Iran says U.S. violating ceasefire as Trump seeks

What to know about the Iran war today:Iran accused the U.S. Tuesday of a "grave violation" of the two countries'fragile ceasefireafter the U.S. military said "self-defense strikes" overnight targeted Iranian forces, but with "restraint."Secretary of State Marco Rubio said anagreement with Iranwas still possible, adding that President Trump wanted to either "make a good deal," or no deal at all.Rescue workers pulled a dozen bodies from rubble after an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon, state media said Tuesday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had authorized more intense strikes against Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Iran calls U.S. strikes "grave violation" of ceasefire, says it won't leave "any act of hostility unanswered"

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Iran's Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. on Tuesday of a "grave violation of the ceasefire" for launching attacks overnight on southern Iran, including strikes on boats in the Strait of Hormuz that state media said had killed at least four members of the Islamic Republic's naval forces.

The U.S. military's Central Command said it carried out "self-defense strikes" to protect forces in the region, targeting missile launch sites and boats trying to lay sea mines.

Iran said the U.S. "committed a grave violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region" with the strikes.

"The commission of these acts of aggression, coinciding with the ongoing diplomatic process mediated by Pakistan, once again exposes the ill intent and bad faith of the U.S. ruling establishment to the people of Iran, the people of the region, and the international community," the ministry said in its statement.

The ministry added that Iran "holds the U.S. regime fully responsible for all consequences arising from these acts of aggression. Undoubtedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave any act of hostility unanswered and will not hesitate in defending Iran's sovereignty."

Iran again warns response to any "future aggression" will go "beyond the region's borders"

Iran's response to any "future aggression" from the U.S. or Israel will take the war "beyond the region's borders," a spokesperson for the Iranian military has warned, repeating a vague threat by the regime to extend retaliatory attacks.

Speaking Qatar's state-owned Al Jazeera network on Monday, Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi also said Iran is not seeking to develop nuclear weapons, arguing that the country's conventional arsenal makes it unnecessary.

"Our response to any future aggression will be different from what came before and will go beyond the boundaries of the region," he said.

"We are not seeking to build nuclear weapons," Shekarchi added. "We possess conventional weapons that eliminate any need for them."

He spoke hours before American forces struck sites in southern Iran. U.S. Central Command called the overnight attacks "self-defense strikes" carried out "using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire."

China urges "parties concerned" to observe ceasefire after U.S. strikes on Iran

China on Tuesday urged "parties concerned" to respect a fragile ceasefire in the Iran war, after the U.S. military said it had conducted overnight "self-defense strikes" against missile sites in southern Iran, as well as boats purportedly trying to lay sea mines.

"We urge the parties concerned to fulfil their ceasefire commitments, resolve disputes through peaceful means... and promote the early restoration of peace," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news briefing when asked for China's reaction.

Iran says four navy personnel killed by overnight U.S. airstrikes in southern Iran

A Telegram channel affiliated with Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) identified four navy personnel it says were killed in overnight U.S. airstrikes in southern Iran.

It named the four men as Abbas Eslami, Ghodrat Zarangari, Abdolreza Golzari, and Hossein Sotoudeh. Sotoudeh had been "due to hold his wedding ceremony in the coming days," according to the channel, which posted a photograph of him.

The U.S. military's Central Command said early Tuesday that American forces had carried out "self-defense strikes … to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces."

CENTCOM said the U.S. strikes had hit targets including "Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines."

Iran's semi-official SNN news agency reported that the "American–Zionist enemy" carried out an attack on vessels south of the country's Larak Island, in the Strait of Hormuz.

"According to local sources, last night American–Zionist fighter jets targeted several Iranian vessels south of Larak Island," SNN reported, adding that "several of our compatriots have been martyred in these attacks."

Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it shot down U.S. drone over country's airspace

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard said Tuesday that it had downed a U.S. drone and shot at other aircraft entering the country's airspace.

US military aircraft "entered Iranian airspace in the Persian Gulf region, and air defense units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ... identified and shot down an MQ-9 drone," the Guard said in a statement on its Sepah News website.

People hold portraits of the dead at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Mosque to commemorate those killed in the current US-Israeli war as well as previous wars on May 24, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. / Credit: Majid Saeedi/Getty

The Guards forces "also fired upon an RQ-4 drone and an intruding F-35 fighter jet," the statement said, without specifying when the incidents took place.

The U.S. haslost at least 16 MQ-9 Reaper drones over Iransince the war began, and three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a "friendly fire incident" early in the conflict, but there were no casualties. Depending on the variant, MQ-9 drones can carry a price tag of more than $30 million for the U.S. taxpayer.

Iran's supreme leader says "Death to America" and pledges region's nations will "no longer serve as shields" for U.S. bases

Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Tuesday that "Death to America" and Israel would become "common slogans" worldwide and that countries in the region would no longer be "shields" for U.S. bases, in a written statement commemorating Hajj carried by state television.

"What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn backwards, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases," said Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since he took office in March, in a message marking the Eid al-Adha holiday.

He said the United States was losing influence in the region, "moving further and further away from its former status with each passing day."

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"In different parts of Iran and the world, and after these blessed days, 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel' shall become the common slogan of the Islamic Ummah and the oppressed people of the world," he added, "especially the youth."

The remarks come as Iran and the United States continued exchanges aimed at reaching a deal to end the war that began on February 28 and spread across the region

U.S. intelligence shows that Khamenei is effectivelyholed up in an undisclosed locationwith little access to the outside world and is only reached by a labyrinth of couriers, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.

He was injured in initial U.S. and Israeli strikes in the Mideast war, U.S. intelligence has said.

Israeli strike on village in eastern Lebanon kills 12, state-run news agency says

An Israeli airstrike on a village in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people, the country's state-run National News Agency said Tuesday.

The strike late Monday in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley area came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had authorized more intense strikes targeting the Hezbollah militant group across Lebanon. The Israeli military didn't comment on this particular strike but said Monday that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in eastern Lebanon.

Rescue workers say a dozen bodies were pulled out of rubble following an intense wave of overnight strikes targeting swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon.

The intensified attacks come three days before Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are set to meet in Washington for direct talks.

Hezbollah is attacking Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israeli towns and has vowed to continue fighting until Israel stops its daily airstrikes and withdraws its troops from the country.

The Lebanese government hopes that the direct talks with Israel, opposed by Hezbollah, will lead to a ceasefire.

Over one million people in Lebanon have been displaced in the war, which was sparked by Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran.

Rubio says Strait of Hormuz strait will reopen "one way or the other"

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted Tuesday that the blockaded Strait of Hormuz will reopen "one way or the other," afterfresh U.S. strikes on Irancast doubt on an accord to end the Mideast war.

"The straits have to be open. They're going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open," Rubio told reporters in the city of Jaipur, during an official visit to India.

"What's happening there is unlawful, it's illegal, it's unsustainable for the world, it's unacceptable," he said.

Rubio says Iran deal still possible within days despite U.S. strikes

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said early Tuesday that a deal with Iran was still possible despite new American strikes that cast doubt on their fragile ceasefire.

"There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we'll see if we can make progress. I think it's a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it'll take a few days," Rubio told reporters in Jaipur during an official visit to India.

"The president's expressed his desire to make it. He's either going to make a good deal or no deal," he said.

U.S. carries out "self-defense" strikes, CENTCOM says

U.S. forces on Monday launched "self-defense strikes" in southern Iran, U.S. Central Command said.

"U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement. "Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire."

The strikes follow Hezbollah saying it staged several attacks on Monday on three barracks and a military post in northern Israel "in response to the violation of the ceasefire" by the Jewish state.

Trump says Iran should destroy enriched uranium under international oversight

President Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday that he wants the International Atomic Energy Agency to be present if Iran disposes of its highly-enriched uranium inside the country or "at another acceptable location."

"The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event," the president said in a post.

A senior Trump administration officialsaid over the weekend that Iran agreed in principleto dispose of highly-enriched uranium innegotiations with the U.S.and that officials were still working through details of the mechanism for the disposal.

Top Iranian officials in Qatar for talks, sources say

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf are in Doha, Qatar for peace talks, a diplomat briefed on the visit and a source familiar with the matter told CBS News.

Their visit comes as CBS News previously reported the details of adraft memorandumfor Iran to review.

Iran says U.S. violating ceasefire as Trump seeks "good deal or no deal"

What to know about the Iran war today:Iran accused the U.S. Tuesday of a "grave violation" of the two countries'fragile c...
Knicks take the East, Cavs face a crossroads & NBA Draft questions with Sam Vecenie + Alex Karaban talks UConn

Kevin O’Connor reacts to the Knicks sweeping the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Are we underestimating the Knicks? And what’s next for Cleveland?

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Kevin is joined by Sam Vecenie to talk all things NBA Draft. They discuss the best fits for top prospects, players we’re underestimating, and which guys should stay in the draft vs. return to school.

Later, UConn’s Alex Karaban joins to talk his game & NBA Draft hopes.

(0:29) Knicks sweep Cavs in East Finals

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(16:10) NBA Draft questions with Sam Vecenie

(59:18) NBA’s 3-2-1 lottery oversight

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CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 25: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Bob Cousy Trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 in Game Four of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 25, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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Knicks take the East, Cavs face a crossroads & NBA Draft questions with Sam Vecenie + Alex Karaban talks UConn

Kevin O’Connor reacts to the Knicks sweeping the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Are we underestimating the Knicks? And wha...
Japan's Ryuichi Oiwa fires 61 to qualify for U.S. Open

Japan's Ryuichi Oiwa carded a 61 in the second round on Monday and joined two countrymen in claiming spots in next month's U.S. Open.

Field Level Media

Oiwa finished the 36-hole qualifying event in Hino, Japan, at 12-under 128, one stroke ahead of Kaito Onishi and two ahead of Taihei Sato.

Fourth- and fifth-place finishers Riki Kawamoto and Taichi Nabetani, also of Japan, are the first and second alternates for the June 18-21 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.

Oiwa, 28, is ranked No. 378 in the world and competes on the Japan Tour. This is the first time he has qualified for a Grand Slam tournament.

Oiwa opened with a 3-under 67 at the Hino Golf Club's King Course that included five birdies and a double-bogey at the par-4 14th hole. He delivered nine birdies in a bogey-free second round, including three in a row at Nos. 15-1.

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Onishi, 27, is ranked No. 811 in the world and has competed in 32 events on the PGA Tour. He currently competes on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he won the UNC Health Championship tournament in 2024.

Onishi got to 11-under with rounds of 64 and 65 on Monday, overcoming a double-bogey at the par-4 13th hole in his second round with birdies at Nos. 14, 16 and 17.

Sato, 32, is No. 424 in the world rankings. He captured his first title on the Japan Tour at the Fortinet Players Cup in 2025.

Sato finished at 10-under after shooting 66 and 64. His wild opening round included two bogeys, three birdies and an eagle on the front nine.

--Field Level Media

Japan's Ryuichi Oiwa fires 61 to qualify for U.S. Open

Japan's Ryuichi Oiwa carded a 61 in the second round on Monday and joined two countrymen in claiming spots in next month's U.S....
Aleksandar Rakic makes heavyweight debut vs. Marcin Tybura at UFC Belgrade

Aleksandar Rakic will seek new life at heavyweight.

USA TODAY

Rakic (14-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) takes on perennial contender Marcin Tybura (27-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 283 on Aug. 1 from Belgrade Arena in Serbia, promotion officialsannouncedMonday.

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Rakic has lost four straight – the first skid of his career. The 34-year-old Serbian fighter is coming off a TKOloss to Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 321this past October. His prior three losses came to former UFC champions Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka andMagomed Ankalaev. He hasn't won a fight in more than five years.

Tybura has split his past four appearances. After picking up wins over Jhonata Diniz and Mick Parkin, the 40-year-old dropped two straight against Ante Delija, and most recently Tyrell Fortune at UFC Fight Night 271 in March.

The current lineup for UFC Fight Night 283 includes:

  • Uros Medic vs. Daniel Rodriguez

  • Aleksandar Rakic vs. Marcin Tybura

  • Dusko Todorovic vs. Robert Valentin

  • Max Gimenis vs. Jovan Leka

  • Vlasto Cepo vs. Gilbert Urbina

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie:UFC Belgrade: Aleksandar Rakic draws Tybura in heavyweight debut

Aleksandar Rakic makes heavyweight debut vs. Marcin Tybura at UFC Belgrade

Aleksandar Rakic will seek new life at heavyweight. Rakic (14-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) takes on perennial contender Marcin Tybura (27-11 M...
“Law & Order: SVU ”Showrunner Michele Fazekas Gets Real About Benson and Stabler's Future (Exclusive)

Law & Order: SVU showrunner Michele Fazekas reflects on the enduring fan interest around a relationship between Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler

People Michele Fazekas; Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson for Law & OrderCredit: Katie Jones/Variety via Getty; Eric Liebowitz/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni originated the characters when the NBC show premiered in 1999

  • Fazekas would love to include Meloni in SVU storylines, but says his busy schedule often poses a challenge

Showrunner Michele Fazekas knows whatLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitfans want most.

When asked if there's a storyline she's still eager to explore, the showrunner thought of one original character in particular.

"Obviously, everyone's always asking me about Stabler, and I love[Christopher] Meloni. I would use him as much as he wants to. I tried to!" Fazekas tells PEOPLE.

Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler in 'Law and Order SVU'.Credit: NBCU Photo Bank ; Peter Kramer/NBC via Getty

Meloni portrayed Det. Elliot Stabler—famously, Olivia Benson's "partner for life" — from the show's premiere in 1999 until he left the series in 2011. He reprised his role in 2021 for the spinoff seriesLaw & Order: Organized Crime, which ran for five seasons on NBC and Peacock.

PEOPLE confirmed in April thatOCwould not be returning for a sixth season.

“I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans, who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back,"Meloni said in an Instagram video shortly after the news broke.

“Good ride," he added, as his eyes appeared to well up. "It was a good ride, I had a great time playing him. It was a great ride, but thank you. You helped give me a career that I never dreamed of. Nearly 17 odd years.”

Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler, Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson in 1999; Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson, Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler in 2022Credit: Chris Haston/NBCUniversal via Getty; Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Beyond theLaw & Orderuniverse, Meloni is now set to star in new Hulu seriesThe LandfromThis Is Uscreator Dan Fogelman. The cast also includesMandy MooreandWilliam H. Macy, and shooting took place over the last year in Los Angeles.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

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"[Meloni's] very, very busy. I tried to bring him into this. I'll just sometimes ask the question like, 'Hey, is he working?'" Fazekas says. "It's like, 'Oh yes, of course he's working.'"

For more than two decades,Meloni's Stabler andMariska Hargitay's Benson have been busting perps and fighting crime on NBC. They've also always hada lotof chemistry.

"Gosh. They know each other in an unspoken way, and I think it's the depth of their friendship. And they've madethese stabs or these attemptsat making this thing another thing..." Meloni previously told PEOPLE when asked about the "sexiest" part of the "EO" (Elliot and Olivia, as fans have dubbed them) relationship.

Fazekas says she's aware of the duo's storied history, and she wants to do it justice if she's able.

Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson, Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler on the set of Organized Crime in 2023Credit: Will Hart/NBC/Getty

"I think that's a relationship that I really care about. I know the fans really care about [it]," says Fazekas, who also worked onSVUas a writer and co-executive producer from seasons 3 through 7. "So as much as I can, I would like to just acknowledge that and service that as much as he's available... which he's often not."

At the suggestion that she will have to just tell Meloni to clear his schedule when she needs him, Fazekas laughs.

"I know," she says. "Sorry!"

All episodes ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitcan be streamed on Peacock.

Read the original article onPeople

“Law & Order: SVU ”Showrunner Michele Fazekas Gets Real About Benson and Stabler's Future (Exclusive)

Law & Order: SVU showrunner Michele Fazekas reflects on the enduring fan interest around a relationship between Olivia Benson and E...
Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos Celebrate Daughter’s Birthday Together Nearly 3 Months After Ending Engagement

Ex-fiancés Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos came together to celebrate their younger daughter Aurora's 1st birthday, as seen in photos shared over the weekend

People Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos with daughters Margaret Jane (far left) and Aurora (far right).Credit: sarahjane/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

  • On Saturday, May 23, the NFL quarterback and the wine specialist appeared in several pictures together, which they both shared on their Instagram pages

  • Prescott and Ramos canceled their wedding on March 9, five weeks before it was set to happen in Italy

Dak PrescottandSarah Jane Ramoscelebrated a family milestone together nearly three months after theycalled off their engagement.

On Saturday, May 23, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and his ex-fiancée took to their respective Instagram pages to document memories from their daughter Aurora's dinosaur-themed 1st birthday party. The photos show Prescott, 32, and Ramos, 32, smiling beside each other with their arms around Aurora and their older daughter, 2-year-old Margaret Jane.

Ramos posted one of the group photos on her Instagram Stories, writing in overlaying text, "Grateful for the best day celebrating her." Prescott reshared the snap to his own Stories, adding, "Happy 1st to this Special Girl! You are loved."

Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos at their daughter Aurora's birthday party.Credit: sarahjane/Instagram

The wine specialist laterposted a full carousel of imagesfrom the memorable event, including more family photos with her ex.

"My A-Rawr-A! A little smile that can light up a whole city 💞. The happiest girl with the sweetest soul who loves on her sister and anyone in her presence so effortlessly," Ramos captioned her tribute to her younger child. "I love you more than I'll ever be able to put in words 🥹 Happy 1st Birthday, Rora girl. You changed my life forever and you'll always be mommy's baby 🙏❤️."

In honor of her daughter's birthday, the mom of two also uploaded a photo of her and Prescott in the hospital on the day Aurora was born. The NFL star smiled while Ramos held the infant, who could be seen under a breathing device attached to her face.

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"A year ago today we were battling to get you Earthside," Ramos recalled in the caption of her Instagram Stories post, adding, "My little fighter."

PEOPLE confirmed Prescott and Ramos broke up on March 9, five weeks before they were meant to marry in Italy. They were first linked in September 2023 andgot engagedin October 2024.

At the time of their split, a representative for Ramos told PEOPLE exclusively that the pair were "both heartbroken that they're not getting married." Despite previous reports to the contrary, the rep added, "There wasn't any rockiness in the lead up, and there was no big argument or blow up. It was a mutual decision."

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"They love their girls, and they're committed to raising their children together in the most loving and positive way," added Ramos' rep. "It's still shocking for them since this happened so recently, and they ask for privacy while they sort everything out.”

On April 16, theysettled on an informal temporary custody agreementfor their daughters outside of court.

Read the original article onPeople

Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos Celebrate Daughter’s Birthday Together Nearly 3 Months After Ending Engagement

Ex-fiancés Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos came together to celebrate their younger daughter Aurora's 1st birthday, as seen in ph...
Pope calls for robust regulation of AI in manifesto that ponders the future of humanity

VATICAN CITY (AP) —Pope Leo XIVcalled Monday for robust regulation ofartificial intelligenceand for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit, issuing a sweeping manifesto on safeguarding humankind as the technology impacts everything from work to war.

Associated Press

“Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity),Leo’s first encyclical, has been eagerly awaited ever since history’s first U.S.-born pope announced days after his election that he considered AI to be the biggest challenge facing humanity today.

In the text, Leo denounced the “culture of power” driving the AI race, especially in developing ever more sophisticated methods of remote warfare. He declared that it was “not permissible” to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems, setting up another flash point between the American pope and the Trump administration, which hasworked aggressively to deregulate AI development.

“Artificial Intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death,″ the pope told a special Vatican presentation of the encyclical, one of the most authoritative types of teaching documents a pope can issue.

Experts in the tech industry, academia and Catholic morality said the document will likely become a benchmark in the debate over AI, a point of reference for policymakers, researchers and ordinary folk alike. It comes as the near-daily developments in the technology trigger concerns over AI replacing human jobs and even human intelligence.

Taylor Black, a Microsoft AI executive and director of Catholic University of America’s AI institute, said the document would prompt people “at the forefront of these tools” to ask questions such as “What does it mean to be human?”

Pope calls out AI companies even as he hosts Anthropic

The Vatican launch also included remarks by the co-founder of Anthropic, which is currently locked in alegal battle with the Trump administrationover access to its AI technology. The Vatican decided to involve Anthropic as part of its decade-long effort to engage Silicon Valley in dialogue over the human cost of AI.

And yet in his text, Leo repeatedly blasted the concentration of power and data in the hands of so few people in the private sector as a danger, especially to children and the most vulnerable, and called for external regulation of their work.

“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote. “A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few.”

Leo appealed to AI developers and political leaders responsible for regulating them to slow down and reflect on what they are doing. He urged them to use ethical and spiritual guidelines to make the choice to work not for their own profit or power, but the betterment of humanity.

AI competitorsOpenAIand Anthropic are the second- and third-most valuable U.S. private companies, each valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, more than the GDP of many nations. Both companies are heading toward near-trillion dollar IPOs.

Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah welcomed Leo's criticism and concern. He said such external checks were fundamental to the technology “going well” for humankind since there is so much at stake — “a real possibility that AI will displace human labor at a very large scale.”

“We need more of the world — religious communities, civil society, scholars, governments — to do what His Holiness has done here: to take this seriously, to look closely, and to push events in a better direction,” Olah said. “We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend.”

Experts say the text will become a benchmark

In a methodical text, the math major pope traced the history of the Catholic Church’s social teaching and applied its core concepts — justice, solidarity, the dignity of work and the universal destination of resources — to the digital revolution.

“I am convinced that this will prove to be a defining document for our era, a profound and prophetic document,” said Paolo Carozza, law professor at Notre Dame Law School and chair of the Meta Oversight Board.

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“Pope Leo is offering a clear, comprehensive, and coherent voice urging us to take responsibility for constructing a world in which technology will serve humans rather than degrade them,” he said.

In its strongest chapters, Leo denounced how AI had helped accelerate the “normalization of war” by desensitizing people to its cost. He didn’t name specific conflicts, but cited “opposing imperialisms, between powers that wish to preserve their supremacy, and those that aspire to seize that supremacy.”

He demanded transparency and accountability by AI developers so that the chain of decision-making command in ordering strikes with AI weaponry is always known. He declared that the Catholic Church’s “just war” theory, which provides specific criteria for when force can be justified, was now “outdated” given the technological advances of warfare.

A text in the church’s social justice tradition

Leo signed the text May 15, the 135th anniversary of the publication of “Rerum Novarum” (Of New Things), the most important teaching document of Leo’s hero and namesake, Pope Leo XIII. That document addressed workers’ rights, the limits of capitalism, and the obligations that states and employers owed workers as the Industrial Revolution was underway.

It became the foundation of modern Catholic social thought, and the current pope cited it at the start of his pontificate in relation to theAI revolution, which he believes poses the same existential questions that the Industrial Revolution posed over a century ago. “Magnifica Humanitas” thus becomes the latest chapter in a century-long history of popes adapting “Rerum Novarum” to the social questions of their times, often dwelling on the dignity of work for human flourishing.

AI is evoking bothexistential fears and utopian visionamid an intensifying debate on whether it will become a catalyst that enriches humanity or a technological toxin that dulls human intelligence while wiping out millions of high-paying jobs.

“The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good,” Leo wrote.

Leo extended his concern for upholding human dignity in labor to issue the first-ever papal apology for the Holy See’s ownrole in legitimizing slaveryby giving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “infidels.”

A decade-long dialogue with Silicon Valley

Vatican officials declined to say who contributed to Leo’s encyclical. But Vatican and church officials have been engaged in a dialogue with Silicon Valley tech firms for a decade.

The decision to include Anthropic at the Vatican launch was criticized by some who considered it a papal stamp of approval of the AI firm, which is currently suing the Trump administration after it ordered all U.S. agencies tostop usingAnthropic’s technology for its refusal to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of it.

Brian Boyd, U.S. faith liaison for the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, read the inclusion of Anthropic’s co-founder Olah as a recognition of its prominence in the field and as similar to a papal audience with a head of state: not an endorsement.

Anthropic is an “enormous corporation that is taking onto itself an enormous risk and responsibility,” Boyd said, adding that the company has “demonstrated genuine goodwill and integrity and interest in dialogue.”

Winfield reported from Middletown, Connecticut, and Huamani reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Kelvin Chan in London and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’scollaborationwith The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope calls for robust regulation of AI in manifesto that ponders the future of humanity

VATICAN CITY (AP) —Pope Leo XIVcalled Monday for robust regulation ofartificial intelligenceand for its developers to work for the comm...

 

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