🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "Less than 24 hours after optimism emerged around a possible Iran-US memorandum, negative vibes are already surfacing.

A well-informed Iranian source tells me there are signs of U.S. retreat on two central issues: the mechanism for unfreezing Iranian assets, and the scope of a ceasefire in Lebanon.

According to the source, the memorandum includes a Lebanon ceasefire framework, but Israel is reportedly uncomfortable with the arrangement and is pushing Washington to include language allowing it to carry out military operations in Lebanon under the justification of responding to “any threat.” Iran is rejecting that formulation and insisting on a sustainable and lasting ceasefire.

Tehran has informed all mediators, including Pakistan, that it will not sign the memorandum unless all clauses are fully agreed and guaranteed. Pakistan reportedly suggested moving forward with agreed sections while postponing contentious points, but Iran rejected that approach, insisting the disputed clauses are fundamental and non-negotiable.

The overall picture suggests Tehran increasingly views Washington as backing away from earlier understandings reached through mediators," - al-Jazeera.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "Points of contention in the Iranian-American agreement:

1. Israel demands a guarantee of "freedom of military action" against threats in Lebanon, and Iran refuses.

2. Tehran demands the immediate release of its assets now, and Washington refuses and insists on linking it to the final formula of the agreement," - Israeli Channel 12.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- Two Israeli soldiers were killed today in a Hezbollah FPV drone strike, according to Israeli media.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- It is becoming increasingly likely a deal between the United States and Iran will not be reached. Both sides originally agreed to concede some maximalist demands. Twenty-four hours later, after extreme pressure from the Israelis and other pro-Israel Trump confidants, the administration has changed its tone dramatically, demanding the Iranians give up their complete stockpile for any sanctions relief and frozen assets. While it was originally stated partial assets would be unfrozen as a part of the MoU, the Israelis have also demanded freedom of action in Lebanon, a key point the Iranians refuse to agree upon.

The MoU is under immense pressure and is likely to fall apart unless one side backs down.

🇺🇸⚡️- Thomas Massie won’t rule out a presidential run in 2028. - Newsweek.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama, which gave Iran massive amounts of CASH, and a clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon. Our deal is the exact opposite, but nobody has seen it, or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet. So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about. Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don’t make bad deals!" - President Trump on Truth Social.

🇺🇸🇱🇧⚡- "The U.S. stands firmly with the legitimate Government of Lebanon as it works to restore its authority and build a better future for all its people. Hezbollah's threats of violence and overthrow will not be allowed to succeed. The era in which a terrorist group held an entire nation hostage is coming to an end," - Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "Iran has no optimism towards the United States.

No final understanding has been reached yet, and disagreements still persist over some clauses.

Even if an initial understanding is reached, it does not change Iran's view of America or its confidence in this administration fulfilling its commitments.

Americans have a very bad record in negotiations, which reinforces and solidifies the state of pessimism.
Even if an understanding is reached, Iran will monitor American actions throughout the process following the announcement of the understanding.

If America breaks its promises, Iran will retain its pressure cards and tasks capable of countering that," - Tasnim News.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- "One of the worst deals ever made by our Country was the Iran Nuclear Deal, put forth and signed into existence by Barack Hussein Obama and the rank amateurs of the Obama Administration. It was a direct path to Iran developing a Nuclear Weapon. Not so with the transaction currently being negotiated with Iran by the Trump Administration - THE EXACT OPPOSITE, in fact!

The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!

Our relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one. They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb.

I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords and, who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join, as well!

Thank you for your attention to this matter," - President Trump on Truth Social.

🇬🇧🇪🇪🇷🇺⚡- "An RAF jet carrying the defence secretary had its signals jammed as it flew near the Russian border this week.

John Healey was travelling back to the UK from Estonia, where he had been visiting British soldiers, when the electronic attack happened," - The Independent.

🇺🇸🇯🇵🇨🇳⚡- "President Xi Jinping castigated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her country’s 'remilitarisation' in an intense diatribe during his summit with Donald Trump.

Xi became vocal and agitated when discussing Japan, surprising US officials because the subject had not featured in talks with their Chinese counterparts before the summit. Xi’s verbal attack was the most heated part of the two-day summit between the leaders.

After Xi lambasted Takaichi and Japan’s rising defence spending, Trump responded that Tokyo had to take a more assertive security stance because of the rising threat from North Korea. It was unclear if Trump mentioned China — the biggest Japanese security concern — in the same context," - Financial Times.

🇱🇾🇵🇸⚡- The 'Resilience Convoy', which is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla initiative but on land, departed from western Libya a few days ago, but was stopped by eastern Libya's Khalifa Haftar's forces in the city of Sirte.

Haftar has in the past also blocked humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza via land.

🇺🇸🐊⚡️- Florida officials have reached a settlement with former state employee Britt Brown for $485,000 in compensation after she was fired from her state job for mocking Charlie Kirk's assassination.

She is the latest liberal to win big from suing a former employer for being fired in the aftermath of Kirk's killing. Last week Tennessee paid a former police officer nearly a million dollars after he was in jail for a month over social media threats against Kirk and TPUSA supporters.

🇨🇳🇮🇷🇦🇪⚡- "The Iran-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, a private bilateral trade body representing Iranian and Pakistani business interests, has accused the United Arab Emirates of actively obstructing Iran’s integration into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in a bid to prevent [Pakistan's] Gwadar Port from becoming a rival to Dubai," - Fars News.

🇺🇸 - Happy Memorial Day – Honor those who served in the greatest military ever, and her glorious Empire.

🇻🇦⚡️- Today, Pope Leo XIV has released his first encyclical letter, Magnifica humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.

The full letter can be found here for your own reading if you wish, but I have attached some abstracts that I believe provide a very broad summary of some points and are short enough to fit into a telegram message, as there is simply too much to put in so few words.

"Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together. Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible. Yet every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world. Whenever humanity is in danger of marring its true identity, we Christians lift our eyes to the Incarnate God, knowing that it is 'only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear.'  In Jesus Christ, this humanity in its grandeur becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening the path for each of us to grow toward fullness.

The Holy Spirit challenges us today regarding our relationship with technology and the ongoing digital revolution. Technology has the power to heal, connect, educate and protect our common home; but it can also divide, exclude and generate new forms of injustice. In the abstract, technology in and of itself is not a solution to humanity’s problems, just as it is not inherently evil. In practice, however, technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it. Therefore, the primary choice is not between a 'yes' or 'no' to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence.

The danger of humanity becoming a victim of its own achievements was already clearly recognized by Saint Paul VI, who warned that 'the most extraordinary scientific progress, the most astounding technical feats and the most amazing economic growth, unless accompanied by authentic moral and social progress, will in the long run go against man.' For this reason, technological progress — valuable in itself — requires careful discernment of the anthropological vision that guides it and the ends it pursues.

With the heart of a shepherd and a father, I ask everyone to abandon the construction of yet another Tower of Babel and to join forces in building up the common good, so that humanity will never lose its beauty, and the world once again will come to recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell.

It now falls to us to face the challenges of our time with clarity of thought and responsibility. It is necessary to establish adequate regulatory tools capable of upholding justice and curbing the distorting effects of technological power.

In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace. True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence willing to listen and a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates"

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- "Israel must not normalize the reality of explosive drones. The time has come for the Prime Minister to bang on Trump’s table and tell him Israel is returning to war in Lebanon.

We need to cut off Lebanon’s electricity, seize the Zahrani area, and return to full-scale fighting" - Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli National Security Minister.

🇱🇧🇮🇱 - Since the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire began on April 16, eleven Israeli Defence Force soldiers have been killed.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- President Trump is now inviting Iran to join the Abraham Accords.

"Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!

During my discussions on Saturday with [Middle East world leaders (Removed for the sake of readability, see the screenshot for full list)], I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords. Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!). It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be.

In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords. Wow, now that would be something special!

Therefore, I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition" - President Trump via Truth Social.

🇮🇷⚡- Mehr News reports the activation of air defenses on Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. Cause unknown.