TOP STORIES
Iran Resumes Attacks in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Says | Axios
“Iran's military fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, two U.S. officials tell Axios. . . . Both vessels suffered significant damage but no casualties, the U.S. official said.”
Trump Is Gaining Surprising Leverage over Iran | CNN
“Low crude inventory levels remain a concern, and the oil market isn’t precisely where the Trump administration would like it just yet. But the shockingly low price of oil has eased pressure off US negotiators to sign a quick and potentially lopsided deal in favor of Iran—buying the Trump administration some much-needed time.”
Trump Says There Will Either Be a Deal with Iran or US Will ‘Finish the Job’ | Reuters
“President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States would either reach a deal with Iran or ‘finish the job,’ renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran’s New Supreme Leader Remains Out of Sight as Nation Mourns His Father | Reuters
“‘[Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei] has strong constituency and support within the IRGC, in particular amongst the younger radical generations,’ said Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, a US-based advocacy group.”
“The balance of power within the Islamic Republic of Iran has changed significantly. The regime that existed before the war—with its uneasy mix of Shia Muslim clerical authority, elected institutions, bargaining factions, and armed agencies of coercion—is no longer functioning as it did. A different configuration of power is emerging. This has not, however, been the kind of regime change that many Iranians have been hoping for. It is not a transition toward democracy, moderation, or a more responsible and accountable government. Instead, it is the culmination of a long internal transformation: The core of the regime's coercive apparatus, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has become the primary institution through which the Islamic Republic survives, governs, represses, and wages war.”
Interview with UANI Director of IRGC Research Kasra Aarabi | GB News
“The Islamist extremists mourning the death of the tyrannical Ayatollah [Khamenei] are not reflective of the Iranian population. They represent no more than 10 percent at best. The overwhelming majority of Iranians want regime change, as seen during the January protests.”
Iranian Regime Has Undeserved Reputation as Master Negotiator, Experts Say | Jewish News Syndicate
“Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told JNS he would give the regime a C-plus on its abilities at the negotiating table. ‘The Iranian regime is only as strong a negotiator as we allow them to be,’ he said. ‘It takes very disciplined negotiations from the U.S. side to be able to counteract their demands.’ . . . ‘The Iranian regime does not enter negotiations trying to solve problems with the United States,’ he said. ‘It uses negotiations as an extension of its conflict with America, not a substitute for that conflict.’”
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ CRISIS
Washington's Plan to Neutralize Iran’s Hormuz Leverage | OilPrice.com
“The U.S. and its allies are accelerating pipelines, export terminals, and overland trade corridors to reduce global dependence on the Strait of Hormuz and weaken Iran's ability to disrupt oil markets.”
Khamenei’s Killers Will Pay’: Iran Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf Vows Revenge | IranWire
“Referring to Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies, [Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher] Ghalibaf claimed that over the past months, the Iranian people have chanted slogans against the United States and Israel, demanding revenge against the ‘killers’ of the former leader of the Islamic Republic. He also wrote that ‘the fulfillment of the divine promise is certain’ and that ‘the aggressors against the soil of Islamic Iran and the killers of the martyrs of this land, especially the leader of the Ummah, will pay for their actions.’”
Iran’s Most Favored Strait of Hormuz Nation Is China | Wall Street Journal Editorial
“Iran’s regime hasn’t hid its intentions for the Strait of Hormuz: Iranian ownership, with passage by toll and permission. The regime claims its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. gives it that right, and it has used force to get its way. The latest step is an admission that ‘friendly’ nations such as China could get special treatment in the international waterway.”
DIPLOMACY
Iran Warns Trump to ‘Speak with Respect’ or Face a Different Response | IranWire
“Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, reacted sharply to statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, demanding that he address Iran with respect and warning that otherwise, Iran’s response would be different.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Court Sentences January Protester to Death on ‘Moharebeh’ Charge | IranWire
“Kamal Khanbabaei, a citizen detained during the nationwide protests of January 2026 and currently held in Choobindar Prison in Qazvin, has been sentenced to death on charges of ‘Moharebeh’ (enmity against God) by Branch 1 of the Qazvin Revolutionary Court.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
As Khamenei Mourners Fill Iran’s Streets, Discontent Still Simmers | Reuters
“Iran's theocratic rulers are mobilising mass crowds of the revolutionary faithful on the streets of Tehran, but behind the display of unity it is far from clear they have resolved gaping internal fractures over the economy and state repression.”
Supreme Leader’s Coffin Creeps Through Crowds in Tehran as Trump Effigy Is Hanged | NBC News
“A truck carrying the coffin of Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, crawled through Tehran’s thronged streets to chants of ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel’ on Monday. . . . A Reuters photograph showed at least one effigy of Trump being hanged.”
Iran Lawmaker Rebuffs Trump Plan to Buy US Grain with Iranian Funds | Iran International
“The chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee rejected US President Donald Trump’s plan to use Iranian funds to buy American wheat and corn, saying Washington was ‘not in a position’ to dictate terms to Tehran.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
House Hawks Wary of Trump Iran Deal | Punchbowl News
“They haven’t been as outspoken as their Senate colleagues, but House GOP defense hawks are deeply skeptical of the Trump administration’s initial terms for a peace deal with Iran. Republicans left the first all-hands administration briefing on the memorandum of understanding with Iran last week, saying Tehran isn’t an honest broker and outright opposing the possible $300 billion reconstruction fund for the country.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
“U.S. prosecutors are seeking leniency at next-week’s sentencing of a Turkish-Iranian businessman [Reza Zarrab] who admitted to helping Iranians and their government evade sanctions and who provided key testimony at a 2017 corruption trial that strained relations between the U.S. and Turkey.”