TOP STORIES Trump Confirms He Cautioned Netanyahu Against Striking Iran | Axios
President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call last Thursday against ordering a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities . . . Asked if he warned Netanyahu not to attack Iran, Trump said “I would like to be honest, yes I did.” Trump stressed he told Netanyahu a military strike on Iran in the current timing would be “inappropriate” because the U.S. and Iran are close to a deal. Trump said he believes the Iranian nuclear crisis can be solved with “a very strong document,” and without military action. “I want it very strong where we can go in with inspectors, we can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody's getting killed. We can blow up a lab but nobody's going to be in the lab,” Trump said. Trump said any deal would likely be agreed within “a couple weeks.” Russia’s Deadly Drone Industry Upgraded with Iran’s Help, Report Says | Washington Post The partnership between Iran and Russia to produce Iranian-designed drones on Russian soil has deepened military ties between the two heavily sanctioned states and substantially boosted Russia’s domestic drone industry, according to a report released Thursday. In the two years since Moscow struck a deal with Tehran to exchange technology and set up production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Russia’s Tatarstan region, Russia has been able to vastly increase its capability for domestic drone production and used it to pummel Ukrainian cities with hundreds of UAVs a day. The partnership also spawned a covert payment network involving gold transfers and intermediary countries to bypass Western sanctions—complicating efforts by the United States and its allies to enforce export controls. Israel Fears Being Boxed In by Trump’s Iran Talks | Wall Street Journal Seven weeks into negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, Israeli officials are concerned the Trump administration could agree to a deal that doesn’t block Tehran’s ability to produce a nuclear bomb but curtails the option of Israeli military action. That puts Israel in a bind with its most important ally on its most pressing national security question: the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran. Israel’s efforts to stiffen the U.S. negotiating position and preserve the option for a military strike at Iran’s facilities have led to frustration at the White House. . . . For now, the U.S. and Iran are working on a framework laying out the principles that would shape a deal. A senior U.S. official said the U.S. is preparing to give Iran a “term sheet” that would include an end to enrichment. “If they don’t accept these terms, it’s not going to be a good day for the Iranians,” the official said. UANI IN THE NEWS Influential US Conservative Group Launches Iran Exile Platform | Iran International The Conservative Political Action Conference announced the launch of CPAC for Iranians in Exile, a platform it says enables the Iranian diaspora to engage with senior Trump administration officials to oppose Tehran. The project, launched by CPAC in partnership with the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), aims to mobilize members of the Iranian diaspora to advocate for human rights, religious freedom, and increased pressure on the Islamic Republic. . . . Jason Brodsky, the UANI's policy director, told Iran International that “CPAC for Iranians in Exile will provide the diverse Iranian diaspora with a unique platform to engage with senior Trump administration officials and US policymakers in Washington to discuss Iran policy and an Iran free from the Ayatollah.” UANI [CEO] Mark Wallace also said “The Iranian people, who have suffered under the Ayatollah’s rule for 46 years, have not had a consistent platform to be heard. This initiative is an effort to change that and ensure their voices are not just heard but engaged with.” Panama Tightens Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfer Rules in Bid to Combat Shadow Fleet Operations | G Captain
Panama has implemented stringent new requirements for ship-to-ship (STS) oil transfer operations involving vessels under its flag, marking a significant step in its efforts to combat sanctions evasion and illicit maritime activities. . . . The timing of this regulatory tightening is significant, as recent analysis by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) revealed that Panama currently flags 17% of vessels suspected of participating in illicit Iranian oil transfers. The organization’s tracker has identified 542 foreign vessels potentially involved in transporting sanctioned Iranian crude and petroleum products. Iranian Regime Media Praises Alleged DC Jewish Museum Shooter as ‘Dear Brother’ | Fox News The newspaper for the rogue regime of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei praised the man who allegedly murdered an American and Israeli Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., calling him “our dear brother.” . . . “Our dear brother Elias Rodriguez, who killed two Israelis in the U.S., has founded the Washington Basij,” the newspaper wrote Saturday. . . . Vatan-e-Emrooz, a newspaper controlled by the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also glorified the assassinations of the pair, who were staff employees at the Israeli embassy. “These repulsive newspaper articles are a reminder that the Iranian regime is the leading state-sponsor of antisemitism,” Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital. “Kayhan in the past has published articles praising Hitler, so the praising of the murder of two Israeli embassy employees, including a Jewish American, should sadly come as no surprise.” Brodsky said the media statements show that the regime cannot be trusted, and that the Trump administration should be wary when it holds talks to trade sanctions relief for a pledge not to pursue nuclear weapons. “The true face of the Islamic Republic is represented by these articles, not its smiling diplomats at the negotiating tables of Oman and Rome,” he said.
Why Iran Wants a Deal with Trump | UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky in the Spectator There has been a clear shift in Iran’s establishment towards supporting negotiations. But this is a cynical and tactical move designed to bolster an unrepentant regime, which feels deeply exposed at home and abroad, hawking a revamped JCPOA as a lifeline. In the end, however, the maximum Tehran is prepared to give still is nowhere near the minimum President Trump is prepared to accept. Iran Takes Trump’s Negotiators for a Ride | UANI Senior Adviser Ray Takeyh and Reuel Marc Gerecht in the Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration has convinced many in Tehran that the president doesn’t want another conflict in the region. His threats of fire and fury are becoming more recognizably Middle Eastern—words substitute for actions. Given all the advanced centrifuges and the ever-deeper bomb-proof underground enrichment sites, the military option is becoming less credible. For Israel, it’s now or never. The U.S. has patience with threats that are existential only to its allies. Mr. Khamenei will consider all this as he contemplates the most serious decision of his tenure: whether finally to cross the nuclear threshold. How scary does he think America is under Mr. Trump? Everything hinges on the answer to that question. Coded Message About Israeli Spy Provides Signs of Hope in Syria | UANI Senior Advisor Dror Doron in the Jewish Independent
A few weeks ago, Nadia Cohen, the widow of Israel’s Mossad most renowned spy, Eli Cohen, who was caught and hanged in Damascus 60 years ago, received an emotional call. She was invited to receive the last letter her husband wrote to her before his execution. This sensitive personal item, together with thousands of other documents related to the Syrian security forces’ handling of his case, arrived in Israel in what was described by the Mossad as a “covert and complex operation in cooperation with a strategic partner service”. Media reports quoted multiple sources exposing that the archive was delivered to Israel with the blessing of the new Syrian president Ahmed Al-Sharaa and hinted at the involvement of the Turkish and/or Saudi intelligence services in it. The fact that the documents were exposed just few days after the meeting between President Trump and his Syrian counterpart Al-Sharaa, during Trump’s visit in Saudi Arabi, is seen by many as another indication that Al-Sharaa was leveraging the sensitive documents as a confidence-building measure towards Washington. This unexpected development represents the tectonic changes happening in Syria. Iran Is Drawing Encouragement From Differences Coming Into View Between Israel and America | New York Sun Talks in Oman and at Rome reportedly included ideas like an interim freeze on Iranian uranium enrichment, or enrichment being done outside of Iran, as it shares civilian nuclear energy with Gulf states. Either way, the mullahs seem eager to play for time. “Iran has a habit of seemingly agreeing to issues at one stage of negotiations, only to try and reopen those same issues later on,” the policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, Jason Brodsky, tells the Sun. Time, though, is not on America’s side. At the United Nations, for one, a 2015 Security Council resolution that endorsed that year’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action includes a clause allowing reimposition of all global sanctions that had existed before it was put into place. That “snapback” option expires in October. “The risk of a framework statement of principles is that it allows Iran’s regime to avert snapback and erode ideal conditions for a military strike on Iran’s nuclear program,” Mr. Brodsky says. UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky Discusses Iran | BBC Persian
UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky joins BBC Persian to discuss the ongoing nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky Discusses Iran | Al Arabiya English Iran is facing setbacks across its regional network, with Hamas decimated, Hezbollah weakened, and allied militias pushed out of Syria, says @JasonMBrodsky, Policy Director at United Against Nuclear Iran. UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky Comments on the U.S.-Iran Nuclear Negotiations | i24 Positive comments by US officials, including Trump, should be taken with a grain of salt, @JasonMBrodsky tells @laura_i24: “On substance, the tone from the United States and Iran are very different.” Iran “wants the process to serve as a shield from pressure” from the West. UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky Discusses U.S.-Iran Talks | Al Arabiya English Policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran Jason Brodsky says recent US-Iran nuclear talks in Rome showed some progress but nothing conclusive yet. A $500 Attack Drone Costs Millions to Repel. It’s an Economic War, and the West is Losing | Globe and Mail
[Photo Caption:] Mark Wallace left, CEO of the non-profit United Against Nuclear Iran, talks with Rep. Mike Lawler next to a Shahed 136 military drone during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington in early May. NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Austrian Intel Report Contradicts US Claims on Iran Nuclear Weapons Program | Fox News
A new intelligence report claims Iran is continuing with its active nuclear weapons program, which it says can be used to launch missiles over long distances. The startling intelligence gathering of Austrian officials contradicts the assessment of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). . . . Austria’s version of the FBI—the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution—wrote Monday in an intelligence report, “In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond.” Trump Says He Believes US is Close to Reaching a New Iran Nuclear Deal as He Confirms He Told Israel Not to Disrupt the Talks | CNN
The current discussion [between the U.S. and Iran] includes the US possibly investing in Iran’s nuclear power program and standing up a consortium—expected to include nations from the Middle East and the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency—that would produce enriched uranium for Iran’s reactors, explained one of the sources. But nothing has been agreed to regarding Iran’s civilian nuclear energy program, a White House official said. Iran’s ballistic missile program is not a part of the current discussion, despite some administration officials initially pressing for it to be included. Given how far the talks have advanced at this point sources did not expect an expansion of the topics under discussion. Witkoff in early May suggested that topics other than the nuclear file were “secondary” issues. Iran Says a US Nuclear Deal Isn’t Imminent and That Its Enrichment Program Must Continue | Associated Press Senior Iranian officials on Thursday dismissed speculation about an imminent nuclear deal with the United States, emphasizing that any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow the country’s nuclear program to continue. Trump Cautioned Netanyahu to Avoid Steps That Undermine Iran Nuclear Talks | Axios
Trump told Netanyahu in Thursday’s call that “doesn't want anything to impede” a diplomatic solution with Iran, [a] White House official said. Trump's message was “he doesn't want him to antagonize at a time when he is trying to solve problems,” the official said. Trump stressed to Netanyahu that the “other option” is on the table, but he wants to see first if a diplomatic solution is possible. . . . Secretary of Homeland Security Krist[i] Noem met Netanyahu on Sunday in Jerusalem and also conveyed Trump's message about the need to avoid steps that undermine the negotiations, an Israeli official said. Noem told Fox News on Monday that she had a “candid and direct" conversation with Netanyahu about the need to "stay united and let this process play out.” Noem said Trump would not drag out the negotiations with Iran for weeks or months but would make a decision within days. The Israeli official said that Noem told Netanyahu to “give us a week.” As Trump Seeks Iran Deal, Israel Again Raises Possible Strikes on Nuclear Sites | New York Times
As the Trump administration tries to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has been threatening to upend the talks by striking Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities, according to officials briefed on the situation. The clash over how best to ensure that Iran cannot produce a nuclear weapon has led to at least one tense phone call between President Trump and Mr. Netanyahu and a flurry of meetings in recent days between top administration officials and senior Israeli officials. President Donald Trump Hints at an Announcement in the ‘Next Two Days’ on Iran Nuclear Talks | Associated Press “We’ve had some very, very good talks with Iran,” Trump told reporters . . . “And I don’t know if I’ll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have a feeling I might be telling you something good.” He emphasized that “we’ve had some real progress, serious progress” in talks that took place on Saturday and Sunday. “Let’s see what happens, but I think we could have some good news on the Iran front,” Trump said. Iran-US Talks Made ‘Some but Not Conclusive Progress,’ Mediator Oman Says | Associated Press “The fifth round of Iran US talks have concluded today in Rome with some but not conclusive progress,” [Omani mediator Badr] al-Busaidi wrote on X. “We hope to clarify the remaining issues in the coming days, to allow us to proceed towards the common goal of reaching a sustainable and honourable agreement.” . . . Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after the talks told Iranian state television that al-Busaidi presented ideas that will be conveyed to the two nations’ capitals “without creating any commitments for either side.” “These negotiations are too complex to be resolved in just two or three meetings,” he said. “I am hopeful that in the next one or two rounds — especially given the better understanding of the Islamic Republic’s positions — we can reach solutions that allow the talks to progress.” . . . A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said the direct and indirect negotiations . . . “continue to be constructive—we made further progress, but there is still work to be done.” MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS Iran Threatens Strike on Israel as US Talks Hang in Balance | Newsweek Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, commander-in-chief of Iran’s Army, said on Monday that Tehran is “fully ready” for another aerial strike, calling it a justified response to perceived Israeli aggression. He used the codename “True Promise” to describe Iran's direct attacks, echoing terminology previously employed during prior strikes. EUROPE & IRAN How Iran Pays Mafia Hitmen to Carry Out Assassinations in Europe | Times of London
As the hitman prepared to pull the trigger, Alejo Vidal-Quadras jerked his head back in an instinctive movement that saved his life. . . . Vidal-Quadras, a former vice-president of the European parliament, was in Paris to tell French MPs that he had fallen victim to an Iranian regime that is subcontracting assassinations to European criminal networks. In his case, investigators in Spain, the Netherlands and France suspect that the shooting in Madrid in November 2023 was ordered by Tehran and carried out by the Mocro mafia, a powerful Dutch drug network. “The Iranian regime is paying criminal networks to carry out attacks,” Vidal-Quadras told journalists before his meeting with MPs. “They are recruiting mafia organisations to do their work for them.” | 
