A senior White House official said in a conference call with reporters that the U.S. plans to stress to Russia during its trilateral national security advisers summit in Jerusalem this month that Iranian forces and their proxies have to leave Syria.
Why it matters: The trilateral meeting between the national security advisers of Israel, the U.S. and Russia in late June is an unprecedented event. The White House official said the main focus of the summit will be Syria and Iran's activities in Syria, Lebanon and the rest of the region.
June 4 marks the 30th anniversary of Seyyed Ali Khamenei's reign as Iran’s Supreme Leader, making him one of the longest-serving autocrats in the modern Middle East.
Why it matters: Khamenei’s rule has seen increased tension with anddistrust of the West, proxywarfare across the region, troubled relationships with a series of presidents, and escalatingprotests. Iran has only grown more authoritarian under Khamenei, making it unlikely the country will change course either at home or abroad.
Vladimir Putin's spokesman says he has no idea where President Trump's claim that Russia had "removed most of their people from Venezuela" came from. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman, was adamant that Trump had received "no official messages in this regard," per the Washington Post.
Why it matters: Russia supports Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro in his power struggle with the U.S.-backed Juan Guaidó, and sent around 100 troops in March to support the embattled president. That complicates matters for the Trump administration, which has said all options — including military intervention — are on the table.
Israel and Lebanon will soon begin direct talks on the delineation of their shared maritime border, a senior Israeli official tells me. The talks will start in the next few weeks, with the U.S. mediating between the parties.
Why it matters: This is a big step forward in a long-standing conflict that has stalled natural gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. Solving the crisis could unlock potential natural gas reserves for both countries.
China said Tuesday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "smears" the country with his remarks about the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest, as Beijing authorities stepped up security in the area on the 30th anniversary of the crackdown.
Details: Pompeo criticized China's human rights record in a statement Monday and called on the government to "make a full, public accounting of those killed" in the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., called Pompeo's remarks "an affront to the Chinese people."
Thirty years ago right about now, Chinese troops were beginning a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square that would leave an estimated 1,000–1,500 dead.
Flashback: What began in April as student demonstrations tied to the death of a reformist former leader, Hu Yaobang, “swelled as older people joined and the list of demands broadened,” writes Willis Sparks of GZERO Media.
1. A day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. would hold talks with Iran without preconditions, Iran rejected the offer, calling the proposal "word play," according to the Wall Street Journal.
Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, who operated as a link between members of President Trump's orbit and Russian and Middle East officials in 2016 and 2017, has been charged on child pornography charges, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Nader was a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and is known to have set up a now-infamous meeting in the Seychelles between Trump associate Erik Prince and a Russian official with close ties to the Kremlin. He has presented himself as close to the powerful crown prince of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, and was convicted of transporting child porn 28 years ago.
In the spring of 1989, Chinese students began gathering in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, at first to mourn the death of reformist leader Hu Yaobang and then in hopes of persuading their government to allow greater political freedom across the country.
Flashback: Over a period of six weeks, the crowd swelled as older people joined and the list of demands broadened. The occupation of the square took on a life on its own, and some within the Communist Party leadership began to see a threat to their monopoly on political power.
Fresh off President Xi Jinping's signal China could restrict the sale of rare earth minerals, a major component in a host of important technological and defense devices, to the U.S., a team of Chinese scientists announced they had developed a new process that reduces the time needed to extract rare earths from ore.
Why it matters: If the process is indeed viable, it would deepen the world's dependence on China for the valuable minerals and elements, locking in China's dominance in the field, at least in the short term.
President Trump said on Sunday he is unhappy that Israel will be embroiled in a new election campaign, as his administration prepares to launch its long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan — the full release of which will likely now be delayed.
Why it matters: Trump has pushed the peace team, led by his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, to launch the plan already. They were waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a coalition government before they launched it. A new government will not be formed before November — when Trump will be dealing with his reelection campaign.
