AJ
The US/Israel/Iran recap mainly had comments from President Trump through three different appearances in front of cameras, a statement from Supreme Leader Khamenei, heated debates from various parties, including US Congress, and the latest on the negotiations.
Negotiation News:
⚡️ President Trump’s administration sent a new proposal to Iran Wednesday through Pakistan mediators after Tehran submitted their 14-day draft three days ago, reported Tasnim News, stating Iran was reviewing the text and preparing to respond, while the Interior Minister of Pakistan was helping to narrow the differences between the two proposals.
⚡️ Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that the Pakistan Interior Minister was in Tehran to ‘facilitate’ the exchange of messages with Washington: “The exchange of messages between the Iranian and American sides continues based on the 14-article text of Iran,” Baghaei added.
🔹 “We engage in message exchanges with suspicion and goodwill, but talking about ultimatums and deadlines regarding Iran is ridiculous,” Baghaei told Iranian TV: “Our main focus is ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, releasing frozen assets, and stopping harassment and ‘maritime piracy’ against Iran’s shipping.”
🔹 Baghaei said that despite the negative track record of the other side over the past year and a half: “Iran is seriously and in good faith pursuing the negotiation path, but has ‘severe and logical suspicion’ about the US’s performance.”
⚡️ Although progress in drafting a Memorandum of Understanding and Principles between Iran and the United States was being made, some gaps still remained, sources told Israeli Channel 15, adding that Israel was maintaining military coordination with the US in anticipation of a possible Trump strike, noting that Netanyahu and Trump continue to speak directly while dialogue continued at military level with CENTCOM.
⚡️ Saudi’s Al Hadath claimed sources said serious efforts were underway to finalise the remaining points of the draft agreement between US and Iran, noting that Pakistan’s Army Chief was expected to visit Iran on Thursday to announce a final version, but if the visit doesn’t take place, it could mean a final draft may be announced within the coming hours.
⚡️ Israeli officials told Channel 12 that there are almost no remaining gaps between Israel and the US over the demands being presented to Iran through the ongoing negotiations, though major doubts allegedly remained over whether Tehran could be pressured into accepting them.
🔹 According to the reporters, Iran continued to only respond to parts of the proposals while delaying replies on other demands, which Israel views as an attempt by Tehran to buy time and drag out the process, adding that military action was being considered in the background and preparations were underway.
⚡️ President Pezeshkian was reviewing and evaluating the diplomatic process of consultations during a meeting with the Pakistani Interior Minister on Wednesday night, stressing the necessity of continued dialogue, strengthening regional cooperation, and coordination among Islamic countries, while appreciating the positions and efforts of the Pakistan government in supporting regional stability and constructive interactions.
⚡️ Saudi’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan broke a 10-month silence on X to appreciate President Trump’s decision to give diplomacy a chance to reach an end to the war, restore security and freedom of maritime navigation to the Strait of Hormuz, and address all points of contention, in a way that served the security and stability of the region.
⚡️ Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, saying that the situation in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region was at a crossroads between a war and peace, and it was necessary to end the war as soon as possible.
News from the Strait of Hormuz:
⚡️ Iran’s new Persian Gulf Strait Authority released a statement and new guidelines for the Strait of Hormuz, stating that traffic in the area wanting to pass through the Strait required coordination with the Persian Gulf Waterways Authority.
⚡️ Iranian State Media reported that at least five oil tankers had transitioned through the Strait of Hormuz following coordination with the IRGC Navy, which took the total to 26 vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial ships, to have transited the Strait within 24 hours.
⚡️ US Central Command said their successful Naval blockade near Iran had redirected 90 ships on Wednesday, one more than Tuesday, while 4 were disabled to ensure compliance.
⚡️ CENTCOM released a video of marines boarding a vessel, along with a statement that said: “Earlier today in the Gulf of Oman, US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded MT ‘Celestial Sea,’ an Iranian-flagged commercial tanker suspected of attempting to violate the blockade by transiting toward an Iranian port.”
🔹 According to the statement, American forces released the vessel after searching and directing the ship’s crew to alter course: “US forces continue to fully enforce the blockade and have now redirected 91 commercial ships to ensure compliance,” it added.
News from Iran:
⚡️ Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on the day which Iran remembers those killed in the May Revolution, remembering former President Raisi among others, before addressing the situation in the Middle East.
🔹 Khamenei said that the unitedness of the country, from leadership to administrative levels, have come together to tackle the epic historical resistance against two ‘global terrorist armies,’ but the cohesion of the people, the state, and others, have strengthened the motivation and redoubled the service of the officials, solving the problems of the people in economy and personal living, as well as direct presence in the field.
⚡️ President Masoud Pezeshkian said on X that Iran had consistently honoured its commitments and exported every avenue to avert the war; all paths remained open from the Iranian side.
🔹 “Forcing Iran to surrender through coercion is nothing but an illusion,” he wrote, stating that mutual respect for diplomacy was much wiser, safer, and more sustainable than war.
⚡️ Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that if the US-Israeli forces attack Iran again, the war will be extended beyond the region, in a statement that also said despite having attacked with the full capabilities of two of the world’s most expensive militaries, Iran hadn’t used all its strength.
🔹 “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time go beyond the region’s borders, and you will be dealt devastating blows in places you do not expect,” the IRGC warned: “We are people of war, and you will see our power on the battlefield, not in hollow statements or virtual internet pages.”
⚡️ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a public address that not a single Iranian diplomat or local staff left their mission locations during the war, and US officials admitted Iran was able to succeed in the diplomatic war, especially in public and media diplomacy.
🔹 Araghchi also said the armed forces were always the heroes of Iran: “Although on the path to realising the ideals of the system, some sacrifice their lives, and others give up their names and honour.”
🔹 Experiences of recent battles and developments clearly showed how the diplomatic apparatus step-by-step and back-to-back moves in service of national interests alongside the armed forces and complements them.
🔹 “Continuous and daily communication and coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Commanders of the Armed Forces at various levels is ongoing, and this will act decisively in carrying out its missions and taking necessary actions to secure the country’s interests, regardless of distractions,” Araghchi added.
⚡️ Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: “The overt and covert moves of the enemy show that they are seeking a new round of war,” but assured that the military forces have used the ceasefire opportunity in the ‘best way’ to rebuild capabilities: “We will make the enemy regret any renewed against Iran,” he added.
🔹 Ghalibaf said: “One of the enemy’s miscalculations was thinking that if people’s lives become harder, national cohesion would weaken, but the Iranian nation will never bow to bullying.”
⚡️ Iran have been mapping US flight patterns for its air defences, an official told the New York Times, stating that Iran may now be in a better position to deploy its air defence systems, thanks to help from Russia.
🔹 According to the official, the downing of the F-15 fighter jet during the war was a sign that US flight patterns had become more predictable, and as the war progressed, Iran was getting closer to shooting down US warplanes.
🔹 Russia may have helped Iran map US flight patterns to better locate military equipment and air defence systems, the Middle East Eye reported.
⚡️ Iran gained in the power struggle during the war, despite heavy aerial attacks over several provinces of the country during the 40-day war, succeeding in disrupting the expectations of the US and Israel for a quick victory, according to the NYT.
🔹 The Islamic Republic survived a wave of assassinations at the beginning of the war and managed to turn the situation ‘against its powerful enemies,’ creating a kind of stalemate, the report continued, stating Iran’s attack on energy facilities caused prices to jump to their highest levels, making it clear that further escalation would have economic costs for the US.
⚡️ Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had been invited to New York by China to attend a UN Security Council meeting scheduled for next Wednesday.
🔹 Baghaei told an IRIB reporter that considering China’s rotating presidency of the UN Security Council and its plans to hold a special meeting of foreign ministers on issues related to safeguarding the principles of the UN Charter and multilateralism, was also to include the participation of the Iranian FM, but due to the current commitments of Araghchi, it was unclear whether he’d be able to attend.
⚡️ Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said that the Security Council shouldn’t remain silent or indifferent to the repeated and daily threats of the US President against Iran, stating that protecting civilians is not merely a humanitarian concern, but rather, according to the international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and the United Nations Charter, it is a binding legal obligation.
Trump’s comments on Iran:
⚡️ President Trump spoke to reporters and issued public addresses a couple of times throughout Wednesday, mostly repeating other comments said previously since the weekend, and published the newest or most relevant questions/responses from the President.
🔹 When asked by a reporter whether Israel were the stumbling point for negotiations, due to the Israelis constantly wanting war, President Trump said: “Netanyahu will do whatever I want him to do – he’s a very good man,” and to the follow up question of whether Trump and Netanyahu were on the same page, he simply replied: “Yeah.”
🔹 President Trump said that despite comments in media surrounding the midterms, he’s in no hurry: “Ideally, I’d like to see a few people killed as opposed to a lot,” he said, adding: “We could do it either way, but I’d like to see a few people killed.”
🔹 Trump said: “I just wonder whether or not they have the good of the people because some of the things they’re doing, to me, means they don’t have the good of the people and they have to have the good of the people,” adding that there was a lot of anger in Iran because people are living so badly: “There’s a lot of foment that we haven’t seen before so much,” he claimed.
🔹 Speaking to a gathering from behind bullet proof glass at a public rally, Trump said that everything was gone in Iran: “The only question is, do we go in and finish it up, or are they going to be signing a document?” he asked, adding ‘let’s see what happens.’
🔹 President Trump said: “We hit them very hard, we may have to hit them even harder – but may not,” adding again that Iran are not going to have a nuclear weapon and ‘blow up the entire Middle East and then come here for you.’
🔹 As President Trump was boarding Air Force One for his next journey, he stopped to answer more questions, initially saying to one reporter that he was actually dealing with some very good people: “We are dealing with some people with talent and with good brainpower,” he said, adding: “We are very impressed.”
🔹 Trump was asked whether the US offered Iran oil sanctions relief during the talks, which was reported by Iranian state media, but the President claimed he hadn’t heard that and there would be no relief until Iran signed an agreement: “When they sign an agreement, we can get that place built up again and have something that’s really a good country for the people – but no, we haven’t offered anything,” he reiterated.
🔹 President Trump added that if he didn’t get the right answers quickly, things would go quickly: “We’re all ready to go – we have to get the right answers,” he said, adding: “It would have to be a complete 100% good answers, and if we do, we save a lot of time, energy, and lives.”
News from the USA:
⚡️ Republican Congressman Seth Moulton held a heated debate with CENTCOM commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, when first asking what the current plant for a real victory in the war was: “Because it appeared that we US and Israel) were losing; there is no nuclear agreement nor an open Strait of Hurmuz, and the President had called for unconditional surrender – is this part of the plan?”
🔹 Cooper responded that all military objectives had been completed, so forces were involved in a ceasefire and enforcing a blockade, and when Moulton responded saying that it didn’t seem like things were going well, and he would like to know how many more Americans needed to be sacrificed for ‘this mistake,’ Cooper said he thought the comment was ‘completely inappropriate and out of place.’
⚡️ President Trump considers himself a skilled dealmaker, but it seemed he had reached a deadlock in dealing with Iran, reported the Los Angeles Post, noting that harsh tones, rhetoric, threats, and even military actions had failed to push Tehran back from its pre-war positions.
🔹 Trump and his aides still insist the US has won and that Iran is ready to make a deal, but there’s no evidence that Iran has accepted Trump’s demands, however, Iran has not yet agreed to halt its nuclear program, develop ballistic missiles, or stop supporting proxy forces, which are key red lines for Washington.
⚡️ President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had an intense telephone conversation on Tuesday about renewed efforts to reach a deal with Iran, and sources told Axios that the two leaders disagreed over the path forward.
🔹 Trump told Netanyahu that mediators were working on a ‘letter of intent’ that the US and Iran would sign to formally end the war and begin a 30-day negotiation period focused on issues including Iran’s nuclear program and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
🔹 Netanyahu remained deeply sceptical of the negotiations and clearly favoured a strike that would further weaken Iran’s military capabilities and infrastructure, making any future conflict between Israel and Iran much easier.
🔹 According to Axios, one source described Netanyahu’s reaction after the call by saying ‘Bibi’s hair was on fire,’ and Netanyahu is now reportedly seeking a visit to Washington in the coming weeks to hold talks with the President.
🔹 Meanwhile, Israeli media outlet Israel Hayom reported on Wednesday that a heated debate also broke out at the White House, as JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner pushed for a preliminary agreement to end the war, while Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio argued for stronger pressure and possible military action.
🔹 President Trump ultimately decided to give negotiations with Iran another chance despite criticising JD Vance and the envoys for allowing Tehran to ‘delay and stall the process’ and ‘damage the image of the US and the institution of the presidency,’ the report added.
🔹 According to the report, Trump also spoke with regional leaders on Wednesday, with Netanyahu and UAE President MbZ supporting a harder line on Iran, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar were in favour of avoiding further escalation.
⚡️ White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Stephen Miller, told Fox News that Iran had a choice to make, either to agree to a piece of paper that is satisfactory to the US, or face a punishment from the US military the likes of ‘which has not been seen in modern history.’
🔹 Miller said: “Iran has been emasculated and has been completely deprived of its ability to wage global international war – we have all the cards, we have all the power, we have all the decision-making space,” he said, adding that it was up to Iran: “But at any point in the future, if Iran decided to do something foolish to threaten America or the world, our military is ready to deal with that,” Miller warned.
⚡️ Gasoline prices in all 50 US states had reached $4 per gallon on Wednesday according to reports from the American Automobile Association, noting that new gasoline prices in seven states had now exceeded $5 per gallon, destroying small business profits and causing sharp inflation rises.
Other News:
⚡️ Israel’s military were surprised by President Trump’s statements on Monday that Washington was just a few hours away from starting an attack on Iran, with sources telling Haaretz that any such military action would be carried out with direct and extensive coordination, but until recently, Tel Aviv have been left out of key decisions made by the White House.
⚡️ Ben Gurion Airport revealed it will continue to operate, even if war resumes with Iran, citing a decline in Iran’s missile capabilities, reported Israeli Channel 14 News.
⚡️ Israel are keen to get the green light from the USA for attacks in order to launch an extensive assassination campaign in both Lebanon and Iran, according to an editorial on Wednesday by Al-Akhbar’s Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Al-Amin.
🔹 The goal of the alleged assassination campaign is to eliminate key figures who hold vital roles and may include not only military commanders but also government officials and important others who operate behind the scenes.
🔹 Al-Amin said that the Iranians, considering the information, knew that the US and Israel could move towards a more violent campaign than the previous one, but in response, Iran was preparing for all possibilities, both inside the occupied territories and against US assets in the region, which include vital sectors and infrastructures related to US projects in several countries.
⚡️ Kan News said that Israel had taken readiness steps for the resumption of fighting with Iran, after revelations from a senior Israeli official claimed President Trump was leaning more towards military action, but still left a narrow window for negotations.
🔹 Gulf states are intensively attempting to prevent fighting, fearing their energy facilities will be on the front line, but Trump clarified he alone would decide the matter, after saying: “Netanyahu will do what I tell him.”
🔹 Trump has dictated the fire policy regarding Iran so far, but Netanyahu appeared to be attempting to convince the President to give the green light.
🔹 An Israeli official told Kan that Trump’s advisers were pressuring the President to reach a deal, and the Prime Minister spoke with him about it, but the strike options remained available, and in the Israeli assessment, it was only a matter of time.
⚡️ Tucker Carlson addressed an Israeli Channel 13 host who described Iran as a terrorist regime, saying: “I think as an Israeli, you should pause before using the term terrorist regime because you live in a country that has killed thousands of children in Gaza.”
🔹 Carlson added that Netanyahu had dragged Trump into a war that is against the interests of the United States, adding: “I think from tomorrow we should stop all aid and special agreements with Tel Aviv.”
⚡️ Israeli airline El Al announced significant losses of $67 million from January to March, while last year it had made a net profit of $96 million, claiming the decline in the dollar’s value against the shekel and increased fuel costs have also caused the company’s revenue in this quarter to drop by 27% to $562 million, adding that the total damage was $145 million, of which $90 million was in the first quarter and $55 million was in the second quarter.
⚡️ The EU is turning to animal manure to cope with looming shortages of chemical fertilisers caused by the war’s disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, but Italian MEP Herbert Dorfmann warned long-term reliance on cow dung wouldn’t be enough: “Animal manure can be a help, but it can never replace urea and nitrogen-based fertilisers,” he added.
⚡️ Kenya’s Ministry of Interior announced that following the violent protests against a fuel price hike on Monday as a result of the war, at least four people had been killed and more than 30 injured.
🔹 Protestors set fire to tires and blocked motorcycle activities on key highways in the cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Eldoret, which came after Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority last week raised the diesel price cap by 23.5% and gasoline by 8%.
⚡️ The UK eased some sanctions on Russia by allowing diesel and jet fuel refined from Russian crude in third countries to be imported to the UK, using a waiver that went into effect on Wednesday, issued through a government licence that will remain in force indefinitely, subject to periodic review by the Business Secretary, while some restrictions on the transport of Russian liquefied natural gas were also lifted.
⚡️ UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to freeze fuel duty and cancel a planned 1p rise due in September amid mounting pressure over fuel prices linked to the war, according to BBC News, reporting that the government is also considering scrapping a wider-phased 5p increase that had been scheduled over the following months.
🔹 The move comes as haulage and logistics groups have issued warnings recently that soaring fuel prices are sharply increasing operating costs and risk fuelling wider inflation across the UK economy.
⚡️ UK’s government officials are likely to ask supermarkets not to raise prices on key staples, including milk, bread, or eggs, as the UK Treasury spoke to supermarkets about creating incentives for them to agree price freezes in exchange for the removal of packaging and healthy food regulations.
🔹 Proposals are currently in their early stages, reported The Times, and have already been criticised by supermarkets, who accuse the government of imposing huge regulatory burdens on them while trying to keep prices low.
🔹 Ministers are concerned with the impact from the Strait of Hormuz on oil supplies and the cost of living, as the Bank of England issued a forecast that food prices could rise by up to 7% by the end of the year due to increased energy costs and disruptions in fertiliser exports.
