Iran-US talks continue, no breakthrough yet on war

And Russia uses an Oreshnik missile in a massive strike on Kyiv.

Go beyond the headlines with Reuters on the stories shaping the day. Subscribe for $1/week. Subscribe now. Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Claire Beers Hello. Iran and the US play down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in the war, Russia hits Ukraine with an Oreshnik missile in one of the war's biggest attacks on Kyiv, and Huawei reveals a chip design breakthrough. Plus, Ferrari's Luce leads bold leap into uncertain electric era. Today's Top News   Majid Asgaripour/WANA/REUTERS War in Iran Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said that conclusions ‌have been reached on many topics discussed in a potential memorandum of understanding ⁠with the US, but this does not mean Tehran is close to signing an agreement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US will either have a good agreement with Iran or deal with the country "another way." Two liquefied natural gas tankers are exiting the Strait of Hormuz, heading to ‌Pakistan and China. A supertanker with Iraqi crude for China also left the Gulf on May 23 after being stranded for nearly three months. Donald Trump may have won just about every battle against Iran, but three months after attacking the Islamic Republic he faces a bigger question: Is he losing the war? In other news Russia pounded Kyiv and surrounding areas with hundreds of drones and missiles in one of the heaviest bombardments of the city since the start of the war, firing an Oreshnik hypersonic missile near the capital. Pope Leo urged governments to slow down the development of AI systems in his first major document, warning that they spread misinformation, prioritize conflict and risk leading the world down a path of unending war. Experts trying to prevent a tank holding a toxic and flammable chemical from exploding in Southern California found a "potential ‌crack" in the container that might be reducing the pressure. President Trump appealed for patience from Americans struggling with soaring gas prices as he defended the cost of his White House ballroom, a project critics call a vanity effort. Business & Markets   cnsphoto/REUTERS Chinese coking coal prices soared to their highest in nearly two weeks, as safety checks at coal mines following a ‌deadly accident in a key production hub triggered expectations of tightening supply. Huawei Technologies said its high-end chips will have transistor density equivalent to 1.4-nanometer processes in five years, underscoring Beijing's efforts ‌to neutralize US sanctions that have made it hard for China to build advanced chips. Oil prices fell more than $5 to two-week lows as optimism grew that the US and Iran were moving closer to a ‌peace deal. African leaders and financiers gathered for the African Development Bank's annual meeting as the continent faces shrinking ‌aid flows, with this week's event in the Congo Republic overshadowed by an Ebola outbreak across the border. As its sports-car rivals tap the brakes on a shift to EVs, Ferrari will launch of its first fully electric car, betting ‌it can connect with drivers even without a throaty engine roar. Toshifumi Suzuki, the founder of Seven-Eleven Japan and widely regarded as the father of Japan's convenience-store ‌industry, died of heart failure on May 18 at the age of 93. What is the Oreshnik missile?   REUTERS/Russian Defense Ministry The Oreshnik, whose name means Hazel Tree, is an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile that Russia has fired only once before against Ukraine. Experts say it can carry multiple warheads capable of simultaneously striking different targets.  It also is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, although there was no suggestion of any nuclear component to this weekend's attack on Kyiv. Vladimir Putin has said that the Oreshnik is impossible to intercept and that it has destructive power comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, even when fitted with a conventional warhead. Read more And Finally... Shuetsu Sato, a security guard whose handmade duct-tape signs have gained widespread recognition, poses with duct-tape signs he made. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon One of Japan's most in-demand graphic designers is neither hip nor an artist by training: he’s a septuagenarian security ‌guard who works the graveyard shift at a train station in Tokyo. Shuetsu Sato found his hidden passion when he was asked in 2004 to help travellers navigate the crowded, labyrinthine Shinjuku station. His solution was to make signage out of duct tape. He loved the work, the result was effective, and the station ⁠master kept asking for more. Read more   Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website   Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement. Terms & Conditions   © 2026 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036

Why Trump might be losing the Iran war

And Gaza flotilla activists describe sexual assaults

Stay informed with Reuters. Subscribe for $1/week. Subscribe now. Weekend Briefing Weekend Briefing From Reuters Daily Briefing   By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor Thank you for reading the Weekend Briefing. Anyone who’s applied for a U.S. green card knows it’s not easy. It’s about to get harder. Have a look at our meticulous analysis of the differences between Xi Jinping’s meetings with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. And William Boyd discusses his spy thrillers as well as his creation (and David Bowie’s facilitation) of Nat Tate. Why Trump might be losing the Iran war   Majid Asgaripour/WANA Abroad: Iran is maintaining its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and resisting nuclear concessions. Its government remains largely intact. Doubts are growing that Donald Trump can translate military successes into an outcome he can frame as a geopolitical win. At home: Congressional Republicans are revolting over Trump’s $1.776 billion fund for people he says were victims of government “weaponization.” The friction likely will intensify in the months before midterm elections following primary election victories of Trump-endorsed challengers over sitting Republican lawmakers. And Tulsi Gabbard is quitting her job as director of national intelligence, saying she is leaving to help her husband, who was diagnosed with bone cancer. Gaza flotilla activists describe Israeli abuse, including rape Reports: Activists who were released from Israeli custody said several of their number were hospitalized with injuries. At least 15 reported sexual assaults. Western governments voiced outrage over Israel’s far-right security minister who posted a video of himself taunting the activists while they were pinned to the ground. Money: The head of Trump’s Gaza peace board said there is a funding gap that is preventing action “that delivers on the ground for the people of Gaza.” A board official said the current division of the strip could become permanent, leaving more than 2 million people crowded into less than half their previous territory. Russia hints at retaliation against Baltic states over drones Casus belli: Russia’s ambassador to the U.N. said Ukraine planned to launch military drones from Latvia and other Baltic nations and that Moscow could retaliate despite those countries being NATO members. The Baltic foreign ministers denied what they called Russia’s blatant disinformation campaign. They also say that Russia used electronic jamming to steer Ukrainian drones into their airspace. Underground: Have you seen Finland’s bomb shelters? They’re much bigger than the dugout that your dad built. In fact, one enormous cave carved in bedrock beneath Helsinki can hold up to 6,000 people. Hundreds of foreign delegations have visited the Merihaka shelter and interest in the Finnish companies that outfit these shelters is rising. U.S. extends Ebola travel ban to green card holders The latest: The U.S. banned the entry of lawful permanent residents who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days, citing concerns over the Bundibugyo outbreak. The World Health Organization raised the outbreak risk in the DRC to “very high.” A Congolese province banned funeral wakes to contain the virus’ spread. Hantavirus: Learn more about the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, the lab in Senegal that cracked the case of the shipborne hantavirus outbreak. And just in case you were wondering: The WHO’s comments on the long incubation period of the Andes strain of the virus is based on decades of research, and not a new narrative to justify lockdowns. Also: The Simpsons did not warn us of such an outbreak on an episode that aired 14 years ago. Fashion tycoon’s son named as suspect in father’s death Fatal fall: İsak Andiç died after falling off a cliff while hiking with his son Jonathan near Barcelona in December 2024. A judge said the case is now under investigation as a homicide after first being ruled an accident. The heir to the Mango family fortune held a financial grudge against his father and gave police and emergency services contradictory statements about the day of his father’s death, a judicial writ says. Formula: Nestlé and Danone are facing yet more scrutiny over their handling of infant formula contamination after Belgian, French and Swiss public media said Nestlé delayed alerting authorities about the presence of a toxin in an ingredient in the formula supplied by a Chinese company. Before I forget… A paramilitary commander who was arrested over videos showing him killing civilians left prison and returned to active duty in the Sudanese war. Note: the videos show graphic scenes of violence and cruelty. At least 90 people were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China. Officials ordered tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes in a Los Angeles suburb because of a failing chemical tank that might leak or explode. India is the world’s most populous nation with 1.42 billion people. And yet, some policymakers and Hindu groups say family sizes should increase. Poland’s former justice minister fled to Hungary as, well, a fugitive from justice. He eventually wound up in the U.S. thanks to the intervention of the State Dept., sources say. Bookmark THIS: Amazon will end support for Kindle e-readers released in 2012 and earlier. Loyal customers are not at all happy about it. Same time next year? A bill to make daylight saving time permanent throughout the year in the U.S. passed a House committee 48-1. What do you think? Should we go for it?   Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website   Weekend Briefing is sent once a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement. Terms & Conditions   © 2026 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036