I. Legislative Branch
1) Legislation
House NDAA Includes Measure to Deepen US-Israel Military Cooperation. On May 26, the House Armed Services Committee released its version of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. Section 224 of the bill, titled the “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” would require the Secretary of War to designate an “executive agent” responsible for coordinating bilateral defense technology research, development, testing, evaluation, integration, and industrial cooperation between the two countries. The measure would also extend cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber defense, and joint weapons production.
2) Personnel and Correspondence
Shaheen Urges Deescalation in Lebanon, Continued Support for LAF. On May 28, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) expressed concern over continued hostilities in Lebanon despite the ceasefire and ongoing negotiations, urging all parties to deescalate. She also called for sustained US support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
Trump Threatens to “Blow Up” Oman Over Strait of Hormuz. On May 27, President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting at the White House where he said talks with Iran were ongoing but the door was open to resume fighting if necessary. He added that November’s midterm elections would not pressure him into rushing a deal to end the war. Trump also reiterated his call for more countries, including Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, to join the Abraham Accords as part of the deal to end the war with Iran.
During the Cabinet meeting, Trump also warned that the United States would attack Oman if it sought to jointly control the Strait of Hormuz with Iran, stating that it would have to “behave or we’ll have to blow ’em up.”
United States and Iran Reportedly Reach Tentative Deal. On May 28, The Guardian reported that the Trump administration had circulated among allies, including Israel, a draft agreement to end the war with Iran. The proposal reportedly would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, lift the US blockade on Iranian ports, and grant Iran access to up to $12 billion in frozen assets. It also envisioned commercial traffic through the strait returning to pre-war levels within 30 days, alongside negotiations lasting up to 60 days on the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
That same day, Vice President JD Vance said that the United States and Iran were close to a deal but that the two sides remained divided over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and the question of enrichment.
Later that day, US and Iranian negotiators reportedly reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and begin a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, though the deal still required President Trump’s final approval.
Trump’s Meeting to Make “Final Determination” on Iran Deal Ends Without Decision. On May 29, President Trump said on Truth Social that he was meeting with senior officials in the White House Situation Room to make a “final determination” on an agreement to end the Iran war, but no decision was publicly announced after the roughly two-hour meeting.
In the post, Trump reiterated that Iran must agree never to obtain a nuclear weapon and called for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen to unrestricted shipping traffic. He also said that Iran would remove any remaining mines from the strait and that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports “will now be lifted,” though it was not immediately clear whether Iran had agreed to these steps.
Trump further said that the United States, in coordination with Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, would extract and destroy Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles. He added that “no money will be exchanged [for Iran], until further notice.” Meanwhile, Iran has rejected such terms and reportedly has insisted that meaningful negotiations cannot move forward until it gains access to $12 billion of its frozen assets held in foreign banks.
On May 30, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the United States has more than sufficient weapons stockpiles and is “more than capable” of resuming the war with Iran. He also said that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports remained in place.
On May 31, Axios reported that Trump had delayed his decision on the proposed memorandum of understanding after demanding additional concessions on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump Names Barrack Special Presidential Envoy for Syria, Iraq. On May 29, Secretary Rubio said that Thomas Barrack’s title as special envoy to Syria was expiring, but that he would “continue to play a leading role for the Trump Administration in both Syria and Iraq.” On May 31, President Trump announced that Barrack would be named special presidential envoy to both Syria and Iraq while retaining his post as US ambassador to Turkey. Barrack has served as special envoy to Syria since May 2025 and takes over the Iraq portfolio from former Special Envoy Mark Savaya, who recently left the post.
2) Department of State
Rubio Speaks with Lebanese President. On May 29, Secretary Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to discuss direct negotiations with Israel and to reaffirm US support for the Lebanese government.
Rubio Meets with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister on Iran. On May 29, Secretary Rubio met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Washington, DC, and thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts with Iran.
3) Department of War
CENTCOM Says Iran’s Attack on Kuwait Was an “Egregious Ceasefire Violation.” On May 28, CENTCOM accused Iran of breaching the temporary ceasefire with a ballistic missile fired toward Kuwait on May 27, which Kuwaiti forces intercepted. CENTCOM said that the missile came hours after Iran launched five one-way attack drones toward the Strait of Hormuz, all of which were intercepted by US forces.
Iran’s strikes followed US airstrikes on Iran the previous day, which hit a military site that had reportedly threatened civilian vessels in the strait. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the missile launch was a response to that US “aggression.”
4) Department of the Treasury
Treasury Sanctions Iran’s Strait Authority as Bessent Warns Oman Over Hormuz Tolls. On May 27, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Iran’s newly formed Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Tehran created to control civilian vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The Treasury called the body an IRGC attempt “to monetize its campaign of state-sponsored terror by extorting vessels” transiting the strait.
The next day, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent threatened to target Oman if it helped Iran impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that sanctions would apply to any parties involved.
United States Imposes Fresh Sanctions on Iran’s Military Oil Sales. On May 28, OFAC sanctioned a network facilitating Iranian military oil sales, covert crude and petroleum exports that Iran’s military oversees directly. OFAC accused the network of helping to fund the rebuilding of Iran’s armed forces and of threatening regional security. Concurrently, the Department of State sanctioned multiple entities, individuals, and vessels involved in Iran’s shadow oil and petrochemical trade.
Treasury Sanctions Network Accused of Defrauding US Firms to Supply Iran’s Military. On May 29, OFAC sanctioned an Iran-based procurement network accused of impersonating and defrauding US companies to obtain restricted goods for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and other sanctioned Iranian entities.
