TOP STORIES
“The US Justice Department on Friday announced the arrest of a senior Iraqi militia commander for terrorism against Jewish targets on behalf of Iran since the outbreak of the recent war with the United States and Israel. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a member of the Kataeb Hezbollah terrorist group and an operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, plotted close to 20 attacks in the US, Europe and Canada, prosecutors said. According to the complaint, Al-Saadi and unnamed associates planned, coordinated and claimed responsibility for the attacks in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a component of Kataeb Hezbollah, since late February.”
Cuba Buys More than 300 Drones from Russia and Iran—Report | Deutsche Welle
“Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones, according to classified intelligence cited by Axios news outlet. The report published on Sunday alleges that Cuba had discussed plans to use military drones to attack the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay as well as military vessels and possibly Key West, Florida. The Trump administration is concerned because of developments in drone warfare and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana, Axios cited a senior US official as saying. . . . Cuba has been acquiring attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and is seeking to buy more, US officials told Axios.”
Trump Warns Iran “Clock Is Ticking” Until U.S. Launches Harder Strikes | Axios
“President Trump told Axios in a phone call that ‘the clock is ticking’ for Iran and warned that if the Iranian regime doesn’t come with a better offer for a deal ‘they are going to get hit much harder.’ . . . Trump is expected to convene his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options, two U.S. officials said. Trump spoke Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in Iran.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
How Iran’s Energy Exports Are Still Headed Toward China | New York Times
[Image caption] “Sources: Kpler; Airbus; United Against Nuclear Iran; TankerTrackers.com; Planet Labs; Copernicus Sentinel-2.”
Tanker Tally at Iran’s Kharg Island Hits Post-Blockade Peak | Bloomberg
“Some 23 tankers have been spotted around Iran’s principal oil-export hub, the largest cluster to have gathered at the island since the US Navy began a blockade on the country’s ports a month ago, interdicting and seizing ships. The carriers—in anchorages around Kharg, berthed at crude- or liquefied petroleum gas-loading jetties—were visible on satellite images taken on May 16, reviewed by Bloomberg News and confirmed by analysis from United Against Nuclear Iran, a US non-profit policy advisory group focused on Tehran. The current collection of tankers compares to four on April 13, just before US warships began gathering in the Gulf of Oman to check and stop vessels. ‘Vessels are accumulating at anchorages around the island, suggesting growing delays and bottlenecks across Iran’s crude and oil export system,’ said Charlie Brown, an adviser to UANI.”
Trump-Xi Summit Reveals China’s Careful Balancing Act on Iran | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
“Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, said the gap between China's rhetoric and actions remains significant. ‘While readouts from the summit suggested China wants the Strait of Hormuz to be open and for there to be no tolling, China's ambassador is criticizing the US-Bahraini draft UN Security Council resolution demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz,’ Brodsky told RFE/RL on May 15. ‘China also says it does not want the conflict to continue but is supplying Iran with dual-use components for its missile and drone program,’ he added.”
[Photo caption] “This handout photo from United Against Nuclear Iran shows two oil tankers making a ship-to-ship transfer of Iranian oil.”
Interview with UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky | NewsNation
“I think [the arrest and IRGC operative of Kataeb Hezbollah member and Kataeb Hezbollah member Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi is] a really big achievement for our law enforcement community, as well as an intelligence gold mine, because this is a figure who had spent a lot of time around the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–Quds Force leadership.”
Interview with UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky | Beyond the Summit
“What I can say—and this is based on watching Iran very carefully over a number of years—[is that] there has been a protest movement that has been taking place in Iran from 2017 onward, during the JCPOA years and after the JCPOA years, that has remained constant in its rejection and repudiation of the Islamic Republic. And the Iranian people, through this time period, have made quite clear [that] they want the regime gone and they view the regime as the primary author of the country’s troubles.”
Hormuz is all Blocked Up with Ships | What’s Going on with Shipping?
“The ship was singled out because it’s got a track record of hauling cargo out of Iran, sanctioned cargo. Under its former name, which was the GAS GLOBAL, groups like United Against Nuclear Iran and some U.S. senators have said that this ship should not be allowed to transit. Obviously, it was allowed.”
Malaysia Warns About Iranian Vessels and Transfer of Sanctioned Oil | Inspenet
“Malaysia’s Maritime Law Enforcement Agency (MMEA) responded to accusations from the US-based group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which claims that the maritime region near the state of Johor has become one of the main transshipment hubs for Iranian crude oil destined for China. According to UANI and maritime sector observers, dozens of tankers associated with Iran’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ operate in the area known as Eastern Outer Port Limits (EOPL), located about 70 kilometers from Johor.”
MILITARY MATTERS
UAE Blames Iran or Its Proxies for Drone Strike Fire near Nuclear Plant | Guardian
“The United Arab Emirates has blamed a fire near its nuclear power plant on a drone launched by Iran or one of its proxies in what the UAE called a ‘dangerous escalation.’ The fire was just outside the Barakah nuclear plant and caused no injuries or radiation alerts, but it came at an extremely tense moment in the sixth week of a ceasefire in the Iran war, with peace talks stalled and Donald Trump voicing impatience at the deadlock.”
Saudi Says It Intercepted Three Drones That Entered from Iraqi Airspace | Reuters
“Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it intercepted three drones after they entered its territory from Iraqi airspace.”
DIPLOMACY
Revised Iranian Proposal to End War Shared with US, Pakistani Source Says | Reuters
“Pakistan has shared with the U.S. a revised proposal from Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East, a Pakistani source told Reuters on Monday, as peace talks appeared to remain stalled. ‘We don’t have much time,’ the source said, when asked if it would take time to close gaps, adding that both countries ‘keep changing their goalposts.’”
Trump Says 20-Year Nuclear Programme Suspension by Iran Would Be Enough | BBC News
“US President Donald Trump has said he would accept a 20-year suspension by Iran of its nuclear programme, in what appears to be confirmation of a shift in position away from a demand for a total end to it. Trump said it had to be a ‘real 20 years.’”
Trump Says Xi Agrees Iran Must Open Strait, but No Sign China Will Weigh In | Reuters
“U.S. President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though China gave no indication it would weigh in. . . . ‘I’m not asking for any favors because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return,’ Trump said when asked by a reporter on Air Force One whether Xi had made a firm commitment to put pressure on the Iranians to reopen the strait.”
IRANIAN PROXIES & TERRORISM
Plot Was ‘Targeting Heart’ of New York’s Jewish Community, Tisch Says | New York Times
“The commander of an Iranian-backed militia who was charged with planning an attack on a New York synagogue was ‘targeting the heart of our Jewish community,’ Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said on Friday, hours after federal prosecutors said that they had thwarted the plot. The commander, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, who had organized at least 20 attacks in Europe and Canada, had also planned to kill Americans and Jews in Los Angeles and had set his sights on a synagogue in Manhattan, Ms. Tisch said. She did not name the synagogue but said Mr. al-Saadi had chosen a place that supported Israel and Zionism.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent: Will Call on G7 to Follow Sanctions Regime on Iran | Reuters
“United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that he would call on G7 finance ministers to follow a sanctions regime in order to keep financing away from what Bessent described as Iran’s ‘war machine.’”
Pezeshkian Says Iranians Must Accept Inflation as Country Is in War | Iran International
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Iranians should expect inflation, shortages and economic hardship because the country is at war and facing mounting pressure on its energy infrastructure and oil exports. . . . The president also opened his remarks with an unusual comment hinting at a lack of control over his own movements and schedule. ‘I myself did not know where they were taking me. Suddenly they brought me here,’ Pezeshkian said. . . . Pezeshkian also acknowledged growing difficulties in exporting Iranian oil and securing revenues under sanctions and regional pressure. ‘They blocked the way and we are not exporting oil either,’ he said. ‘We cannot export oil easily.’”
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Hackers Have Breached Tank Readers at US Gas Stations; Officials Suspect Iran Is Responsible | CNN
“US officials suspect Iranian hackers are behind a series of breaches of systems that monitor the amount of fuel in storage tanks serving gas stations in multiple states, according to multiple sources briefed on the activity.”
GULF STATES & IRAN
Oman Caught Between Us and Iran After Tehran’s Claims of Joint Strait of Hormuz Plan | Guardian
“Oman has been caught in geopolitical crossfire after Iran said it was coordinating with the Gulf state over the future management of the strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s plans to impose fees on commercial shipping. . . . A rival plan based on freedom of navigation being prepared by France and the UK has also been put to Oman, and has the support of most Gulf states.”
AUSTRALIA & IRAN
Prominent Australian Academic Denies Links to Powerful Iranian Politician | Guardian
“A University of Melbourne academic has denied collaborating on research with the speaker of Iran’s parliament—who has been leading Tehran’s peace negotiations with the US —saying he was named as an author on a journal article without his knowledge.”