White House post 1-SECOND nuclear B-2 launch seen as restart of Iran war https://t.co/7bjlEBDi2G pic.twitter.com/ypzmXpFcix

— RT (@RT_com) May 23, 2026

While there are indications pointing to a possible announcement of a preliminary memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States, Iran is also prepared for the possibility of the talks failing at this stage. | Iran’s Armed Forces, taking into account the record of war-mongering and crimes by the US government and the possibility of any hostile action from it as well as the Zionist regime, always remain in full readiness regardless of the status of negotiations. ● A military source recently told Tasnim that if the Americans once again make a miscalculation and resort to aggression or criminal actions against Iran, they will face “Iran’s third version of confrontation”, which will differ from the previous two wars in terms of strategy, tactics, objectives, and equipment.

■ IRGC Warns of ‘Hellish’ Response to Any New Aggression against Iran (Tasnim)
■ Iran "Fully Rejects" Alleged Peace Deal With 60-day Ceasefire (Hal Turner) [?]

Moscow is taking action in response to “atrocities” perpetrated by Kiev in Lugansk, the former UN weapons inspector has said | Footage of the Russian strike near Ukrainian capital, Kiev, indicates that an Oreshnik missile was likely deployed by Moscow, former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter has said. ● On Sunday night, Ukrainian media outlets and Telegram channels claimed that Russia fired its state-of-the-art intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik system at an unspecified target in the town of Belaya Tserkov in Kiev Region. They published footage showing clusters of bright objects rapidly descending from the skies. The Defense Ministry in Moscow has not officially confirmed the use of the munition. ● The reported strike came after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Defense Ministry to “submit proposals” for a response to a Ukrainian drone attack on a teacher training school dormitory in the Lugansk People’s Republic on Friday, which killed 21 people, mostly teenage girls, and left 42 others wounded. ● In his interview with RT, Ritter, who is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, said that

■ Сигнал Западу: «Орешник» уничтожил производства «Фламинго» и «Нептунов» (aif.ru)
■ Videos of the Oreshnik missile strike on Bila Tserkva from different angles have surfaced online
■ Signal to the West: "Oreshnik" destroyed the production of "Flamingos" and "Neptunes" (Pravda EN)

The possible use of the Oreshnik is also a signal to the West as “an entire system… exists beyond Ukraine’s borders into Europe and perhaps… into the US that facilitates and empowers” Kiev’s drone attacks in Lugansk and elsewhere inside Russia, he added.

■ Russia’s reported Oreshnik response to Ukraine’s dorm strike ‘justified’ – US journalist (RT)
■ 21 confirmed killed as search op concludes after Ukrainian strike on Russian school dorm (05/23/26)

Larry Johnson is a former CIA intelligence analyst who also worked at the U.S. State Department's Office of Counterterrorism. Johnson discusses why the U.S. cannot win on the battlefield, why a peace agreement will radically reduce U.S. influence in the Middle East, while a continued ceasefire/blockade will push the global economy over the edge. Read Larry Johnson's Sonar21: https://sonar21.com/