ALL HANDS ON DECK: As the war in Iran is reaching the three-month mark, President Donald Trump has yet to reach an agreement on a memorandum of understanding that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide a framework for intense 60-day negotiations on ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions and recovering its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Trump was uncharacteristically quiet on his social media platform Truth Social, posting mostly about the Texas primary results (“so much winning”) and announcing his 11 a.m. all-hand Cabinet meeting would be held at the White House instead of Camp David because of “possible bad weather conditions.”
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While Trump has variously predicted an imminent agreement with the Iranians and insisted negotiations were “proceeding nicely,” Iran has shown no willingness to give up control of the Strait of Hormuz even if it reopens, and is demanding the U.S. unfreeze $12 billion of $24 billion of Iranian assets as a condition of signing the MoU.
In an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show last night, former Army Vice Chief retired Gen. Jack Keane said it’s clear the Iranians are not negotiating in good faith. “I mean obviously if they were out mining the Straits of Hormuz, it kind of gives you a sense that how serious [they] are.”
“Clearly the Iranians are trying to hedge their bets here and put more pressure on the U.S.,” former I.S. Central Commander retired Gen. Joseph Votel said on Fox News’s “America Reports.”
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE US-IRAN PEACE DEAL BEING NEGOTIATED
ISW: ‘A MAJOR IMPASSE IN TALKS’: The latest assessment from the Institute for the Study of War concludes the talks are at a “major impasse,” because Iran refuses to discuss its nuclear program without economic relief up front, while the U.S. is insisting that there will be no unfreezing of Iranian assets without serious commitments from Iran on its nuclear program.
“Iran and the United States have not bridged key differences on all the major demands in the US-Iran talks,” the ISW assessed. “Iranian regime media on May 25 insisted that the United States observe Iran’s right to enrich uranium on Iranian territory.”
“The two sides remain far apart on the Strait of Hormuz, as well,” the ISW said. “Iranian officials continue to state Iran will only reopen the strait to civilian ships under ‘Iranian arrangements,’ and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s guidance to the Iranian government on May 25 said Iran must leverage the strait for economic gain.”
According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps media, Iran is demanding that the U.S. immediately release the first half of frozen Iranian assets upon signing the agreement and the second half of the assets within 60 days.
“The Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson explicitly said that Iran would use its unfrozen assets to reconstitute and improve the ballistic missile and drone programs,” the ISW said.
OPINION: WHY DOESN’T TRUMP JUST FINISH THE JOB IN IRAN?
LEBANON AND NETANYAHU: Iran is also demanding an end to the war “on all fronts,” including Lebanon, while at the same time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the Israeli military is “deepening its operation” against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group in Lebanon.
While Iran insisted that any ceasefire agreement must include Lebanon, the U.S. official said any deal must guarantee Israel’s right to act against imminent threats in self-defense.
“Netanyahu has refused to end Israeli operations in Lebanon. Hezbollah has similarly refused to end operations absent a complete Israeli withdrawal, which means that for a successful agreement, Israel must also withdraw from Lebanon,” the ISW assessed.
“Israeli sources reported that Trump agreed with Netanyahu’s position,” while according to the ISW, “the Iranian rendering of the alleged terms of the framework agreement are at odds with both Israel and Trump’s position.”
ISRAEL ATTACKS HAMAS LEADER IN GAZA AIRSTRIKE AFTER ONE WEEK ON THE JOB
Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com.
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leaves for Singapore this morning for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a gathering of defense and national security leaders from the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Hegseth is scheduled to give “plenary remarks,” which the Pentagon said will be “focused on the Department’s forward-looking, common-sense approach to safeguarding U.S. vital national interests in the Indo-Pacific.” His speech, titled “United States’ Strategy for Peace in the Indo-Pacific,” is scheduled for 8:35 a.m. Saturday Singapore time, 8:35 p.m. Friday Washington Time.
In last year’s speech, Hegeseth called on “allies and partners” to “strengthen their own defense capabilities,” to work more capably with the U.S. “as partners, not dependents.”
“Ultimately, a strong, resolute, and capable network of allies and partners is our key strategic advantage,” Hegseth said. “But it’s up to all of us to ensure that we live up to that potential by investing. U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific can, and should, quickly upgrade their own defenses.”
WHOOPI GOLDBERG QUESTIONS PETE HEGSETH’S KNOWLEDGE OF MILITARY HISTORY
NDAA: $1.14 TRILLION, BUT THAT’S NOT ALL: The House Armed Services Committee released what’s called the “Chairman’s Mark,” of the annual defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, which lays out spending priorities for Fiscal Year 2027, which begins Oct. 1.
It’s the House version of the bill, which will eventually have to be reconciled with the Senate version. It calls for a record $1.14 trillion in military spending, with the balance of President Trump’s desired $1.5 trillion to be made up by funds from a $350 billion reconciliation budget bill that Republicans can pass with a simple majority in the Senate.
The bill includes funding for Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative and the so-called Trump-class future battleships, as well as language that mirrors this year’s law, which requires a detailed risk assessment before reducing troop levels in Europe below 76,000.
Additionally, it would require that before withdrawing any U.S. troops, the Pentagon would have to show that “repositioning such personnel or equipment to NATO’s eastern flank was not feasible.”
The 2027 NDAA is scheduled to be marked up by the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday, June 4, at 10:00 a.m.
HOUSE NDAA SAFEGUARDS TROOP WITHDRAWALS
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: House NDAA safeguards troop withdrawals
Washington Examiner: Ukraine faces loss of half its heavy ammunition supply after Czech-backed coalition fractures
Washington Examiner: What we know about the US-Iran peace deal being negotiated
Washington Examiner: Israel attacks Hamas leader in Gaza airstrike after one week on the job
Washington Examiner: CENTCOM refutes claims that Navy resumed escorting vessels through Strait of Hormuz
Washington Examiner: North Korea carrying out new weapons demonstrations, South Korea warns
Washington Examiner: Whoopi Goldberg questions Pete Hegseth’s knowledge of military history
Washington Examiner: CBP defends mission as central to US in America 250 message
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Why doesn’t Trump just finish the job in Iran?
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Is Trump blinking on Iran?
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Trump should warn of military response to any Russian attack on US Embassy
Wall Street Journal: Pentagon Cuts Forces Earmarked for Europe in Event of Crisis
AP: Iran condemns US strikes as a show of ‘bad faith’ and begins restoring internet after long shutdown
U.K. Telegraph: Iran will sign peace deal only if US releases $24bn of frozen assets
Wall Street Journal: Iran Pursues Deal That Brings Economic Relief Without Handing Trump Victory
The New Yorker: The Epic Disaster of Operation Epic Fury
Financial Times: Nine countries pull out of Ukraine ammunition coalition
Financial Times: Trump’s Board of Peace fund is empty
AP: Trump administration proposes NDAs for federal employees to stop media leaks
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Draft NDAA Would Authorize Multiyear Buys for F-35, F-15EX
Defense One: HASC Still Waiting for Updated E-7 Wedgetail Funding Request
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New F-15E Depot Line Will Speed Up Installs of EW System
Breaking Defense: Air Force Sees Another Year Delay for Next-Gen Engines
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USSF Gives SpaceX $2.29 Billion for ‘Backbone’ of New Data Network
Task & Purpose: Green Berets Tested Glider Drones for Supply Drops During a Massive Special Operations Exercise
Air & Space Forces Magazine: T-7 Simulator Blurs the Lines Between Live and Virtual Flying
DefenseScoop: Why DARPA Just Renamed and Reshaped 2 Key Technology Offices
THE CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY | MAY 27
8:30 a.m. 12120 Sunset Hills Rd, Suite 330, Reston, Va. — National Defense Industrial Association Arsenal Forum: “Strategy to Budget: Strengthening collaboration and mutual understanding across the defense industrial base,” with Austin Dahmer, deputy undersecretary of defense for policy; Jules Hurst, undersecretary of defense and CFO. https://www.ndia.org/events/2026/5/27/the-arsenal-forum
10 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace book discussion: Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and U.S.-Russia Relations After the Cold War, with former Deputy NATO Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller, nonresident senior fellow at the CEIP Nuclear Policy Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/05/space-nuclear-weapons
11 a.m. — Foreign Policy virtual discussion: “Surviving a World Without Rules,” with Mark Leonard, director, European Council on Foreign Relations; and Ravi Agrawal, editor in chief of Foreign Policy https://foreignpolicy.com/live/mark-leonard-surviving-chaos
THURSDAY | MAY 28
9 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Protecting Taiwan’s Information and Communication Networks from China’s Attempts to Cut Them Off,” with Bethany Allen, head of China investigations and analysis for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Cyber, Technology and Security Program; Kitsch Liao, associate director, Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub; Bryce Barros, associate fellow of GLOBSEC’s GeoTech Center; Ryan Claffey, research assistant for the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program; and Jacob Stokes, senior fellow and deputy director, CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program https://events.cnas.org/taiwansinformationandcommunication
11 a.m. Colorado Springs, Colo. — Vice President JD Vance delivers the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy
1:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “The Quad Convenes: Priorities, Partnerships and the Indo-Pacific,” with Luke Collin, principal at the Asia Group; Nishank Motwani, senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute; Tanvi Madan, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Asia Policy Studies; and Richard Rossow, CSIS chair on India and emerging Asia economics https://www.csis.org/events/quad-convenes
FRIDAY | MAY 29
7 p.m. 610 St. SW — Politics & Prose book discussion: The Theater: Courage and Survival in the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War, with James Verini, writer, the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine and National Geographic; William Taylor, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine; and Ukraine Ambassador to the U.S. Olga Stefanishyna; https://politics-prose.com/james-verini-052926
