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In-Depth Issues:
Ivanka Trump Targeted for Assassination by IRGC Terrorist in Twisted Plot to Avenge Killing his Mentor
- Isabel Vincent and Andy Tillett ( New York Post)
Ivanka Trump was targeted for assassination by an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-trained terrorist in a twisted plot to avenge the president taking out his mentor.
Recently captured Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, made a "pledge" to kill Ivanka and even had a blueprint of her Florida home, sources claimed.
The Iraqi national was allegedly targeting President Donald Trump's family in response to the killing of Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad six years ago.
Iran's Young Protesters Are Living in Hiding for Fear of Execution: 'Even my Mother Doesn't Know where I Am'
- Amirhossein Miresmaeili ( Independent UK )
As waves of arrests, executions, and heavy sentences continue to mount, dozens of young protesters are now in a state of limbo between hiding and constant flight. They cannot return home, switch on their phones, or even spend two nights in the same place.
An Amnesty International report published earlier this week revealed that Iran had the highest number of recorded executions worldwide in 2025.
"Our lives have become constant escape and hiding. Sometimes I disappear into the mountains and wilderness, other times I hide at the homes of distant friends and relatives. I don't know how much longer I can go on like this. Maybe in the end I'll just get exhausted and turn myself in."
According to sources, the security pressure is not limited to the protesters themselves; their families are also being interrogated, threatened and monitored.
Spanish Police Beat and Detain Returning Gaza Flotilla Activists at Airport
( Times of Israel)
Spanish Cops were filmed hitting anti-Israel activists and supporters with batons and dragging them to the floor. The violence comes days after global outcry, including from Madrid, over Israeli Minister Ben Gvir's taunting of bound, kneeling detainees.
Sharing a video of officers beating and detaining the activists, Israel's Foreign Ministry said: "We demand an explanation from the Spanish government regarding its treatment of the flotilla anarchists."
Jews as Props: Iran Parades Jewish Community in Wartime PR Push
- Lior Ben Ari ( Ynet News)
Since the outbreak of the war, the regime in Tehran has tried to portray Iran's Jewish community as supportive of the government and its policies. Representatives of the community have appeared more than once before Iranian state media cameras, voicing unreserved support for the regime and attacking Israel.
During Operation Rising Lion, Iranian media published footage of damage to the Rafie Nia synagogue in Tehran following an Israeli strike. The IDF later confirmed that it had carried out the strike, saying the target was a senior Iranian commander. The military later expressed regret over what it described as "collateral damage" caused to the synagogue.
The Iranian regime needs to show the world its "support" for the country's Jews. Tehran wants to present the Islamic Republic as free of antisemitism and as a government that nurtures the Jewish community, while insisting that its opposition is directed only at Israel and "the Zionists."
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News Resources - North America and Europe:
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What's Inside the Iran Deal Trump Is Close to Signing
- Barak Ravid
The agreement the U.S. and Iran are close to signing involves a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran's nuclear program, according to a U.S. official.
*Both sides would sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would last 60 days and could be extended by mutual consent.
*During the 60-day period, the Strait of Hormuz would be open with no tolls and Iran would agree to clear the mines it deployed in the strait to let ships pass freely.
*In exchange, the U.S. would lift its blockade on Iranian ports and issue some sanctions waivers to allow Iran to sell oil freely.
*The U.S. official acknowledged that it would be a boon to Iran's economy, but said it would also give significant relief to the global oil market.
*The U.S. official said the faster the Iranians clear the mines and let shipping resume, the faster the blockade will be lifted.
*The official said Trump's key principle in the agreement is "relief for performance."
The draft MOU includes commitments from Iran to never pursue nuclear weapons and to negotiate over a suspension of its uranium enrichment program and the removal of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the U.S. official said.
The draft MOU also makes clear that the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon would end. (Axios)
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Many Questions, Few Details in Latest Iran Peace Proposal
- David E. Sanger
It is too early to tell what exactly Mr. Trump and Iran have agreed to, or if they have agreed to much at all. The president wrote in a Truth Social post that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen under some kind of memorandum of understanding.
Two U.S. officials with knowledge of the negotiations said on Saturday that Iran has agreed in principle to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. But the Iranians have not publicly confirmed that, and much hinges on the details of how that would be accomplished.
But in judging whether Mr. Trump achieved his objectives, here are a few key questions to look for:
*Is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz permanent, or does Iran claim that it now has the authority to control the waterway, even if it agrees to suspend "tolls" on traffic in and out of the strait?
*Does the United States agree to release any of the $25 billion in frozen Iranian funds that Tehran has demanded must be released?
*Does Iran agree to turn over its 970 pounds of near-bomb-grade uranium, or blend it down to a form that would largely neutralize the threat that it could be used in a weapon? What happens to the roughly 11 tons of other uranium, enriched at varying levels, that the International Atomic Energy Agency says is in Iran's possession? Mr. Trump has frequently said Iran must give up all of its nuclear material.
*And what happens to Iran's missile arsenal? This is a critical issue for Israel, which is in range of many of Iran's ballistic missiles. Early in the conflict the Trump administration said Iran would have to give up its missiles or limit their range, but more recently that topic had not been discussed publicly. (New York Times)
News Resources - Israel, the Mideast, and Asia:
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Iranian Source Rejects Axios Report on Tehran-Washington Deal
An informed source dismissed an Axios report on the contents of a proposed understanding between Tehran and Washington. Speaking to Mehr News Agency, the source said the claims reflected the American side's narrative and could not be confirmed by Iran. (Mehr News - Iran)
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Trump Assured Israel No Iran Deal without Dismantling Nuclear Program, Official says
- Amir Ettinger
U.S. President Donald Trump gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assurances that he would not sign a final agreement with Iran unless Tehran dismantles its nuclear program and removes all enriched uranium from its territory, a senior Israeli official said on Sunday.
According to the official, Netanyahu told Trump in a call Saturday night that Israel would preserve freedom of action against threats on all fronts, including Lebanon. Trump backed that principle, the official said.
Netanyahu, the official said, expressed appreciation for Trump's "long-standing and extraordinary commitment" to Israel's security. Even after the Israeli official's statement, it remains unclear what threats are covered by Israel's promised "freedom of action." In Gaza, and now especially in Lebanon, Israeli forces operate under significant restrictions shaped in practice by Washington. (Ynet News)
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Lebanon Not Informed of Details Tied to Possible US-Iran Deal, Stresses Separate Negotiation Track
Official Lebanese sources told LBCI that Lebanese authorities have not yet received any information or details regarding what the Lebanese front could witness in the event of a U.S.-Iran agreement, but said Lebanon would welcome any deal that could genuinely lead to a full end to the war and halt all operations in southern Lebanon.
The sources noted the country is already technically under a ceasefire that was extended for 45 days following the latest round of negotiations involving the Lebanese state, although Israel has not adhered to it.
The sources stressed that Lebanon decided from the outset to negotiate on its own behalf and would not serve as a bargaining chip for any party. They said Iran seeks to link Lebanon to its negotiations with Washington in order to signal to Hezbollah that it has not abandoned the group, while the Lebanese state remains firm in independently handling negotiations and separating the two tracks. (LBCI - Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
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More than One Million Pilgrims Flock to Saudi Arabia for Hajj Pilgrimage
This year's pilgrimage rites, drawing Muslim worshippers from across the world, follow waves of Iranian strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia and its neighbors after the United States and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic in late February. An uneasy ceasefire has largely held since April. Despite concerns over regional instability, many pilgrims say performing the sacred rite remains their priority. (Gulf News UAE)
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Strait of Hormuz Won't Return to Pre-war Status: Iranian Sources
Details emerging from a possible preliminary understanding between Iran and the United States indicate that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war status, contradicting a narrative circulating in some Western media outlets. Iran is set to maintain its sovereign authority over the waterway regardless of any agreement reached.
According to information obtained by Tasnim, if the preliminary memorandum of understanding is finalized and agreed upon, what changes is not the legal or operational status of the Strait of Hormuz, but rather the volume of vessels transiting it. (Mehr News - Iran)
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Fake Jobs, Hidden Malware: Iran's Cyber Spy Playbook
Hackers are using fake job offers and infected video apps in a global espionage push. Iranian hackers posed as job recruiters to target software engineers in the aviation sector as part of an elaborate espionage campaign during the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to cybersecurity researchers.
The Iranian operatives also targeted a US oil and gas firm, along with organizations in Israel and elsewhere in the Gulf.
Compromising aviation, oil and gas companies could, in theory, allow Iran to track flight manifests to the Middle East or better understand how U.S. energy firms are dealing with volatile oil markets. It is the kind of asymmetric threat U.S. intelligence officials have warned about since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February. (Gulf News UAE)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
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Once Trump's Co-Pilot Against Iran, Netanyahu Is Now a Mere Passenger
- David M. Halbfinger and Ronen Bergman
Israel was so thoroughly sidelined by the Trump administration, two Israeli defense officials said, that its leaders were cut almost entirely out of the loop on truce talks between the United States and Iran.
Starved of information from their closest ally, the Israelis have been forced to pick up what they can about the back-and-forth between Washington and Tehran through their connections with leaders and diplomats in the region, as well as their own surveillance from inside the Iranian regime, said the two officials.
With the Trump administration excluding Israel from the negotiations, Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles may have been left off the table, as far as Israeli officials know. It would also be a dismaying setback for the Israeli public, for whom life largely ground to a halt as the nation was bombarded by Iranian missiles in March and April.
On more than one occasion, Israel cleared plans with the United States, only to have the Trump administration throw them under the bus after those plans were executed. This played out when Israel later struck the South Pars natural gas field and oil facilities along the Persian Gulf in southern Iran. Trump criticized Israel for having "violently lashed out," and finally suggested that he had, in fact, spoken about the strike beforehand with Mr. Netanyahu, but had urged him not to carry it out.
Mr. Trump even pressured Israel to bring a premature halt to its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon within days after the cease-fire on April 8, forcing Israel to accept restraints on its fighting with a hostile adversary right on its border. (New York Times)
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Ruth Wisse Warns Now of 'the Organization of Politics against the Jews.'
- Elliot Kaufman
The anti-Israel obsession has metastasized into what Ms. Wisse calls "the organization of politics against the Jews."
That's her definition for the tendency that called itself antisemitism in Germany and anti-Zionism in the Soviet Union. "It shifts blame, directs it against a specific target, and it is the greatest coalition-builder," Ms. Wisse says. See Iran and the old Arab League for evidence-or see many U.S. colleges, where ritual denunciation of Israel has for years been an organizing principle of campus politics. What happens on campus doesn't stay on campus.
Ms. Wisse says "the combination of the Jews' small size and inflated image" has long made them the ideal scapegoat. Exploitation of that combination is now ubiquitous on social media, soaking into the new youth culture. "Demagogues recognize the opportunity," she says.
In the face of anti-Israel propaganda, Ms. Wisse detects a liberal Jewish yearning for powerlessness and the moral purity that comes with it. "It's a loss of moral confidence." She worries more, however, about a similar yearning and loss of confidence among Americans writ large. (Wall Street Journal)
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Netanyahu's One Demand That Could Sink the Iran Deal
- Mohammed Omar
A clause in the draft US-Iran memorandum of understanding requiring an end to the war in Lebanon has emerged as the operative obstacle to a deal that Saudi Arabia has publicly endorsed but cannot influence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised his objection to the Lebanon provision directly with President Donald Trump on Saturday, May 24, according to Axios, calling the emerging framework "a very big problem" for Israel.
The Lebanon clause - which states the deal "would end the war throughout the region, including in Lebanon," per the Axios report - places Saudi Arabia in a position it has not publicly acknowledged. Riyadh has praised the deal framework, has no diplomatic channel to either Netanyahu or Hezbollah's command structure, and has issued no statement recognizing that a Lebanon war-end provision exists in the text it supports.
The draft MOU language, as reported by Axios on May 24, frames Lebanon not as a separate negotiating track but as an integrated component of the war-end declaration. The agreement "would end the war throughout the region, including in Lebanon." The clause is not conditioned on Hezbollah disarmament, does not reference UNSC Resolution 1701, and does not specify a monitoring mechanism. (House of Saud)
Observations:
Israel Fears U.S.-Iran Deal May End the War without Ending the Threat
- Ron Ben-Yishai ( Ynet News) - The flood of reports and leaks in recent days surrounding the U.S.-Iran negotiations has been filled with contradictions, disinformation, political interests and very few hard facts. More than anything, it reflects how many hands are stirring the pot.
- According to reports in the United States and the region, Washington and Tehran are moving toward an initial understanding through Pakistani and Qatari mediation. This is not yet a comprehensive agreement that would end the confrontation in all its dimensions. It is a document of principles, a memorandum of understanding, meant to serve as the basis for a more detailed round of negotiations expected to last 30 to 60 days.
- One source familiar with the Iranian arena put the Israeli fear bluntly: once the United States enters a prolonged negotiating process with Iran, Tehran gains time, leverage and room to maneuver.
- Israeli officials fear that if the issue is pushed down the road, a future U.S. administration, or a less pro-Israel political climate in Congress and among American voters, could leave Israel with far less freedom to act.
- In that scenario, Israel could face heavy diplomatic pressure, restrictions on weapons and spare parts, and a clear American warning not to act independently against a renewed Iranian threat.
- Diplomats may try to find a vague formula that Iran can accept without giving it everything it wants. That kind of ambiguity is precisely what worries Israel and Gulf states: even if Iran does not receive formal control over Hormuz, it may retain the practical ability to threaten, disrupt or block the strait whenever it chooses.
- The sequencing of the emerging memorandum is troubling to Israel. If the war ends first and the uranium issue is deferred to a later round, Iran keeps its most important bargaining chip while gaining relief from military pressure.
- Another major Israeli concern is what does not appear to be central to the current framework: Iran's ballistic missile and drone programs.
- The emerging memorandum, as described in foreign reports, focuses on ending the war, resolving the Hormuz crisis and opening a window for broader negotiations. But Israel's threat perception is not limited to uranium enrichment. Iran's missile and drone arsenal is a direct strategic threat to Israel, to Gulf states and to American forces in the region.
- American officials may argue that those issues can be handled later. From Israel's perspective, the danger is not that diplomacy exists. The danger is diplomacy that stops the fighting without resolving the threat.
- That is why Jerusalem is watching the emerging memorandum with deep concern. Israeli officials fear it will not guarantee the dismantling of Iran's nuclear project, will not limit the missile and drone programs, and will not stop the activity of Iran's proxies, especially Hezbollah and the Houthis.
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