post on his Truth Social Platform.
US Forces Intercept Shipment of Iranian Weapons Smuggled to Houthis | Jerusalem Post
US forces intercepted a shipment of Iranian weapons that were smuggled to the Houthi terror group in Yemen on Friday, according to the Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya news channel, citing US sources. According to the sources, Iranian ships have been sending data and information to the Houthis.
Iran Denies Aiding Yemen’s Houthis in Israel Airport Attack | The National
Iran on Monday denied helping Yemen’s Houthis in their attack on Israel's main airport, after the rebels claimed responsibility for Sunday’s missile strike. Tehran said the Houthis acted alone in the missile strike near Ben Gurion Airport, south-east of Tel Aviv, which injured eight people and closed the airport for about 30 minutes on Sunday morning.
US Redeploys Pacific Warship as Iran Threat Grows | Newsweek
A United States destroyer, USS Milius, which is based in the Western Pacific Ocean, is now operating in Middle Eastern waters as part of the American military presence aimed at Iran.
Iranian Navy Commissions Logistics Ship Converted from Tanker | Maritime Executive
Iran is reported ready to commission its next logistics ship converted from a merchant ship for operations by its Navy. The ship is based on a 33-year-old crude oil tanker that had been operating under the Iranian flag since 2019.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Two Mysterious Explosions Rock Iranian Factories Within an Hour | Yedioth Ahronoth
A series of unexplained explosions and fires have struck industrial facilities across Iran in recent days, with the latest incidents reported Sunday in the cities of Mashhad and Qom. Iranian media said a powerful explosion rocked a motorcycle factory in Mashhad, in the country’s north, igniting a fire in a warehouse containing tires and cardboard. The fire was later extinguished, and authorities have yet to confirm casualties or determine the cause of the blast. About an hour earlier, the opposition-run channel Iran International reported five people were injured in an explosion at a petrochemical raw materials plant in an industrial zone in the central city of Qom. The cause of that incident also remains unclear. On Saturday, Iran International reported a large fire at a cardboard factory in Karaj, near the capital Tehran. It was the latest in a string of similar incidents that have sparked growing concerns over industrial safety and possible acts of sabotage.
Search Ends at Iran Port Despite Missing Workers | IranWire
Red Crescent officials in Hormozgan province ended search operations at Shahid Rajaee Port on Saturday evening, despite reports that several persons remain missing following the April 26 explosion. Families of the victims blocked access roads to the port on Saturday in protest over the slow pace of identification efforts. They said authorities provided no answers and prematurely halted search operations. Mehdi Amiri, the special prosecutor assigned to the case, warned against public speculation, saying it could “cause confusion” or interfere with the ongoing investigation. The Iranian newspaper Payam Ma reported that many undocumented Baluch workers are still missing, with no search efforts underway to locate them.
Iran Port Explosion Caused by Chemicals Catching Fire, Videos Show | Washington Post
The explosion on Saturday that killed at least 70 people and injured more than 1,000 others at an Iranian port was caused by a chemical fire that began in a shipping container, according to visual evidence and explosives experts.
Two Arrested After Iran Port Blast | The National
Two people have been arrested in Iran over a massive port explosion last weekend that killed at least 57 people. One of the two suspects was a “government manager” while the other came "from the private sector", Iranian state television reported, citing an investigative committee looking into last Saturday’s blast. The report said the “suspects have been identified and the summoning process is under way.” It did not give details of the accusations against the two people, but the investigative committee has alleged “false declarations” of goods being handled at the port.
Iranian Cleric Warns US Risks Consequences with Threats During Talks | Iran International
A senior Iranian cleric warned on Friday that increased US threats and sanctions during nuclear negotiations could backfire, putting Washington at risk. “The United States is escalating threats and sanctions during the negotiations—with these threats, they are endangering themselves,” said Mohammad Baqer Mohammadi Laeini, the Supreme Leader’s representative in Mazandaran Province, during Friday prayers in Sari.
EUROPE & IRAN
U.K. Probing Possible Link Between Two Suspected State-Sponsored Iranian Plots | NBC News
British authorities are investigating two plots involving mostly Iranian nationals in the United Kingdom that appear at this stage of the investigation likely to be state-sponsored, according to a senior official briefed on the threat. . . . Officials said the two plots were separate, but the senior official briefed on the threat said British law enforcement is now trying to determine whether the same entity was directing both plots.
SOUTH ASIA & IRAN
Iran’s foreign minister was in Pakistan on Monday to try and mediate in the escalation between Islamabad and New Delhi after last month’s deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.