Headlines Only, not posting Iran demands in full. Typical! blah, blah, blah!
CONFIRMED | Iran is demanding release of $24 billion in frozen funds, $12 billion must be released immediately.
‘We will not sign MOU unless we get $12 billion upfront.’
WATCH: ‘Pressure won’t make Iran give up enrichment,’ says former US envoy
Robert Malley, former US special envoy to Iran, told Al Jazeera that it doesn’t matter how much “pressure” Trump puts on Tehran, Tehran will not give up what it considers to be its “right of enrichment”.
“They don’t want to be tricked again, and they have their own dignity and their own sense of values,” Malley said.
That is “something you cannot destroy”, even with massive economic or military pressure, he said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/5/26/iran-war-live-israel-pounds-lebanon-iranian-officials-in-qatar-for-talks?update=4601318
Elaad Eliahu
@elaadeliahu
Sen. Andy Kim gets his eyes washed out by “medics” after getting between clashing federal agents and far left agitators blocking the entrance to Delaney Hall immigration detention center in NJ
5:59 PM · May 25, 2026
435.7K
https://x.com/elaadeliahu/status/2059031623589363759?s=20
Trump says ‘mandatory’ for Muslim nations involved in Iran deal to join Abraham Accords 1/2
US president urges Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to normalize ties with Israel; Saudi source says not without ‘irreversible pathway’ to Palestinian state
By NAVA FREIBERG FOLLOW
and TOI STAFF
25 May 2026, 5:36 pm
US President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that six Muslim-majority countries join the Abraham Accords normalization agreements with Israel ahead of any deal between the US and Iran to end the war, negotiations on which he said were “proceeding nicely.”
The remarks were the second time in as many days that Trump tried to link the emerging deal with Iran to the accords, which were first signed in September 2020 by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by Morocco and Sudan months later.
“Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all,” Trump announced on Truth Social on Monday, reiterating his oft-uttered threat that if no deal is reached, it will mean “Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before.”
He said that during discussions with leaders of Muslim and Arab states, he told them 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.”
He specified that the countries he wished to see sign onto the accords included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan. He said he also spoke to the UAE and Bahrain about this possibility.
It was not clear why Egypt and Jordan would be required to sign the Abraham Accords, given that both have had peace treaties with Israel since 1979 and 1994, respectively. Turkey and Israel have had rocky relations almost since the founding of the State of Israel, with long periods of amicable ties, although those have nosedived in the past decade.
After the US leader’s comments, a Saudi source told international outlets that Riyadh will only normalize relations with Israel if an “irreversible pathway” to Palestinian statehood is established.
The Trump administration has long viewed Saudi-Israeli normalization as the crown jewel of the Abraham Accords, though efforts toward that end largely stalled during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Riyadh has since repeatedly insisted that such an agreement must follow meaningful movement on the Palestinian issue.
Trump’s request for the Muslim and Arab states to join the Abraham Accords was first reported by Axios on Sunday.
The US president did not mention Israel in Monday’s lengthy post, and it was not immediately clear whether he was envisioning traditional accession to the Abraham Accords — which were brokered during his first term — or envisioning the creation of a political framework built around broader aims.
He said the expansion of the accords “should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit.”
If countries do not sign, he said, they should not be involved in any deal with Iran as “it shows bad intention.”
“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,” he added.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-says-mandatory-for-muslim-nations-involved-in-iran-deal-to-join-abraham-accords/
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Pakistan has said it will not recognize Israel until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Qatar, too, has no formal ties with Israel, although Doha is a key US ally and was a central mediator in negotiations between Israel and Hamas throughout the two-year Gaza war, sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
Axios, citing a US official, said the leaders of the countries Trump spoke to reacted to his normalization request with silence.
“There was silence on the line and Trump joked and asked if they are still there,” one of the officials was quoted as saying.
Apparently undeterred, the US president further claimed in his Truth Social post that “numerous” of the leaders he spoke to “would be honored,” as soon as a deal with Tehran is signed, “to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords.”
Trump suggested on Sunday that Iran, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, could “perhaps” join the agreements after a deal is reached.
“The Abraham Accords have proven to be, for the Countries involved (The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan), a Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM, even during this time of Conflict and War, with the current Members never even suggesting leaving, or taking so much as even a pause,” he continued.
Suggesting that he was indeed envisioning a vastly expanded Abraham Accords framework over simply establishing ties between Israel and its neighbors, Trump declared that “nothing in the past, or in the future, will surpass” it.
“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,” wrote the president.
Such a coalition, he said, would ensure the Middle East becomes “United, Powerful, and Economically Strong, like perhaps no other area, anywhere in the World!”
He added that he had asked his representatives — reportedly Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — to immediately “begin, and successfully complete, the process of signing these Countries into the already Historic Abraham Accords.”
Trump’s post suggested that he was seeking to offer Israel an upside in the nascent deal to end the war with Iran, whose reported terms have set off alarm bells in Jerusalem. Channel 12 reported on Sunday that senior Israeli officials have warned that, “As it seems, [the agreement] does not serve Israel’s interest.” Other officials have been quoted as calling it a bad deal and highly problematic for Israel.
Israeli officials are concerned that the deal, which would reportedly begin with a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, does not address Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs or its support for regional proxies, delaying negotiations on these and other key war goals. According to the report, officials fear the deal would grant Iran time for economic and military recovery, after which “it will be hard for the Americans and us to go back and fight.” (Israel will never make peace, with Gulf Countries. Trump has to know this, they sabotage everyone and did it 4 years ago. Trump wants peace but Israel does not!When will the President understand it’s Israel who doesn’t want peace and if the can finish Iran, Bibi will go after Gulf States with accusations.)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-says-mandatory-for-muslim-nations-involved-in-iran-deal-to-join-abraham-accords/
American journalist charged with serving as unregistered agent for China. 1/2
Thomas Pauken II allegedly told the FBI he was “80 percent sure” an associate now working for the Trump administration would give classified information to China.
5/25/26
An American journalist and political commentator who has lived in China for more than a decade is facing a criminal charge in the U.S. of acting as an agent for the Chinese government.
Thomas Pauken II allegedly prepared confidential reports that his Chinese handler told him were being conveyed to Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to an affidavit FBI Special Agent Timothy Healy submitted in federal court. Pauken also took a lie detector test at the request of his Chinese contact and provided a cell phone and laptop to another individual in the U.S. who was seeking a job in the Trump administration, Healy wrote.
Pauken said he consistently rebuffed his handler’s requests for classified information, but told the FBI that he thought there was an 80 percent chance that the other individual he was helping to put his handler in contact with would provide classified information to China, despite what Pauken said were his warnings not to do so, the affidavit says.
The individual Pauken reached out to, who is not named in public court papers, “was not hired for the exact job he wanted in the administration but currently works for a U.S. government agency,” Healy wrote.
Pauken was arrested by the FBI in February and has been in custody since. In March, a federal magistrate judge in Alexandria, Virginia, denied Pauken’s bid for pretrial release, court records show.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema has set a “pre-indictment plea hearing” Friday for Pauken. Such a hearing usually signals a defendant’s plan to offer a guilty to some charge or charges, typically in an agreement with prosecutors. Prosecutors told the court last month that they’d had “productive discussions” with Pauken’s counsel about a resolution of the case.
“It’s critical to understand that Mr. Pauken is not charged with spying or mishandling classified information,” Charles Burnham, Pauken’s attorney, said in a statement Monday. “The government’s complaint charges that Mr. Pauken did professional work for a foreign government without first completing certain required paperwork. We look forward to responding to the government’s allegations in court.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Alexandria declined to comment.
https://www.politico.com/
2/2
According to court records, the FBI appears to have sought to deploy Pauken as a double agent. U.S. law enforcement confronted Pauken about his activities when he returned to the U.S. in January 2025, but did not arrest him until February of this year, the FBI affidavit says.
After confronting Pauken more than a year ago, U.S. officials told him “to continue his plans as if nothing had changed. The FBI had determined that any sudden change in Pauken’s plans could put Pauken at risk from” China’s Ministry of State Security, Healy wrote. Healy also said Pauken was told not to tell any Chinese officials about his meeting with the FBI.
When Pauken returned to the U.S. from China in February, the FBI “simultaneously monitored” a meeting Pauken had at a Washington hotel with the individual he’d delivered the cell phone and laptop to last year. During that meeting,Pauken gave the person a SIM card and offered him a $10,000 bonus to work with Pauken’s Chinese handler, providing “one report per week” that “would influence policy and be read by Xi Jinping.”
Shortly after that meeting,
Pauken was arrested. Healy’s affidavit is silent about whether any action was taken against the other individual. A spokesperson for prosecutors handling the case declined to comment on that person’s status.
While the Justice Department typically publicizes public court proceedings related to espionage or foreign agent activities, no press release was issued about Pauken’s case. At his first court appearance in March, Burnham asked for the case to be kept sealed. It remained under wraps for about 10 days before being unsealed, although it seems to have garnered little attention.
Pauken faces one felony count of violating a federal law that makes it a crime to act on behalf of a foreign government in the U.S. without registering with the attorney general.The criminal statute used to charge Pauken carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and is considered more serious than the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi disbanded the Justice Department’s foreign influence task force as one of her first acts as the head of DOJ, directing prosecutors to instead focus FARA enforcement efforts on “more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.” The DOJ has since taken action against a handful of defendants accused of illegally acting as foreign agents, although many of those cases stem from pending investigations initiated before President Donald Trump returned to office.
Pauken, who writes under the pseudonym Tom McGregor, is the author of a 2019 book titled “US Vs China: From Trade War To Reciprocal Deal,” which claims to provide “a neutral and balanced perspective” on the U.S.-China trade relationship.
Pauken is also a son of GOP politician Tom Pauken, who served in the Reagan administration before chairing the Texas Republican Party from 1994 to 1997. The senior Pauken was later appointed by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to chair the state’s Workforce Commission in 2008 and unsuccessfully ran for governor of Texas himself in 2014.
According to the affidavit, the younger Pauken used the pseudonym at his father’s request because his father did not want to be tied to his son’s activities in China, which included work for several major state-controlled media outlets, including China Radio International, China Central Television, China Global Television Network and Xinhua.
The document says the junior Pauken told the FBI that “all his Chinese associates were obsessed with attaining information” on his father.
https://www.politico.com/
Citizen Free Press
@CitizenFreePres
Important message for all citizens of the greatest country on Earth.. Red Skelton
10:10 AM · May 26, 2026
Views
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/2059275987100017053?s=20
THIS IS WHAT YOU TELL IRAN — ‘Open Hormuz immediately. TODAY. There will be no tolls.For every ship you attack, we will kill 10 members of Parliament, regime or IRGC leaders. The killing will be relentless. No frozen funds will be released until the people of Iran are free. We will continue the Naval blockade and strategic bombing and airstrikes will begin again.There will be no bailout for the Mullahs. We will never capitulate to the enemy.’
Iran funds access last major sticking point in US talks - Fars News
3 hours ago
Access to Iran’s frozen funds is the last serious sticking point in talks with the United States and is being resolved through Qatari mediation, IRGC-linked Fars News reported on Tuesday, citing a source close to the negotiations.
The dispute concerned how Tehran would gain access to the blocked assets before talks could begin, the report said.
There has been no official confirmation of the report.
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202605268784
LIVE
IRGC says US drone downed over Persian Gulf, cautions against ceasefire breach
Summary
• Iran’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the United States had violated the ceasefire and warned that Tehran would respond.
• The IRGC said on Tuesday that it shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the Persian Gulf after what it described as “precise intelligence monitoring.”
• Iran’s internet connectivity was partially restored on Tuesday after 88 days and 2,093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks, internet monitor NetBlocks said.
• A tanker reported an external explosion off Oman’s Muscat on Tuesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
• Iran executed a man on Tuesday on accusations of spying for Israel, IRGC-linked Tasnim News reported on Tuesday.
• The US military carried out strikes in southern Iran on Monday targeting boats allegedly attempting to lay mines as well as missile launch sites, US Central Command said.
• US President Donald Trump said Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile must either be handed over to the United States for destruction or eliminated under international supervision.
11 minutes ago
Ghalibaf returns to Iran after talks in Doha - state broadcaster
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf returned from Doha on Tuesday after consultations with Qatari officials, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
The top negotiator had traveled to Qatar on Monday at the head of a delegation amid US-Iran talks.
30 minutes ago
Iran thanks Egypt for efforts to bridge gaps in US talks
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Tuesday for Cairo’s efforts to help bridge positions in Tehran’s negotiations with Washington, Iran’s state media reported.
In a phone call, Pezeshkian also said Iran wanted to strengthen ties with Arab countries, especially GCC members, according to the reports.
Al Arabiya, meanwhile, reported that during the phone call with Iran's presdient,Sisi categorically rejected attacks on the sovereignty of Persian Gulf states.
https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202605238115
MARKETS
‘The market has spoken’: Ferrari shares fall after carmaker unveils first fully electric vehicle
TUE, MAY 26 20263:13 AM
KEY POINTS
• Shares of Ferrari fell sharply on Tuesday after the company unveiled its new Luce model, its first fully electric car.
• CEO Benedetto Vigna told CNBC that the new car, which translates as “light,” would be welcomed by both existing customers and new clientele.
• The launch comes even as other luxury car manufacturers have scaled back on plans to introduce their own EVs due to weak demand.
Shares of luxury carmaker Ferrari
fell sharply on Tuesday shortly after the company launched its first fully electric vehicle.
The Maranello, Italy-based sports car manufacturerunveiled the Luce, which translates as “light,” at a venue in Rome, describing the choice of name as one that “evokes clarity and direction.”
The highly anticipated model marks a departure from the aesthetic of typical Ferraris and comes even as other luxury car manufacturers,notably Porsche and Lamborghini, have scaled back on plans to launch their own EVs due to weak demand.
Shares of Ferrari were last seen 7.7% lower, while U.S.-listed shares fell 4.6% in morning trading. The Milan-listed stock is down more than 32% over the last 12 months.
Ferrari CEO BenedettoVigna described the launch of the Luce model as a “very, very important day” for the company, one that symbolizes the opening of “a new chapter” in its history.
When asked whether the company could satisfy both new customers and its typical clientele, Vigna told CNBC’s Charlotte Reed, “Look, when you do a new technology, you need always to keep in mind a word that is called respect.”
“Respect of the technology, because when you have a new technology, you need to make sure that that technology is properly represented in the design, so the design must be different,” he added.
Vigna said the carmaker also respects the different needs and wishes of its customers, adding that existing clientele will be interested in the Luce andthe company will welcome new buyers thanks to the fully electric model.
Ferrari’s first-ever five-seater car, the Luce model can hit 60 mph in around 2.5 seconds and has a maximum speed of roughly 192 mph.
The Luce is priced at around 550,000 euros, (roughly $640,000), with customer deliveries scheduled to begin from the fourth quarter of the year.
Ferrari said it had chosen to develop and manufacture all components in house in Maranello, while the design was entrusted to LoveFrom, an agency founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
Why are shares falling?
Analysts attributed the share price reaction to a mix of “design hate” and the classic market adage of “travel and arrive,” noting that Ferrari’s stock price had risen significantly ahead of Monday’s launch.
“Ultimately many fans are disappointed that Ferrari is embracing the EV concept, believing it dilutes the supercar brand, which has modelled itself around classic design and raw, combustion-engine power,” Michael Field, chief equity strategist at Morningstar, told CNBC by email.
“From an investment perspective, many investors had feared the development of an EV model, on the basis that the research and development costs are materially high, putting a lot of pressure on the brand to recoup these, and potentially diluting investment returns for the business,” Field said.
Anthony Dick, an auto analyst at Oddo BHF, saidthe stock price response is “by far the sharpest reaction we’ve seen for a car design — the market has spoken.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/26/ferrari-stock-shares-luce-electric-vehicle-ev-launch.html
Dems UNDER FIRE for 'disgusting,' now-deleted Memorial Day post
15K views · 26 minutes ago
The Democrats (Communists) came under fire for aMemorial Day post critics said politicized the sacrifices of America's fallen heroes
6:14
https://youtu.be/qBJ-MVKokiw
US says Iran strikes were self defense
Fox News' Jeff Paul provides details on efforts to secure a peace deal after the U.S. struck Iran overnight.
6:56
https://youtu.be/d4xAcgvEmZ0
OVERNIGHT: US launches Iran strikes as Trump outlines plan for enriched uranium
Fox News' Trey Yingst reports the latest the defensive strikes and the ayatollah's response to the military action
7:00
https://youtu.be/QwlQu9wxeQ0
Trump issues URGENT plea for Arab countries to join Abraham Accords
Fox News' Trey Yingst and Alexandria Hoff report the latest on the escalation between the U.S. and Iran. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., also weighed in on peace talks during
11:02
https://youtu.be/YwYCB7I-HdM