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According to the Financial Times, the United States will ease its blockade of Iranian ports following an agreement with Iran.

The Pakistan Army stated that the negotiations over the past 24 hours have made encouraging progress and taken an important step toward reaching a final agreement.

On May 23, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghae stated that the core purpose of Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Munir's visit to Iran was to convey and exchange specific information between Iran and the United States. He said, "At this stage, all our core focus is on ending this 'war of imposition'." Baghae indicated that the two sides have held several rounds of intensive exchanges of views on different clauses in the proposal. They have also conducted in-depth discussions on issues where they have serious disagreements. Given the consistently contradictory stance of the United States, Iran cannot currently assert that this negotiation process will undergo a fundamental change. He said, "Our views have indeed converged somewhat, but this does not mean an agreement has been reached; it merely allows us to explore a possible solution."

On May 23, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that the current mediation process with the United States is "time-consuming and laborious" because the US's hostility dates back decades. "We discussed some key points and wording where disagreements remain, and made suggestions, some of which are still under review, with all parties expressing their opinions," the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Baga'e as saying. Baga'e also thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: We are currently focused on finalizing the memorandum of understanding with the United States. Over the past week, the two sides have been getting closer, and we must wait and see what happens in the next three or four days.

Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned gas company, reported that Russia attacked the Naftogaz oil and gas facilities in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: The trend this week is toward reducing differences, but we need to observe the situation over the next few days.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: This is a long process. The United States’ “hostility” towards Iran has been long-standing, so we cannot expect to achieve results in a short period of time.

On May 23, local time, the Iranian military issued a statement emphasizing its readiness to launch a resolute and comprehensive counterattack against any invasion by the enemy.

According to the Financial Times, Uber (UBER.N) and its rival Doordash are both in talks to acquire stakes in European delivery company Delivery Hero.

On May 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a presidential decree imposing sanctions on the Russian "shadow fleet" and Russian personnel involved in the missile attacks on Ukrainian territory. The package of sanctions was adopted by the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council. One resolution targets the Russian "shadow fleet," involving 29 civilian merchant ships that provide supplies and troop deployments to the Russian military. Most of these ships are already under sanctions by the US, EU, and UK, and are considered by many international parties to be part of Russia's military logistical support capacity. Western countries accuse Russia of using commercial vessels such as oil tankers to evade Western sanctions, referring to these vessels as the "shadow fleet." Another sanctions resolution involves 127 Russian personnel who were directly involved in the missile attacks against Ukraine, targeting key infrastructure and civilian facilities within Ukraine, causing serious damage to local livelihoods, social order, and the safety of people's lives and property.

On May 23, the joint China-Nepalese scientific expedition team successfully summited Mount Everest from the Nepalese side and conducted scientific sampling work, including ice core drilling, completing the first-ever drilling of a complete ice core sample from the summit of Mount Everest. Currently, all expedition members have safely descended to the Everest South Base Camp, having collected ice and snow core samples at multiple altitudes during the descent. The samples will be transported to the laboratory according to cryogenic preservation requirements for research on climate and environmental changes, cryosphere changes, and high-altitude atmospheric environmental records in the world's highest region.

On May 23, Changqiao Securities issued further clarification regarding recent regulatory matters concerning cross-border securities business in China. Changqiao Securities stated that the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), among other mainland regulatory authorities, have recently issued new regulatory requirements for cross-border securities business, establishing unified industry-wide standards for related services to mainland investors. These regulatory rules apply to all overseas financial institutions. Changqiao is actively responding to the regulatory guidelines from both regions and will strictly adhere to the relevant requirements to steadily advance its compliance work. Changqiao Securities stated that the scope of accounts targeted for this regulatory cleanup is limited and clearly defined, primarily targeting two types of accounts: investment accounts opened using suspicious or forged documents, and investment accounts with zero balances and no activity. Normal, compliant client accounts with genuine assets and holdings are not within the scope of this cleanup. Changqiao firmly supports the regulator's zero-tolerance attitude towards fraudulent account openings and will strictly handle such cases in accordance with regulatory requirements.

The General Staff of Ukraine stated that Ukraine attacked Russia's Seshkalis Black Sea oil terminal and the nearby Grushnova oil depot.

According to Iranian state television, the chief of the Pakistani army left Tehran after a second meeting with the Iranian foreign minister.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: He reviewed recent bilateral achievements with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as the significant investments made to advance the “500 Mission” (aiming to double bilateral trade by 2030).

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: U.S. energy products have the potential to diversify India’s energy supply.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the United States will not allow Iran to hold global energy markets hostage.

Indian Government: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Modi reiterated India's consistent support for peace efforts and called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.