TOP STORIES
Iran Launches Deadly New Strikes in Gulf as Latest Exchange with U.S. Tests Ceasefire | NBC News
“Iran launched a deadly new set of attacks in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday as it traded strikes with the United States, the latest exchange to threaten the fragile ceasefire and stalled peace talks between the two countries. One person was killed and flights were suspended in Kuwait, officials said, after missile and drone strikes including an attack on its international airport. The U.S. military said it shot down Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz and struck Iran’s Qeshm Island a day earlier. . . . U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said late Tuesday that Iran had launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors, though it said all of the attacks had ‘failed to hit their intended targets.’”
US Isn’t Offering Upfront Sanctions Relief to Reopen Hormuz, Rubio Says | Politico
“The U.S. isn’t offering or discussing granting Iran sanctions relief solely for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday. Progress in the talks could come as soon as this week but also possibly next, he said, adding that the discussions are proceeding in two phases. The first phase would see Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and make clear that Tehran won’t charge transiting ships a toll or fire on them. They must also agree to follow on discussions on their nuclear program, where broader sanctions relief could be discussed.”
Trump Pushing Iran to Make Firmer Nuclear Commitments in Initial Deal: Sources | ABC News
“President Donald Trump is demanding that Tehran put specific nuclear concessions down in writing as part of a preliminary agreement aimed at pushing past the drawn-out deadlock between the U.S. and Iran, U.S. officials and another source familiar with the matter tell ABC News. Iranian negotiators previously gave verbal assurances that the regime would ultimately agree to certain terms related to Iran’s nuclear program, but the president determined during a meeting in the Situation Room on Friday that those commitments were not strong enough, the sources said.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran Didn’t Get Any Crude Oil Past US Blockade in May, UANI Says | Bloomberg
“Iran struggled to get energy exports past the US Navy’s blockade last month, with around 80 million barrels of oil and petrochemicals stranded in waters behind the line, according to a US non-profit advisory group. No Iranian crude exports passed through Washington’s blockade of the country in May, United Against Nuclear Iran said in a report viewed by Bloomberg News. However, the Islamic Republic did manage to ship four cargoes of naphtha totaling 2 million barrels and smaller volumes of liquefied petroleum gas, it said. That compares with more than 59 million barrels of oil and fuel exports in February, before the war began.”
Oil Prices Today: Brent near $99 as Hormuz Talks Stall and OPEC+ Meets 7 June | Vantage
“According to marine traffic data cited by the United Against Nuclear Iran monitoring group, open transits fell to near zero vessels per day after 6 May, down from around 138 vessels transiting daily before hostilities began.”
MILITARY MATTERS
Iran Has Mined ‘Large Segments’ of Hormuz Strait, Secretary of State Rubio Says | CNBC
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Iran has mined ‘large segments’ of the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that explosives in the strategic sea lane are more widespread than previoulsy acknowledged.”
U.S. Forces Redirected 122 Ships Under Iran Blockade, Centcom Says | CBS News
“U.S. forces have redirected 122 commercial ships ‘to ensure compliance’ of the U.S. blockade against Iran, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X on Tuesday.”
MSC Container Ship Struck by ‘Two Projectiles’ in Iraqi Port | DW
“Shipping company MSC confirmed that one of its container vessels was struck by two projectiles in the port of Um-Qasr, Iraq. The Geneva-based company reported that all crew members were unharmed and that the vessel had been secured. In a statement, MSC said it ‘is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel.’ . . . Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) targeted the MSC Sariska V in a ‘retaliatory operation.’ The Iranian state-run Tasnim news agency said the strike was in response to the US military targeting the Iranian Lianstar vessel in the Sea of Oman.”
DIPLOMACY
Rubio ‘Optimistic’ About Nuclear Talks, Rules Out Sanctions Relief | DW
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio told US senators that he is optimistic about the potential for a resumption in nuclear talks with Iran. He told lawmakers that the Iranians have agreed to negotiate on nuclear points that they had not been willing to address in the past. He did not, however, offer an assessment on what those talks might produce. ‘They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention,’ Rubio said, without elaborating, adding that it is ‘not a guarantee that ultimately it will lead to a deal that’s acceptable.’ Rubio noted that the negotiations have been made difficult by the instability of Iran's leadership. . . . ‘Right now, everything that’s been discussed with them [Iran] is that . . . any sanctions relief is condition-based, which means it has to be in return for the reason why those sanctions were put in place in the first place, which is their nuclear program,’ Rubio said.”
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio, facing questions Tuesday in back-to-back hearings on Capitol Hill for the first time since the Iran war began, said U.S. negotiators had seen signs that Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father to become the country’s new supreme leader, has been engaged with negotiations despite not being seen publicly.”
Trump Says US and Iran Are Speaking ‘Continuously’ | DW
“Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, rejected reports that the US and Iran have stopped discussions due to Israeli offensive action in Lebanon. ‘Fake News Reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the USA, stopped speaking a few days ago are false and erroneous,’ Trump said. ‘The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today,’ Trump added.”
“US President Donald Trump says Iran has agreed not to obtain nuclear weapons amid ongoing talks with Tehran on a deal, during his interview with The New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast. . . . Trump says he believes that Iran’s newly elected supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is ‘involved, absolutely’ in talks on ending the war and that ‘[Iranians] have a lot of respect for him,’ though he declined to comment on reports that he was severely injured during Israel’s opening strikes in the war that killed his father, the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and other members of his family. ‘I’d like to meet him,’ Trump says, adding, ‘I’d love to meet everybody. I would like to meet him, and we probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out.’”
TERRORISM & PROXY WARS
Alleged Mastermind of London Attacks Met Khamenei Before War, Indictment Says | Iran International
“An Iraqi-Iranian man indicted over nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States told FBI agents he met Ali Khamenei in Iran three days before the war began and the supreme leader was killed, according to US court documents. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, has been charged in an eight-count indictment over what US prosecutors described as his work as an operative of Tehran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both designated by Washington as foreign terrorist organizations. The Justice Department said Al-Saadi was involved in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States, including attacks targeting Jewish and Israeli sites in London and an alleged attempt to arrange attacks on US soil.”
HUMAN RIGHTS
“Iranian writer Hamid Asefi wasn’t home on the afternoon of 5 March when armed intelligence agents stormed his Tehran apartment, breaking down the door with a sledgehammer and axe. After going unit to unit looking for him, they finally encountered him as he returned to the building. One of the agents ‘drew his handgun, shouted at me to stop, and before I had time to respond, struck me forcefully on the back of the neck and spine with the butt of his weapon, dragging me into the apartment,’ Asefi [said] . . . When he requested an arrest warrant, the beating intensified. ‘Heavy blows were directed at my ribs, kidneys, temples and the back of my head. The beating was so severe that I lost consciousness once. When I regained consciousness, the assault continued,’ he says. The assault on the 63-year-old continued after he was brought blindfolded to a detention centre . . . he was eventually released and told his arrest was an administrative error. But the effects of the assault did not end there: three weeks later, Asefi was rushed to hospital, where an MRI revealed extensive bleeding on his brain.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran’s Inflation Hits World War II Levels | CBS News
“Year-on-year inflation in Iran reached a level in May unseen since World War II, according to a report issued Monday by Iran's Central Bank, underlining the economic pain average Iranians face as the Islamic Republic faces the prospect of renewed fighting the war launched by Israel and the United States on Feb. 28.”
U.S. Treasury Imposes Sanctions on Iran’s Biggest Crypto Exchange | New York Times
“The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange and some of its founders on Tuesday, accusing them of helping the Iranian government to evade sanctions, pay for militant activities and transfer wealth abroad. The crypto exchange, Nobitex, has provided ‘significant support’ to Iran’s government, before and during the war, the Treasury Department said in a statement.”
HOSTAGES
Britons Held in Iran Lose Appeal Against 10-Year Prison Term, Family Says | Reuters
“A British couple held in Iran have lost their appeal against a 10-year prison sentence, their family said on Tuesday, adding that the pair were not allowed to attend the hearing and had little information about the proceedings. Craig and Lindsay Foreman were sentenced to 10 years in a Tehran prison last year after Iran charged them with espionage, which they deny.”
HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Hezbollah Will Not Accept “Partial Ceasefire” with Israel, Senior Official Says | CBS News
“Hezbollah will not accept a ‘partial ceasefire’ with Israel, a senior official from the Iran-backed group said Tuesday, refusing to halt attacks against northern Israel in exchange for Israel sparing Beirut's southern suburbs.”
GULF STATES & IRAN
UAE Nuclear Plant Attackers ‘Knew What They Were Doing’: IAEA Chief | Al Arabiya
“The UAE’s nuclear plant was ‘carefully targeted’ last month by attackers who aimed to cause a major incident, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday. The drone attack on May 17 hit an electricity facility at the plant, risking potentially shutting it down—a ‘serious situation indeed,’ Rafael Grossi said.”