Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, released two Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt. The hostages, Nurit Yitzhak and Yocheved Lifshitz, were released for humanitarian and medical reasons, after Israel initially declined their release request. This comes in the midst of ongoing conflicts between Israel and Palestine, and Hamas had previously released other hostages, including an Israeli mother and her children, and a U.S. citizen mother and daughter.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi issued a stern warning to the UK, Germany, and France, accusing them of making a “new strategic mistake” regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. In a social media post, Arakchi said, “Iran will give a tough and determined response to the violation of its rights,” criticizing the European trio for backing a resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors.
Arakchi condemned the move as baseless, recalling past disputes in 2005 which led to the expansion of Iran’s uranium enrichment. “Have these three really not learned any lessons in the last twenty years?” he said.
Meanwhile, the IAEA reported on May 31 that Iran’s 60% enriched uranium stockpile had grown from 274.8 kg in February to 408.6 kg by May 17. In response, the UK, Germany, and France are reportedly preparing to refer Iran’s file to the UN Security Council, which could activate the “snapback” mechanism and reimpose UN sanctions.
TR