Around the World in 5 – 12
“The timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness,
And knows that yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream.”
Monday, 2 June 2025, marked a setback in American-Iranian cooperation on uranium enrichment. Senior Iranian officials told CNN that the White House’s new nuclear deal proposal was “incoherent and disjointed.” The proposal suggests a shift in US policy on Iranian nuclear enrichment, outlining the US’s potential investment in Iran’s civilian nuclear power programme and participation in a consortium to oversee the process. The consortium is said to include multiple Middle Eastern nations and the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Previous US administrations had insisted that enrichment could not take place within Iran under any terms—a position strongly opposed by Tehran. In response to Washington’s proposal, Iranian officials stated they remain open to the consortium but insist on retaining control over their enrichment capabilities.
Across the Atlantic, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accepted all 62 recommendations outlined in the Strategic Defence Review. The government has pledged billions to bring the UK to “war-fighting readiness” in response to threats from nuclear powers such as Russia and China. The approved policies include the development of a new “hybrid navy” comprising AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels to patrol the North Atlantic. Approximately £17 billion will be spent on the development of nuclear warheads, new factories to maintain “always-on” munitions production capacities, 7,000 long-range weapons, and upgraded cyber and electromagnetic capabilities. Notably, the government has also committed to increasing the number of full-time soldiers from 74,400 to 76,000.
Multiple sources in Mali have reported that Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist groups in the Sahel region attacked a military base on Sunday, resulting in multiple casualties. In an escalation of violence, renewed attacks were launched today on a Malian military airport, alongside targeted strikes against Russian mercenaries in the northern city of Timbuktu. Conflict between Malian security forces and Islamic militant groups has been rising since 2012, when clashes began following a military coup that overthrew the Malian government.
In the halls of the Çırağan Palace in Istanbul, Ukrainian and Russian delegations resumed a second round of talks. Both parties agreed to a prisoner-of-war exchange involving 6,000 soldiers killed in combat; all wounded soldiers under the age of 25 will also be mutually exchanged. Despite this progress, negotiations stalled once again after Russia rejected a motion for an unconditional ceasefire. Instead, they proposed a limited pause in fighting, which was rejected by Ukrainian officials. Talks concluded with Russia presenting new terms required for its withdrawal, and the Ukrainian delegation requesting a week to review and respond to the document. Further negotiations have been proposed between 20 and 30 June. These discussions appear to be the most viable diplomatic channel between the two sides at present.
Turning to Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Manet has announced that the government will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice over border disputes with Thailand, following the killing of a Cambodian soldier by Thai forces during a frontier clash. Hostilities along the border have continued sporadically since 2008, resulting in the deaths of 28 soldiers. The 800-kilometre-long border—originally drawn during the French occupation of Indochina—remains a flashpoint, exploited by extremist groups in both nations to incite further conflict.
At the Mosque Door, Osman Hamdi Bey, c.1891.
