Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Greta Thunberg deported from Israel after Gaza boat seized Israel strikes Hodeidah port, threatens naval, air blockade Trump says he discussed Iran with Netanyahu Iran obtaining IAEA documents is 'bad', shows poor cooperation, Grossi says Trump says Iran pushing to enrich uranium in ‘tough’ talks Russia to construct eight nuclear power plants in Iran ISIS’s David Albright, Sarah Burkhard, and Spencer August Faragasso: Analysis of IAEA Iran verification and monitoring report — May 2025 Russia launches war’s largest drone assault, Ukraine’s air force says Russia could send "little green men" to test NATO's resolve, German intelligence boss warns Satellite images show damaged North Korean warship moved to a port for repair, report says Canada to boost military spending to try to placate Trump House passes two resolutions condemning antisemitic attacks, amid controversyIn The News
Israel
The distribution centers of the much-criticized new aid system for Gaza were mired in new chaos on Monday, amid accusations and denials that Hamas had threatened over the weekend to attack workers for the Israeli-backed group handing out food supplies. – New York Times
Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, the day after the Israeli navy prevented her and a group of fellow pro-Palestinian activists from sailing to Gaza. – Reuters
The United Nations said on Monday that it has only been able to bring minimal flour into Gaza since Israel lifted an aid blockade three weeks ago and that has mostly been looted by armed gangs or taken by starving Palestinians. – Reuters
The Israeli navy carried out attacks on Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Israeli army radio said on Tuesday, in an ongoing campaign that usually involves airstrikes. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran was a tough negotiator as talks continued for a nuclear deal, and said he discussed Iran among other topics with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. – Reuters
A convoy of buses and private cars departed for Gaza from Tunisia’s capital Monday, seeking to “break the siege” on the Palestinian territory, activists said. – Times of Israel
IDF Spokesperson in Arabic, Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation notice for three seaports in Yemen, according to a X/Twitter post on Monday night. – Jerusalem Post
Immediately upon landing in Israel on Monday evening, Argentine President Javier Milei visited the Western Wall for prayer, marking the start of his second official visit to Israel since taking office. – Arutz Sheva
Marc Champion writes: Peace, reunited families, the marginalization of Hamas, a revival of the Abraham Accords and Israel’s military successes in Lebanon under Netanyahu are the stuff of election campaigns, win or lose. International attention should focus entirely on cajoling Israel’s prime minister to take that chance — not some meaningless propaganda circus in the Mediterranean. – Bloomberg
Seth Mandel writes: Just imagine how informed the public might have been—and how many fewer Jews attacked in the streets all over the world—had news agencies gotten the story right all along. Instead, the coverage of the war has been a 20-month work of extended fiction produced on behalf of a terrorist group that murders and kidnaps and tortures and does little else. I don’t know that the world is even capable of grappling with the extent of the scandal its news organizations have been perpetrating. – Commentary Magazine
Iran
Iran’s acquisition of confidential U.N. nuclear watchdog documents is a ‘bad’ step that goes against the spirit of cooperation that should exist between the agency and Tehran, its chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday Iran is involved in negotiations aimed at arranging a ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas. – Reuters
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said Iranians warned him that an Israel strike on the country’s nuclear facilities could cause Iran to be more determined about developing a nuclear weapon, according to an interview broadcast and published on Monday. – Reuters
President Donald Trump said Iran was pressing to be allowed to enrich uranium in a potential nuclear deal with the US, expressing worry that Tehran was seeking too much. – Bloomberg
The United Nations nuclear watchdog said Iran’s rapidly increasing stockpile of uranium enriched to just below weapons grade cannot be ignored as western nations plan a firm response this week in Vienna. – Bloomberg
Russia signed an agreement to construct eight nuclear power plants in Iran, including four in Bushehr, according to a report on Monday by Iran’s state media IRNA, which cited the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. – Jerusalem Post
David Albright, Sarah Burkhard, and Spencer August Faragasso write: Combined with Iran’s refusal to resolve outstanding safeguards violations and the program’s unresolved nuclear weapons dimensions, the IAEA has a significantly reduced ability to monitor Iran’s complex and growing nuclear program. The IAEA’s ability to detect diversion of nuclear materials, equipment, and other capabilities to undeclared facilities remains greatly diminished. – Institute for Science and International Security
Russia and Ukraine
Russia unleashed its largest overnight drone attack of the war on Monday, launching cruise and ballistic missiles in a barrage that lasted all night and struck locations across Ukraine, even as Kyiv and Moscow began a days-long prisoner exchange involving hundreds of soldiers. – Washington Post
Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25 on Monday in emotional homecoming scenes, the first step in a series of planned prisoner swaps that could become the biggest of the war so far. – Reuters
Russia said on Monday that its forces had taken control of more territory in Ukraine’s east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk, where the Kremlin said fighting was partly aimed at creating a “buffer zone.” – Reuters
Russia is determined to test the resolve of the NATO alliance, including by extending its confrontation with the West beyond the borders of Ukraine, the Germany’s foreign intelligence chief told the Table Media news organization. – Reuters
The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was still ready to honour agreements with Ukraine on a new prisoner of war exchange and on the repatriation of dead soldiers despite what it said was Kyiv’s failure to so far honour its side of the bargain. – Reuters
The Kremlin said on Monday that NATO’s plan for a huge boost to its air and missile defence capabilities was confrontational and would come at the expense of European taxpayers who were being asked to pay to defuse a threat that did not exist. – Reuters
Middle East & North Africa
Stock markets in the United Arab Emirates ended higher on Monday, in step with Asian peers, as investors awaited the outcome of U.S.-China trade talks in London in the hope that a deal could boost the global economic outlook. – Reuters
Canada has invited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to attend the Group of Seven summit, according to a person familiar with the matter, in another sign of a new approach to foreign policy under Prime Minister Mark Carney. – Bloomberg
Grant Rumley and Aaron Y. Zelin write: The Trump administration is right to seize on this moment. A new Syria that aligns less with its traditional patrons and more with the West would be a boon to U.S. interests in the Middle East. But this shift will not be possible unless Washington eases its longstanding restrictions on exports to Syria. Failing that, Damascus and its regional backers will have little choice but to look elsewhere—and China may be first in line. – Washington Institute
Korean Peninsula
A North Korean stricken destroyer that partially capsized during a botched launching ceremony has arrived at a ship repair factory, a Washington think tank said. – Reuters
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said he was scheduled to have a telephone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, according to YTN TV. – Reuters
South Korea is close to signing a deal worth around $6 billion to supply 180 K2 tanks for Poland, Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Another service between Pyongyang and Khabarovsk, a Russian city close to China’s northeastern border, will restart two days later. – Reuters
China
A Chinese aircraft carrier is conducting drills hundreds of miles south of Japan’s main island, Japanese officials said Monday, venturing into waters that could be strategically vital in a conflict with the U.S. in the Pacific. – Wall Street Journal
Local officials gathered in China’s central city of Xinyang in March for a seminar about regulations requiring them to be frugal. Over lunch, five officials consumed four bottles of baijiu, a fiery sorghum-based spirit, flouting the very rules they had studied. – Wall Street Journal
Chinese President Xi Jinping told South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday that the two countries should respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, and ensure ties move forward “on the right track”, Chinese state media reported. – Reuters
Top U.S. and Chinese officials will resume trade talks for a second day in London on Tuesday, hoping to secure a breakthrough over export controls for goods such as rare earths that have threatened a global supply chain shock and slower economic growth. – Reuters
Gordon G. Chang writes: We do not know whether China’s regime has made the decision to go to war, but its series of dangerous actions clearly reveals it has made the decision to risk war. And war, if it begins somewhere, will likely spread. […] Another factor is the existence of alliance and semi-alliance networks in the region. Four of China’s targets, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia, are U.S. treaty allies, and one, Taiwan, is protected by the United States. China, for its part, could bring in its friends. – The Hill
South Asia
Multiple explosions and fires erupted on a cargo ship bound for India’s financial capital Mumbai on Monday, causing 40 containers to fall into the Arabian Sea and forcing several crew members to jump overboard to escape the flames, officials said. – Reuters
Nearly three weeks after the end of a brief but brutal India-Pakistan war, New Delhi on Monday warned that the root causes of the conflict remain unchanged — and that India stands ready to strike anywhere in Pakistan if provoked by terrorist attacks. – Politico
The Indian Air Force is set to receive its new fighter jet, the HAL Tejas, later this month. The delivery, delayed by more than a year, has become critical following the recent conflict with Pakistan. – Jerusalem Post
India is preparing to bolster its intelligence and surveillance capabilities with the acquisition of advanced I-STAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) aircraft, in a major boost to the Air Force’s ability to counter challenges posed by Pakistan and China, according to news reports. – Newsweek
Ambuj Sahu and Arun Sahgal write: For any US policy toward India to be truly effective, it must rest on three fundamental realities. First, India seeks a close partnership but not a subordinate alliance. Second, India and the United States do not share common civilizational values despite rhetoric about the ties between “the world’s oldest and the world’s largest democracies.” […] Third, South Asia—more accurately, the Indian subcontinent—is India’s natural sphere of influence. Attempting to contest New Delhi in its own backyard will only constrain the partnership’s potential. – National Interest
Asia
Australia will seek to disprove the “corrosive” idea that democratic institutions are failing amid significant global uncertainty, and play a stabilising role in the region, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday. – Reuters
New Zealand’s Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Tuesday that she would like New Zealand’s central bank monetary policy committee to meet more frequently raising concern about lengthy gap between meetings in summer. – Reuters
Taiwan’s exports surged to a record in May on booming demand for artificial intelligence and as customers placed orders ahead of U.S. tariffs which could take effect next month after a suspension period expires. – Reuters
Cambodia’s defense ministry on Monday said that the country’s troops haven’t withdrawn from a patch of land whose ownership is hotly disputed by neighboring Thailand, but the declaration also echoed recent statements by both sides seeking a peaceful resolution to their competing border claims. – Associated Press
Jonathan Harman writes: If the United States hopes to build up deterrence in the Taiwan Strait, it will need to ramp up arms sales to Taiwan. Passing the Taiwan PLUS Act would be a smart move. Easing regulations on Taiwanese weapons purchases will likely increase the number of FMS orders and signal greater long-term demand to build up US defense industrial capacity, especially in industries more pertinent to the modern battlefield. Such a move would be a good first step towards improving both countries’ defense readiness. – National Interest
Europe
Salvage crews in Italy are attempting to raise the wreckage of the superyacht Bayesian, which was owned by tech executive Mike Lynch and his family. They hope to find clues that will help explain why the $40 million ship sank last August in hurricane-force winds that blew in to the Sicilian port where the ship was moored for the night. – Wall Street Journal
A referendum that sought to make it easier for foreigners to apply for Italian citizenship ended unsuccessfully on Monday when it failed to draw a majority of voters to the polls. – New York Times
The European Commission will propose next week to give governments more flexibility on defence procurement and make access to European funding easier, European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on Tuesday. – Reuters
France must put its finances into order or face the risk of being placed under the supervision of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or of European institutions, Budget Minister Amelie de Montchalin said on Tuesday. – Reuters
A British teenage girl, who had said she wanted to blow up a synagogue and became fixated with Adolf Hitler, had been sucked into far-right extremism by two American neo-Nazis, a British coroner said on Monday. – Reuters
Hungary is an important partner for Poland, newly elected Polish president, Karol Nawrocki, told a Hungarian magazine in his first foreign interview, adding he would be building cooperation within the regional Visegrad Group. – Reuters
Sweden’s rapid increase to its defense spending will be financed with debt in the coming years, the fiscally conservative Nordic state’s finance minister said. – Bloomberg
Eugeniusz Smolar writes: Poland is an ally not to a Democrat or Republican president only but to the United States. As long as there are willing partners in the White House and Congress, Poland is committed to strengthening the transatlantic alliance. The United States remains indispensable to the security and well-being of Europe. – National Interest
Africa
Ivory Coast former trade minister Jean-Louis Billon said he is seeking to represent the opposition PDCI party in October’s presidential election after former Credit Suisse chief Tidjane Thiam was excluded from the final list of candidates last week. – Reuters
Russia plans to step up cooperation with African countries, including in “sensitive areas” such as defence and security, the Kremlin said on Monday. – Reuters
An African Union credit review body has questioned Fitch ratings agency’s downgrade of Africa Export-Import Bank last week, saying it was based on a “flawed” categorisation of loans and calling for the decision to be reconsidered. – Reuters
The World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan to support structural reforms aimed at boosting South Africa’s infrastructure. – Bloomberg
The Americas
Canada’s decision to ramp up military spending at a faster-than-expected pace marks a “significant event” for the country’s fiscal direction, Prime Minister Mark Carney said. – Wall Street Journal
Canada plans to boost military spending this year, aiming to catch up to its lagging NATO commitments and try to placate President Trump amid sensitive trade talks. – Wall Street Journal
The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, labeling it a Specially Designated Global Terrorist as President Donald Trump, opens new tab’s administration seeks to tackle cross-border drug trafficking. – Reuters
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday condemned violent acts committed during the massive protests that have broken out in Los Angeles against immigration raids. – Reuters
Liam Denning writes: Any new pipeline out of Alberta would require a heavy lift from Canada’s politicians and taxpayers, as with other strategically and economically important but controversial energy infrastructure projects, such as the Trans Mountain Expansion itself and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. In other words, it represents the sort of moonshot that likely would not have been contemplated without all that bluster from the White House about a 51st state. – Bloomberg
Latin America
Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential contender, remains in critical condition and has shown little response to treatment after being shot in Bogota, the hospital treating him said on Monday. – Reuters
Argentina’s firebrand right-wing President Javier Milei has largely tamed runaway inflation with a ruthless austerity plan and he aims to solidify power when his party and its allies take on a divided opposition in legislative elections in October. – Reuters
Argentina’s central bank rolled out a broad package of economic measures on Monday to boost reserves, including a repurchase agreement, or repo, of up to $2 billion. – Reuters
Argentina’s President Javier Milei insulted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at an event in Madrid, a year after a similar attack escalated into a diplomatic spat. – Reuters
United States
Roughly 700 Marines are deploying to the Los Angeles area to protect federal buildings and personnel in the wake of protests over immigration that have already led President Trump to federalize National Guard troops, the U.S. military said Monday. – Wall Street Journal
California sued the Trump administration on Monday over its decision to send in National Guard troops in response to protests over immigration enforcement, calling it an unconstitutional use of executive power that usurped the state’s authority. – Wall Street Journal
A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the U.S. at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said Monday. – Associated Press
The House voted on Monday to pass two resolutions condemning recent antisemitic attacks. One, led by Republicans, which focused on the Boulder, Colo., attack and immigration issues, and split the Democratic caucus. The other, which was bipartisan and highlighted a series of antisemitic attacks, passed nearly unanimously, with just two lawmakers voting present. – Jewish Insider
Daniel Pipes writes: I wrote in 2004 that the Jews’ Golden Age in America may be ending because of the growth in the numbers of Muslims who treat them as deadly enemies—from attackers in the street to members of Congress. Even more than other Americans, Jews need to worry about who enters the U.S. Mr. Trump’s border restrictions are a good start. – Wall Street Journal
Seth Mandel writes: Pretty soon, everywhere someone is denouncing the United States or assaulting a police officer or torching cars or vandalizing houses of worship, the Palestinian flag and keffiyeh will be there. Not because Palestinians want it that way, but because the Blob’s merchandizing department does. Meanwhile, any capital spent on the Palestinians will be spent defending and buttressing Hamas, the fascist death grip currently squeezing the life out of everything it finds in Gaza. But cool shirt, bro. – Commentary Magazine
Cybersecurity
Paraguay’s government on Monday said that President Santiago Pena’s X account had likely been hacked after the leader appeared to promote trading of cryptocurrency Bitcoin. – Reuters
The U.S. State Department will use an artificial intelligence chatbot to help it select the people who will perform annual reviews of promotions and moves, according to a cable issued Monday and reviewed by Reuters. – Reuters
United Natural Foods Inc (UNFI.N), one of the largest U.S. grocery distributors whose clients include Whole Foods, took certain systems offline in recent days after the discovery of unauthorized activity on internal networks, the company said on Monday. – Reuters
Italy and Israeli spyware maker Paragon said they have ended contracts following allegations that the Italian government used the company’s technology to hack the phones of critics, according to a parliamentary report on Monday and the company. – Reuters
The French government is considering designating X as a porn platform — a move that will likely have the platform implementing strict age verification requirements. – Politico
Brett Leatherman, a career FBI official with deep cybersecurity experience, has been tapped to serve as assistant director of the bureau’s Cyber Division. – The Record
Defense
A pair of key House lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation Monday designed to simplify the defense acquisition process with the goal of speeding the fielding of new systems and technology to the military’s front lines. – Defense News
The Air Force wants to revive its shelved AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, hypersonic program — and perhaps move it into the procurement phase. – Defense News
The U.S. is planning to upgrade a Philippine naval base crucial for Manila’s South China Sea operations with a maintenance facility capable of supporting unmanned surface vessels, according to documents. – Defense News
A key DOD official is spearheading an effort to replace outdated acquisition processes with a faster, modernized approach that leans heavily on artificial intelligence. – Defensescoop