Dan Cooper

Iran’s MFA spokesman: • “We do not collect tolls; one must be careful in the use of words. We are not seeking to collect tolls. The actions of Iran & Oman to draft a protocol for the safe passage of ships are responsible measures. Naturally, in this process, the services that we’ll provide [for the passage of ships], as well as the protection of the environment, require the collection of fees.” • Q: “Why don’t you respond to Trump’s tweets?” Baqaei: “We have much more important work to do than responding to tweets with AI caricatures.” • No nuclear talks at this stage • Messages between Iran-US are taking place through Pakistan. • My advice to American officials is not to talk about international norm-setting. • China 🇨🇳 has a very good relationship with us, and we have a strategic partnership; it has played a constructive role in all processes to stop the war. • The President of China announced a 4-point plan for security in the region, which was valuable to us. • Lebanon must be one of the elements in the MoU. • Negotiations have made progress, but the imminence of an agreement depends on the Americans. • It is true that we have reached a consensus on many issues [with the US], but no one can claim that the signing of the agreement is imminent. • Politics in the US has become somewhat chaotic. Facing contradictory views from their officials within hours disrupts the course of any negotiation.

Israel faces 'most dangerous security reality' in its history amid deepening military and economic crisis as Hezbollah attacks intensify —— CTech by Calcalist, Israel’s leading daily financial newspaper, reported on 25 May that Israel is facing what officials privately call one of the “most dangerous security realities” in its history, as Hezbollah intensifies drone attacks in south Lebanon while the United States pressures Tel Aviv to avoid a broader escalation that could derail negotiations with Iran. The report comes despite Israel being granted near-complete freedom of action across Lebanon throughout the ceasefire period, carrying out repeated strikes deep inside Lebanese territory. Israeli officials are now complaining that current US pressure tied to ongoing Lebanon-Israel talks is limiting broader bombardment of Beirut beyond assassinations, amid efforts to preserve negotiations aimed at separating the Lebanese front from Iran and pushing normalization efforts forward. According to the report, Hezbollah has increasingly relied on explosive drones guided by optical fibers to target Israeli troop concentrations, while attacks on northern Israeli settlements continue almost daily. The outlet said the Israeli military remains deployed inside (is occupying) an approximately 8-kilometer-deep “security zone” in south Lebanon in an effort to push Hezbollah’s anti-tank capabilities away from the border, but acknowledged that Israeli operations have become increasingly constrained under pressure from US President Donald Trump. The report added that Israel is not directly participating in the ongoing US-Iran negotiations and is receiving updates only through Washington and foreign diplomatic channels, fueling growing uncertainty inside the Israeli establishment. It also said Trump has effectively limited Israel’s freedom of action in Lebanon for more than a month, allegedly preventing strikes on what Israel claims is Hezbollah infrastructure and senior figures in Beirut even as resistance drone operations continue. Calcalist further reported that the prolonged war footing is imposing massive financial costs on Israel, with daily operations in Lebanon and preparations for a possible renewed war on Iran costing between $35 million and $45 million per day. The Israeli military and defense ministry are now demanding a record defense budget of nearly $64 billion, while the finance ministry warns that soaring military spending will come at the expense of healthcare, education, and social services for years to come.

Tankers trickle through Hormuz under Iran transit route, shipping data shows —— Three LNG tankers and a crude oil supertanker have exited the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, heading toward Pakistan, China, and India, according to ship-tracking data cited by Reuters. The vessels include Fuwairit, which is set to discharge LNG in Pakistan, Al Rayyan heading toward China, and Al Hamra, which reappeared near India after crossing the strait. A VLCC, Eagle Verona, carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basra crude, also left the Gulf after being stranded for months and is now en route to China. The movements come as a limited number of tankers continue leaving the Persian Gulf under a transit route directed by Iran, despite severely reduced shipping through Hormuz.

#Ucraina Colpite fabbriche nel distretto industriale di Kiev compresa l'industria Antonov.

#Ucraina Quello di stanotte è stato forse il "peggiore" attacco russo a Kiev. In rappresaglia alla distruzione di un dormitorio le forze russe hanno colpito simmetricamente edifici residenziali.

L'Emiro del Qatar ha chiamato Trump nel tentativo di evitare una escalation nel conflitto.

CBS News: The Trump administration was preparing Friday for a fresh round of military strikes against Iran. - Some members of the U.S. military and intelligence community canceled their plans for the Memorial Day weekend in anticipation of possible strikes cbsnews.com/news/us-prepar…

Thousands of Cubans rallied in Havana on Friday to condemn the U.S. indictment of Raul Castro and the decades-long U.S. embargo on Cuba. xhtxs.cn/bctp

#Iran Chiuso lo spazio aereo nell'ovest fino a lunedì. È aperto in deroga solo per voli diurni. L'aviazione iraniana ha fatto decollare alcuni aerei da combattimento, mostrando che ne possiede ancora alcuni.

Trattative frenetiche nel Golfo con i mediatori pakistani che provano a strappare concessioni all'Iran e i paesi arabi che reiterano la richiesta agli Stati Uniti di non andare verso una escalation incontrollata.

L'Italia ha chiesto alla Ue di sanzionare Ben Gvir.

Trump fa sapere che, su pressione dei paesi arabi, ha annullato la previsione di un nuovo attacco all'Iran.

#Russia Annunciata una esercitazione delle forze nucleari da oggi a giovedì con l'impiego di 64.000 uomini e 7.800 unità di equipaggiamento militare. Previsto il lancio di missili balistici e da crociera. Anche il territorio della Bielorussia è impegnato.

Q: "How many days does Iran have to come to the table?" TRUMP: "Two or three days. Maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Maybe early next week. A limited period of time."

The Congressional Research Service just listed the 42 US aircraft lost or damaged so far during the war with Iran. 4 x F-15E Strike Eagles destroyed 1 x F-35A damaged by Iranian ground fire 1 x A-10 destroyed 7 x KC-135 Stratotankers (2 destroyed, 5 damaged) 1 x E-3 Sentry AWACS damaged 2 x MC-130J destroyed 1 x HH-60W helicopter damaged by small arms fire 24 x MQ-9 Reapers destroyed 1 x MQ-4C Triton destroyed

Crossing the Strait of Hormuz tonight: 🇷🇺-owned Oil Tanker "ATMOS" 🇨🇳-owned Oil Tanker "OCEAN LILY" 🇨🇳-owned Oil Tanker "YUAN GUI YANG" 🇨🇳-owned Cargo ship "ZHANG GU NAN CHANG"

Trump now claims he has canceled a planned attack on Iran, "scheduled for tomorrow," at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but that he will proceed to carry out a "full, large scale assault of Iran," in the event that the Islamic Republic does not submit to US demands for a deal.

IEA chief warns global oil reserves have 'weeks' of supply left ift.tt/WAi14ur

Per il New York Times USA e Israele stanno preparando la ripresa degli attacchi all'Iran entro questa stessa settimana (se non c'è accordo).

VIDEO | Circulating footage shows alleged explosion in Beit Shemesh Hebrew reports indicate a huge explosion was heard a short while ago in the Beit Shemesh area west of Jerusalem. The cause of the blast remains unknown. The prevailing account circulating in Hebrew media is that the explosion was linked to an Israeli military activity, such as a controlled detonation of unexploded detonation, while other outlets noted that controlled detonations are typically announced to the public in advance.