No Deal Reached, Amid 'Fabricated' Mideast Media Reports; Trump Presses Nuclear Issue & Iran President Says 'Won't Back Down'

No Deal Reached, Amid 'Fabricated' Mideast Media Reports; Trump Presses Nuclear Issue & Iran President Says 'Won't Back Down'

TYLER DURDEN

Summary

• Al Arabiya issues dramatic retraction on prior 'deal reached' reporting.
• Iranian president vows to not back down, as Trump still vows to get nuclear material.
• AI Arabiya TV obtains what it describes as final draft of US-lran agreement, 
• Reuters reported that Ayatollah ordered that stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% remain strictly inside Iranian territory. Some Iranian officials then denied report to Al Jazeera.
• WH says make a deal or else... "they can face a punishment from our military the likes of which has not been seen in modern history."
• US Intelligence says Iran has reconstitute drone program, defense industrial base, "faster than expected" (CNN).

After something like eight hours - which unleashed significant moves in oil and markets - complete retractions are being issued, with words like 'fabrication' used, after which oil swings higher...

Iranian President: Won't Back Down

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated, "We will not bow our heads, our ministers and experts are working day and night, without a single day off." He added, per state sources: "We are willing to sacrifice as much as possible for the honor and pride of Iran, and we are not afraid of martyrdom."

And just like that...

Markets reversed earlier gains as Iran's President said on state TV that they won't back down in talks. The momentum then picked up when a "high-level source" told Al-Arabiya that the Pakistani Army Chief will not head to Tehran tonight.

The Pakistani were supposed to head to Iran only when the reach of an agreement was in sight, so this kind of denies the earlier reports of a US and Iran draft agreement.

US stock indices erased more than half of earlier gains. We've seen the same reaction in oil, FX and bond markets but now they are consolidating.

Still, Al Jazeera is reporting that "negotiators are very close to reaching a deal, and are currently working on a draft text. At the same time, another source told Al Jazeera that it is too early to judge whether a serious, final agreement is within reach."

IRNA has cited a Pakistani official who says the talks are "moving in the right direct" - though it's anyone's guess at this point. The prior reported draft did not take up the nuclear issue. Trump continues to press the nuclear issue:

US President Donald Trump has again pledged to seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of any agreement over Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Look, we’re going to make sure they don’t have a nuclear weapon or we’re going to have to do something very drastic. I believe when it’s put to the people of our country, they will all agree we cannot let Iran get a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Asked whether Iran could retain its enriched uranium, Trump replied: “No, we will get it. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, we’ll probably destroy it after we get it. But we’re not going to let them have it.”

More...

Antisemitism in Germany ‘worse than any time since the Holocaust,’ annual figures show

Antisemitism in Germany ‘worse than any time since the Holocaust,’ annual figures show

Zev Stub

Germany continues to face persistently high levels of antisemitism, with 2,197 anti-Jewish incidents recorded in Berlin in 2025, according to a reportpublished Wednesday by Germany’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism, known as RIAS.

The figure was down about 13 percent from 2,521 incidents the previous year, but remained more than double pre-October 7, 2023, levels.

In the state of Hesse, RIAS noted a record 1,099 antisemitic incidents in 2025, an 18% increase from the previous year and nearly six times higher than before Hamas launched its war against Israel in late 2023.

“The threat to Jewish life is worse than at any time since the Holocaust,” Hesse antisemitism commissioner Uwe Becker said in a statement following the report.

RIAS highlighted 40 violent incidents in Berlin during the year, including a stabbing attack in February at the Holocaust Memorial in which a young man was wounded in the neck.

That attacker, who carried a written oath of allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group and shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the assault, was later convicted of attempted murder and attempted membership in a foreign terrorist organization, and sentenced to 13 years in prison, the report noted. The man narrowly survived the life-threatening injury after fighting back, fleeing to the edge of the monument, and undergoing emergency surgery.

Other cases involved assaults, victims being punched in the face, spat on, sprayed with chemical irritants, or having religious garments and jewelry violently torn from their bodies.

The report describes an increasingly hostile environment in which Jews and Israelis face harassment, intimidation and violence in public spaces.

RIAS Berlin recorded antisemitic occurrences at 239 public assemblies and rallies in 2025, the highest number ever recorded. The protests frequently featured antisemitic chants, banners equating Zionism or Israel with Nazism, and anti-Jewish slurs woven into public speeches.

Activism categorized as “anti-Israel” accounted for the largest identifiable share of politically motivated incidents, driving 303 cases overall and 179 of the antisemitic rallies. The far-right/right-wing populist spectrum was linked to 123 incidents, primarily taking the form of swastika graffiti and illegal propaganda stickers plastered across outward-lying residential districts.

“These are not isolated events,” the report said. “They point to a societal climate in which antisemitic statements and actions are possible—and too often go unchallenged.”

Board of Peace envoy urges UNSC ‘to use every means at its disposal’ to disarm Hamas

Board of Peace envoy urges UNSC ‘to use every means at its disposal’ to disarm Hamas

REUTERS and TOI STAFF

The Board of Peace’s lead envoy for Gaza called on the UN Security Council on Thursday “to use every means at its disposal” to press Hamas to disarm, warning that failure to do so could see the enclave’s current division could become permanent.

US President Donald Trump set up the Board of Peace to oversee his ambitious plan to end Israel’s two-year war in Gaza that was sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, and rebuild the shattered territory.

But its implementation has stalled, with Hamas refusing to lay down arms and Israel maintaining troops in a large swathe of Gaza representing around 60% of the 365-square-kilometre (140-square-mile) enclave. Even before the war, the territory was one of the most densely populated places in the world.

“The risk is that the deteriorating status quo becomes permanent – a divided Gaza, Hamas holding military and administrative control over 2 million people across less than half the territory,” Nickolay Mladenov, Trump’s Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, told the Security Council in New York.

He said this would lead to another generation of Gazans living in tents and preclude Israeli security and any viable path to Palestinian statehood. “This is a version of the future that Israelis, Palestinians and the region should all fear and all mobilise to avoid,” he said.

His report to the New York body said that Hamas’ refusal to hand over weapons and relinquish control was the “principal obstacle” to implementation. He also recognised continuing Israeli ceasefire violations and deadly strikes while acknowledging a funding gap.

“Reconstruction financing will not follow where weapons have not been laid down. No investment, no movement, no horizon,” Mladenov told the body, which has recognised the board, although not all major powers have joined.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said Mladenov’s remarks were an “attempt to create justifications for the occupation’s escalation against the people of the Gaza Strip and for tightening the siege imposed on them.”

Aid groups say humanitarian supplies into Gaza remain constrained despite guarantees of increased assistance under the ceasefire.

Evacuation warnings

Gaza residents say Israeli forces have in recent days resumed issuing evacuation orders ahead of strikes. Witnesses reported at least three such warnings in the past two days, targeting two homes and a tent encampment.

The orders came at night, forcing dozens of families to flee in the darkness, they said.

On Tuesday, the military ordered displaced families at a tent encampment in the densely populated Mawasi area in Khan Younis to leave before striking a tent, witnesses said. It issued a similar warning in the Bureij camp in northern Gaza before bombing a house, according to witnesses.

Israel’s military did not immediately provide comment on the orders telling people to flee. In the past, it has said that the orders aim to prevent civilian harm when targeting terror groups. It has not said why it might have resumed issuing such orders in Gaza.

Scientists warn: Massive earthquake risk grows for 5 western US states

Scientists warn: Massive earthquake risk grows for 5 western US states

MSN

New geological models and updated hazard assessments from the U.S. Geological Survey and leading universities are once again raising concern across the American West. Scientists say that mounting tectonic pressure along major fault systems is increasing the likelihood of a significant seismic event affecting five states in particular: California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah.

While the idea of “The Big One” has long been part of life on the West Coast, newer data from satellite measurements, deep earth sensors, and paleoseismic studies suggests that both the timing and potential impact of a major rupture may be more serious than earlier estimates indicated.

Here is how seismic risk is unfolding across the most vulnerable regions.

Washington and Oregon: The Cascadia Subduction Zone

For years, California has dominated earthquake discussions, but scientists increasingly point to the Pacific Northwest as the location of the most powerful potential earthquake in the contiguous United States.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone stretches roughly 700 miles from Northern California through Oregon and Washington and up toward Vancouver Island. In this region, the Juan de Fuca plate is slowly sliding beneath the North American plate, locking in place and building extreme stress over time.

Emergency planners warn that the human and infrastructure impact could be severe, with tens of thousands of potential casualties across Oregon and Washington and widespread disruption to transportation, power, and communication systems.

California continues to be the most seismically active state in the lower 48, experiencing thousands of small earthquakes every year. However, scientists note that recent periods of lower activity, including a lack of larger magnitude events in some regions, may indicate that stress is building along major faults.

Particular concern remains focused on the southern section of the San Andreas Fault and the Hayward Fault in the San Francisco Bay Area. These faults are considered heavily locked in several segments, meaning energy is steadily accumulating underground.

The latest seismic hazard models show a significant risk of strong ground shaking affecting major population centers such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. Because of the state’s dense population and infrastructure, even a single large earthquake could lead to massive economic losses and widespread damage affecting millions of residents.

Nevada: Active Crust in the Basin and Range

Nevada is often overlooked in earthquake discussions, yet it ranks among the most seismically active states in the country. The region sits within the Basin and Range province and along the Walker Lane, where the Earth’s crust is slowly stretching and breaking apart.

In recent years, moderate earthquakes, including events near Carson City and Silver Springs, have reminded scientists that the region remains highly active. These quakes are viewed as indicators of ongoing crustal deformation rather than isolated incidents.

Utah: The Overdue Wasatch Fault Zone

Further inland, Utah faces a significant earthquake risk along the Wasatch Fault Zone. This fault runs roughly 240 miles from southern Idaho through central Utah and sits directly beneath the Wasatch Front, where most of the state’s population is concentrated, including Salt Lake City.

Geological evidence shows that this fault typically produces large earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater roughly every 300 to 400 years. Since the last major rupture occurred centuries ago, scientists consider the fault to be overdue for a significant event.

A major earthquake along the Wasatch Front would be especially dangerous due to the concentration of population and the vulnerability of older buildings that were not designed to withstand strong shaking. Experts warn that the resulting damage could make it one of the most costly natural disasters in United States history.

M6.1 earthquake damages buildings and injures 28 in Ica, Peru

M6.1 earthquake damages buildings and injures 28 in Ica, Peru

Teo Blašković

A strong earthquake registered by the IGP as an M6.1 struck near Ica, southern Peru, at 12:57 LT (17:57 UTC) on May 19, 2026, injuring 28 people and damaging homes, schools, health facilities, roads, and other public facilities.

The Instituto Geofísico del Perú (IGP) said the earthquake occurred at 12:57 local time, with the epicenter located 41 km (25 miles) south of Ica, at a depth of 81 km (50 miles). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) registered it as M5.8 at a depth of 56 km (35 miles).

Peru’s National Emergency Operations Center (COEN-INDECI), part of the National Institute of Civil Defense, said that 28 people were injured and damage was recorded across Ica, Ayacucho, and Huancavelica.

Damage reports from housing and local authorities included 1 uninhabitable home in Pueblo Nuevo, 4 affected homes in Ingenio, 1 home with structural damage in Huaytará, several affected homes in Sunampe, and one home in the Ica provincial capital, where a wall collapsed after the shaking. There was no interruption to water, drainage, electricity, telephone, internet, or gas service.

Peru’s Ministry of Health said 2 health establishments were affected, and one of their administrative health offices in Ica.

The Ministry of the Interior reported damage at several sites in Ica, including detached ceiling material at the Technological University of Peru, fallen roof sections and light structures at Megaplaza shopping center, and cracks and broken windows at San Luis Gonzaga National University of Ica.

Transport impacts were concentrated on the PE-28A / Vía Los Libertadores corridor, where multiple rockfalls affected the roadway. The Ministry of Transport and Communications reported restricted traffic on the San Clemente–Huaytará section at km 41. Another section, between San Clemente and Ayacucho at Curva la Z, km 95 in Huaytará, was initially listed as interrupted and later downgraded to restricted traffic.