Axios

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, an elite branch of the country's military, have been directed to sell assets and businesses that don't pertain to their function, Bloomberg reports. Iran's defense minister, Amir Hatami, told a local newspaper that the government "will pursue this matter until these forces withdraw from irrelevant economic activities."

Why it matters: This directive comes after weeks of protests in Iran over the corruption in its government. The Revolutionary Guards control close to a third of Iran's economy, and instructing the body to shrink its business empire could be a step toward moderation.

Vice President Mike Pence has arrived in Israel for a 48-hour visit, which had previously been postponed twice due to political developments in Washington and compounded by the aftermath of President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Jerusalem decision spurred a Palestinian refusal to meet Pence on his trip.

The context: Pence arrived in Tel Aviv after brief stops in Cairo and Amman. In both Arab capitals, Pence received criticism regarding Trump's Jerusalem announcement.

"Jared Kushner Is China’s Trump Card: How the President’s son-in-law, despite his inexperience in diplomacy, became Beijing’s primary point of interest," by Adam Entous and Evan Osnos in the forthcoming issue of The New Yorker.

Why it matters: "Americans are accustomed to reports of Russia’s efforts to influence American politics, but, in the intelligence community, China’s influence operations are a source of equal concern."

Vice President Mike Pence met with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday for around three hours, according to the Washington Post, and said that while the countries had previously been "drifting apart," ties had "never been stronger" than under Trump.

Why it matters: NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports that the three hour meeting "focused heavily on counter-terrorism." They also discussed two Americans who were imprisoned in Egypt in 2013, WaPo reports, and Sisi told Pence he would give their cases "very serious attention." Pence and Sisi also discussed terrorism, North Korea, and religious freedom.

• One more thing: Egyptian security originally blocked the press from entering the presidential palace where Pence was meeting with Sisi, until they were allowed in to cover "brief statements...that only happened after intense negotiation between Pence's staff and Egyptian authorities," per WaPo. The next stop on Pence's Middle East tour is Jordan.