Talks back on despite enrichment issues, new Iran advisor at State—and more
The Iranist for the week of May 23, 2025
Greetings from the Middle East! 🐪 This is a more concise newsletter due to travel…
THE هفت/SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK:
۱/1 Witkoff wants zero enrichment, Iran claims it’s a redline
Despite this, talks are taking place in Rome, Italy on May 23 (today) (Reuters).
The day before, on May 22, the White House spokesperson said:
“The President has made it very clear to not just Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, but also the world that he wants to see a deal with Iran struck, if one can be struck.” (Diplomatic)
Read the Washington Post’s first dispatch from Tehran since journalist Jason Rezaian was taken hostage in 2014 for more than 444 days.
۲/2 US intelligence suggests Israel is preparing possible strike on nuclear facilities
Noteworthy from the CNN report and what some analysts are saying:
“But those same indicators could also simply be Israel trying to pressure Iran to abandon key tenets of its nuclear program by signaling the consequences if it doesn’t…”
According to Axios, the reason Israel is making preparations for a strike is because “the Israeli intelligence community has shifted just in the past few days from believing a nuclear deal was close to thinking talks could soon break down.”
On May 22, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran would see the United States as a “participant” in any attack on Iran (The Guardian).
۳/3 Two Israelis arrested on suspicions of collecting intel for Iran
Meanwhile, three alleged Iranian spies appeared in a London court, charged with targeting the UK-based diaspora satellite channel, Iran International (BBC). Iran and Britain summoned their ambassadors over the matter (BBC).
۴/4 Former hostage joins State Department as senior adviser for Iran
۵/5 Parliament approves 20-year strategic partnership with Russia
۶/6 Villagers in Ilam province protest water shortages
۷/7 Iran executes man over fatal shooting at Azerbaijan embassy
OTHER اخبار/NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES:
Human Rights
۰ Woman held in solitary confinement for 4 months without charges (IranWire)
۰ Woman detained without legal process for nearly a year (IranWire)
۰ Kurdish activist denied medical care in prison (IranWire)
۰ Iran moves to silence literary voices with arrests, prison and death sentences (CHRI)
Foreign Policy + Security
۰ Iran to sue Google for attempts to misname Persian Gulf (Mehr News Agency)
۰ Iran expelling up to 3,000 migrants daily, source says (Amu.tv)
۰ Shin Bet arrests Yavne resident who spied on Naftali Bennett for Iran (Jerusalem Post)
۰ Saudi airline to resume Hajj flights to Iran after 10-year hiatus: What to know (Al-Monitor)
۰ Iran talking ‘indirectly’ to new Syrian regime (The National)
۰ Syria’s shift away from Iran sparks media backlash after Trump meets with Ahmed al-Sharaa (RFE/RL)
Iran Deal + Sanctions
۰ Trump wants a deal with Iran, but it may be weaker than his supporters demand (New York Times)
۰ Iran’s Khamenei slams ‘outrageous’ US demands in nuclear talks (Reuters)
۰ Trilateral meeting between Oman, Qatar and Iran discusses Iran-US talks (Gov.om)
۰ Lifting US sanctions on Iran could crush China’s ‘teapot’ oil refineries (Reuters)
Arts + Culture
۰ Iranian filmmaker Panahi says under ‘pressure’ over Cannes film (New Arab)