In today's latest world news on May 23rd, notable developments focus on US President Donald Trump holding a meeting with his senior security advisor, Russian President Putin ordering retaliation against Ukraine, the resignation of the US Director of National Intelligence, Iran tightening its control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the methyl methacrylate leak in Orange County.
President Trump met with senior security advisors on the Iran issue.
According to Axios, citing US officials, President Trump convened a meeting of top national security officials to discuss Iran. Attending the meeting were Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and other officials.
US officials say Trump is now seriously considering launching new attacks on Iran if negotiations do not achieve a last-minute breakthrough.
President Donald Trump convened a meeting of top national security officials to discuss Iran. (Source: AP)
Just hours later, the White House unexpectedly changed Trump's weekend schedule. Instead of staying at the Bedminster golf club after his New York speech Friday night, he decided to return to Washington. On the social media platform Truth Social, Trump also announced he would not be attending his son's wedding this weekend for "reasons related to government and love for America."
Trump's meeting coincided with a trip to Tehran by General Asim Munir, the commander of the national army. Munir arrived in Tehran to "join forces" with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who had been there for three days to deploy for the mission. A delegation from Qatar was also in Iran to participate in the mediation.
President Putin orders retaliation against Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the military to prepare response options to Ukraine following a drone attack on a student dormitory. The attack killed six people, injured dozens, and left 15 missing.
According to Putin, the attack targeted a dormitory in the city of Starobilsk, in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. The Russian leader suggested that the Ukrainian side certainly knew exactly what they were aiming for.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military rejected the accusations from Moscow. Kyiv stated that its target was an elite drone command unit operating in the area, while asserting that the Ukrainian military complied with international humanitarian law.
"There are no military bases, special forces units, or related units near the dormitory area. This was not an unintentional attack. The raid took place in three waves, with 16 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting the same location," President Putin said in a statement broadcast on state television.
Putin ordered retaliation against Ukraine following the attack on a school in Lugansk. (Source: Reuters)
Iran tightens control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had coordinated the passage of 26 ships through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours. The IRGC also asserted that Iran maintains control of the strategic waterway despite the US blockade of Iranian ports.
"The transport of goods through the Strait of Hormuz is being carried out with the permission and in coordination of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy," the state news agency ISNA published in a statement.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has published a map outlining its 'administrative jurisdiction' for the controlled area of the Strait of Hormuz. According to this map, ships will not be allowed to enter this area without Iranian approval. The PGSA is a newly established organization by Iran to monitor the Strait of Hormuz.
US Director of National Intelligence resigns.
In a letter to President Donald Trump, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated that her decision to leave her post stemmed from family reasons, as her husband, Abraham Williams, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
"I can't leave my husband to fight his illness alone while I continue to take on a job that demands so much time and effort," she wrote on social media platform X.
President Donald Trump later confirmed the information on the social media platform Truth Social. “Tulsi did a great job and we will always miss her,” he emphasized.
A source familiar with the matter said the White House forced Gabbard out of her position. Previously, Trump had hinted at disagreements with Gabbard over their approach to Iran. In March, he suggested she was "softer" than him in curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The US Director of National Intelligence has unexpectedly resigned. (Source: Reuters)
Orange County evacuates 40,000 people due to toxic chemical leak.
Authorities in Orange County, California, issued an evacuation order for approximately 40,000 residents after determining that a chemical storage tank at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove posed a risk of explosion.
Currently, authorities are unable to control the valves on the methyl methacrylate storage tank – a toxic chemical used in the production of plastics and flexible materials. Authorities warn the situation could escalate seriously if the tank malfunctions.
"This is an extremely toxic chemical. It is highly flammable and in its current state is highly reactive, potentially causing an explosion," OCFA chief Nick Freeman said at a press conference on the afternoon of May 22.
Authorities expanded the evacuation zone from Garden Grove to several neighborhoods in five neighboring cities in Orange County, including Westminster. Both Garden Grove and Westminster are located in Little Saigon, the area with the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam.
Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Orange County's chief medical officer, said the emergency was unprecedented and its outcome was difficult to predict.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/tin-the-gioi-noi-bat-trong-ngay-23-5-ar1019571.html
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