So, last night Trump announced suspending its “Project Freedom” after it failed to deliver results. Trump says a deal with Iran “is close”. The White House is nearing a one-page MOU with Iran to halt fighting and start nuclear talks. Iran is expected to respond to US’ draft within 48 hours. Its alleged core terms (I’ll add my thoughts in parentheses). Iran: Pause enrichment (possible), no nukes (possible), accept UN inspections (possible), curb underground sites (doubt). US: Ease sanctions (doubt), release frozen assets (possible). Both: Loosen Strait of Hormoz restrictions. The plan would trigger a 30-day negotiation window (likely Geneva or Islamabad). Trump has paused escalation. This sounds doable, only if the US drops sanctions.

Saudi Arabia has come to view Israel and its actions as a threat to regional security and sees the UAE’s alignment with Israel in a poor light. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/05/how-iran-war-reshaping-saudi-strategy-hormuz-and-houthis-uaes-opec-exit?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=organic-social&utm_campaign=iran&utm_content=war

Under cover of the Israel-US attack on Iran and Lebanon, Israel’s security cabinet approved the establishment of 34 new settlements in the West Bank. The resolution was kept secret for several weeks and published only after the ceasefire began. These settlements join 68 others approved by the government since it took office, and more than 107 outposts built with assistance from the state. Meanwhile, Israel is accelerating its ethnic cleansing of Palestinian residents. In two and a half years, 59 Palestinian communities have been expelled, and more than 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes. This mechanism relies on close cooperation between two branches operated by the Israeli regime: armed settler militias carrying out daily violence on the ground with support and assistance from the military and the police, and a governmental-legal system that legitimizes and institutionalizes their actions. Over the past weekend alone, dozens of violent attacks by settlers against Palestinian residents and their property were documented.

A new satirical statue attributed to Banksy appears in Waterloo Place in London, England. The sculpture depicts a person in a suit marching forward off a plinth while their face is completely covered by a large, billowing flag. It is located near the Athenaeum Club and the Crimean War Memorial.