“Scoop: Gulf leaders told Trump they oppose strikes on Iran’s nuclear program,” Axios, 5-29-25.  “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and Qatari Emir Tamim al-Thani all told Trump they worry that if Iran’s nuclear sites are attacked, their countries will be targeted for Iranian retaliation. All three host U.S. military bases.”

“Iran May Hold the Key to Trump’s Nuclear Revolution,” Newsweek, 5-29-25.  The Leader won’t allow it, a U.S.-Iran bilateral nuclear relationship, because Iran is literally founded on “anti-America.”  But the article does represent out of the box thinking.  “One proposal reportedly floated by Iranian officials has been that of a regional consortium, a unique arrangement that would see Iran enter into a nuclear fuel sharing group with other Middle Eastern nations, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”

“HISTORIC! First Freight Train From China Wheels Into Iran, Flying In The Face Of American Sanctions,” Eurasian Times, 5-29-25.  “The cargo train arrived at Iran’s largest Aprin dry port, near Tehran, from Xi’an province in China. The rail route between the two countries would cut down delivery time from 30-40 days by sea to just 15 days by land. The Iran-China freight train will travel from Iran to China, passing through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.”

“Iran’s Christian Heritage,” The American Conservative, 5-29-25.

“Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes southern Iran region, EMSC says,” Reuters, 5-29-25.

A lot of news today.  First, Iran “insists the sticking point of uranium enrichment is an issue of Iranian sovereignty.”  Hey Leader, hey reporter, remember that all negotiations involve giving up and gaining aspects of sovereignty.  “Iranian political analyst discusses latest talks with U.S. on a new nuclear deal,” NPR, 5-28-25.

As this blog predicted.  “U.S.-Iran Talks Inconclusive After Five Rounds,” Soufan Center, 5-29-25.

“Iranian president visits Oman, as Tehran sees ‘new global order is already shaping’,” JPost, 5-28-25.  “Iran is increasingly seeking to be part of this new world order, in which non-Western countries work together against America and the West.”

And this is a key part of the New Order—a nuclear bomb(s).  In fact, this is what this blog has been about, in the context of Iran wants to be a revolutionary state, not a normal country.  “Explosive new intelligence report reveals Iran’s nuclear weapons program still active,” Fox, 5-28-25.  “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 [public] assessment of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate Intelligence Committee in March that the American intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.” 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.” The Austrian domestic intelligence agency report added, “The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances.” … The Austrian intelligence findings could be an unwanted wrench in President Trump’s negotiation process to resolve the atomic crisis with Iran’s rulers because the data outlined in the report suggests the regime will not abandon its drive to secure a nuclear weapon. … The danger of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism (and its illegal atomic weapons program) was cited 99 times in the 211-page report that covers pressing threats to Austria’s democracy.  … When asked about the differences in conclusions between the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Austrian intelligence report, David Albright, a physicist and founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, “The ODNI report is stuck in the past, a remnant of the fallacious unclassified 2007 NIE [National Intelligence Estimate]. “The Austrian report in general is similar to German and British assessments. Both governments, by the way, made clear to (the) U.S. IC [intelligence community] in 2007 that they thought the U.S. assessment was wrong that the Iranian nuclear weapons program ended in 2003.”

The Administration has fallen for it again, Iran’s delaying tactics.  “Witkoff, the New York Times cited participants in the talks has dropped an initial rejection of any interim set of understandings on an ultimate deal, in a formula which might fall afoul of Israel and Iran hawks within the US congress.”  Watch, Iran won’t even come to a conclusion on a framework agreement, they are stringing out the U.S. and its president.  See “US mulling interim Iran deal framework to forestall Israeli attack – NYT,” Iran International, 5-28-25.

“Truckers’ strike persists as Tehran’s steps up arrests,” Iran International, 5-28-25.

“Iran threatens to end nuclear talks with Europe after Mandelson comments,” Guardian, 5-28-25.  All he said was that Iran should have zero uranium enrichment.

Never good news when they meet, and when Moscow hosts this group.  “Iran, BRICS countries attend 13th international security meeting in Moscow,” Africa News, 5-28-25.

“Iran wastes as much gas as Spain uses in a year,” Iran International, 5-28-25.  “Iran wastes a staggering volume of natural gas during production and transmission—equal to Spain’s annual consumption or about half of what Turkey or Italy use each year. In regional markets, the wasted gas would be worth over $10 billion per year. It amounts to 40% of the gas used annually by Iranian households. This massive loss stems from underinvestment in gas recovery infrastructure at oil fields and an aging transmission network.” Instead of investing in infrastructure, the IRI spends its money on terror and proxies to spread the Revolution.

“Iran hangs a man convicted of spying for Israel,” AP, 5-28-25.

“Tehran’s foreign ministry, however, declared Monday that no date has yet been set for the next round of talks and vowed the Islamic Republic will not consider temporarily suspending uranium enrichment, as the US is demanding.”  See “Report: Netanyahu-Trump phone call on Iran was marked by heated disagreements,” Times of Israel, 5-27-25.

“Iran Update,” ISW Press, 5-27-25.

“Judge ‘assassinated’ in southern Iran: Judiciary,” AFP, Al Arabiya, 5-27-25.

“Iran Takes Trump’s Negotiators for a Ride,” WSJ, 5-27-25.

“Iran-US nuclear talks: key points of contention,”, AFP, Hindustan Times, 5-24-25.

“Iran executed young man on false Israel spying charges,” Iran International, 5-24-25.  Amnesty International has documented so many confessions in Iran generated by torture.

“Iranian film, It was Just an Accident, wins Palme D’Or at Cannes festival,” Al Jazeera, 5-24-25.  “An Iranian thriller film that explores corruption and state violence in the country has won the Palme d’Or, the coveted top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. ‘It Was Just an Accident’, directed by dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, was crowned at the world-famous festival on Saturday.”  He is a marked man.

“Iran deports over 300 migrant children, their families in sweeping crackdown on child labor,” AMU, 5-24-25.

“The Post reports from Iran for the first time in 10 years,” WPost, 5-24-25.  Watch, this may be short-lived.

“Exclusive: Iran-Iraq-Israel prisoner swap ‘nearing’ execution,” Amwaj, 5-24-25.

“US, Iran say they’re moving closer to nuclear deal after fifth round of talks,” The Hill, 5-23-25.

“Iran-US nuclear talks end with no agreement but ‘possibility of progress’,” Guardian, 5-23-25.  Remember, this is what the ISI wants, stringing out the negotiations just like they’ve strung out the issue of nuclear weapons over several years now.  Every day they are closer and closer.

Good news.  And also encouraging since Iran’s multi-year effort to control Syria continues to unravel.  “Iran-backed Palestinian terror groups said to leave Syria under pressure from Sharaa,” AFP, Times of Israel, 5-23-25.  “Flight of pro-Assad factions comes amid Trump’s demand that new regime crack down on Palestinian terrorism as a condition for sanctions relief.”

Absolutely correct.  “The development of nuclear weapons would provide Iranian authorities more leverage to intensify their efforts to repress the fundamental rights of Iranian citizens. Therefore, the international community must consider how the emergence of a nuclear-armed Iran could affect the rights of Iranian women.”  See “Gender, Nuclear Weapons and Repression: The Complex Case of Iran,” Fair Observer, 5-23-25.

“Iran Update, May 23, 2025,” ISW, 5-23-25.

“Iranian Regime Executed 159 People in One Month, Marking Bloodiest Period in Years,” NCRI, 5-23-25.

“Shin Bet arrests Yavne resident who spied on Naftali Bennett for Iran,” JPost, 5-18-25.

“Iran foreign minister vows nuclear enrichment will continue ‘with or without a deal’,” Fox, 5-18-25.

“Trump Envoy Says Iran Must Give Up Nuclear Enrichment Capability,” NYT, 5-18-25.

“Hamas document shows Oct. 7 attack aimed at derailing Saudi normalization – report,” Times of Israel, 5-28-25.  Similar, “Hamas Wanted to Torpedo Israel-Saudi Deal With Oct. 7 Attacks, Documents Reveal,” WSJ, 5-18-25.  And remember a key element in this WSJ story.  “The Journal, citing senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah, has reported that another meeting connected to the attack took place on Oct. 2 that year, this one in Beirut involving representatives of Hamas and Iranian security officials. Iran approved the planned attack, those people said. … Senior officials from Iran and Hezbollah had been discussing attack options with Hamas since the summer of 2021. Iran also gave Hamas weapons, financing and training over a long period, including combat training in the weeks before Oct. 7, according to intelligence officials from several countries.”