War, latest news. Al Arabya: US towards agreement. But Iran denies it

Field Marshal Asim Munir, commander of the Pakistani army, arrived in Tehran to continue consultations as a mediator between Tehran and Washington and to continue exchanging messages and suggestions. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Isna. Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsen Naqvi has been in Tehran since Wednesday and had also been in Tehran last Saturday to closely follow the negotiations with Iranian officials, including the President, Speaker of Parliament, Foreign Minister and Interior Minister. Some reports circulated after the Pakistani Interior Minister's second visit to Iran indicated that the parties were very close to a 'framework' for an agreement and that the possibility of the Pakistani army chief's presence in Tehran to finalise such a text had strengthened yesterday.

"We cannot necessarily say that we have reached a point where an agreement" with the US "is imminent". This was stated by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, quoted by Iran International, explaining that although exchanges with Pakistan's chief negotiator Asim Munir have become more frequent "they represent the continuation of the same diplomatic process".

Iran is 'desperate to reach an agreement, we'll see'. Donald Trump said this during Kevin Warsh's swearing-in ceremony as Fed chair.

Despite the ceasefire between the US and Iran, which began on 8 April, at least 50 US military tanker aircraft are parked at Israel's main civilian airport, Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. This was written by the Financial Times, which analysed satellite images and concluded that the number of military aircraft at the airport connecting Israel with the rest of the world has risen since the launch of the war (on 28 February) against Iran. The British newspaper claims that at the beginning of March there were about 36 tanker planes parked at the airport. That number rose to 47 with the start of the ceasefire in early April. In the current week, the FT identified 52 aircraft belonging to the US.According to the FT, the much smaller Israeli airport at Ramon, near the southern tip of the country, was also used as a military car park. Vacant between February and March, the airport has since the beginning of April been home to at least 10 of the planes designed to refuel fighter jets in flight. The newspaper quotes Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 News, according to which there are ongoing negotiations to allow US military planes to remain at Ben Gurion airport until at least the end of 2027. By doing so, observers say, the airport risks becoming a military target in case of escalation.

"We also share some firm points on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, without prejudice to Israel's right to security: the two-state solution as the only possible just and lasting peace, the importance of ensuring humanitarian assistance to the civilian population, the condemnation of settler violence and Israeli settlement activities". So said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in joint statements with the Prime Minister of Ireland Micheál Martin, after their meeting at Palazzo Chigi.

'Iran may be planning a surprise attack with missiles and drones against the Gulf states and Israel'. The Jerusalem Post reports this. The possibility of a pre-emptive strike by Iran emerged after an assessment of the situation with top military officials and Defence Minister Israel Katz. Israeli security officials indicated that Tehran might try to act before the US and Israel decide that the diplomatic route is no longer viable and launch a surprise attack similar to the one at the beginning of Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion. The IDF Air Force Operations Directorate conducted a series of talks with US counterparts to improve operational readiness, including the transfer of intelligence information on unusual Iranian activities.

In May, the US was even more pessimistic, reaching new record lows and disappointing expectations. Inflation concerns were to blame. The final reading of the monthly confidence index compiled by the University of Michigan came in at 44.8 points from 49.8 points in April, down 14.2 per cent from May 2025. Expectations were for a figure of 48.2 points.

The component measuring expectations for the future fell to 44.1 from 48.1 in April, down 7.9% year-on-year.

The US 'hopes to reach an agreement' with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and abandoning nuclear ambitions, negotiations are ongoing and there is some recognised 'progress' but much remains to be done. However, it is crucial "to work out a plan B" for scenarios in which Iran refuses to reopen the strait or imposes a toll. "We have to start thinking about what we will do if, in a few weeks, Iran decides to keep it closed". This was said by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the end of the NATO ministerial meeting in a meeting with some media outlets, including Ansa.

The Spanish delegation of the Global Sumud Flotilla reported that all Spanish activists who needed medical treatment after arriving in Turkey from Israel had left the hospital in Istanbul. "We are buying tickets for their repatriation to their respective territories," the delegation said. Earlier, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares had reported that at least four of the Flotilla's 44 Spanish activists were under medical observation before they could return to Spain.

In a joint statement on the West Bank, the leaders of United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany call "on the Israeli government to end settlement expansion and administrative powers, to ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli forces, to respect Hashemite custody over Jerusalem's Holy Places and historical status quo agreements, and to lift financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian economy".

France intends to join an Anglo-German plan for the production of new long-range missiles. This was exclusively reported by the Financial Times. Paris has expressed its interest in participating in the long-range precision strike programme of Berlin and London, in a move that is part of a broader French-German defence dialogue. The three countries hope to hold trilateral talks on the subject in early June.

The programme, announced by the UK and Germany in 2024 as the spearhead of their defence agreement, aims to produce a family of advanced land-based missiles with a range of over 2,000 km, capable of hitting military targets within Russian territory.

A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran today in coordination with the US to help reach an agreement to end the war with Iran and resolve outstanding issues. Reuters reports this on its website, citing a source familiar with the matter. Doha, which has played a mediating role in the Gaza war and other international tensions, had so far stayed away from mediating in the war with Iran, Reuters points out, after being attacked by Iranian missiles and drones during the latest conflict.

France is seeking to join the project initiated by the UK and Germany to develop a new generation of long-range missiles, with the aim of strengthening Europe's ability to strike targets deep inside Russian territory without US support. This is reported by the Financial Times, which cites sources familiar with the negotiations.

This interest is part of a broader context of Franco-German collaboration in the defence sector and involves major industrial players such as MBDA and the start-up Hypersonica, active in the development of hypersonic technologies.

The spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baqaei, has been appointed as the spokesman of the Iranian negotiating team engaged in the difficult negotiations for an agreement with the US. This was stated by sources quoted by al-Arabiya satellite TV, pointing out that the head of Tehran's parliament, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, was confirmed to lead the delegation.

Hitherto the country in the Persian Gulf most hawkish towards Iran, theUnited Arab Emirates has in recent days joined Saudi Arabia and Qatar in putting pressure on the US president to give negotiations a chance. Bloomberg writes this, citing several anonymous sources with knowledge of the facts. The renewed pressure came in light of fears that a resumption of hostilities and thus possible retaliation by Iran could push neighbouring countries into chaos.

According to Bloomberg, in separate phone calls with Donald Trump, the three US allies argued that military action will not allow Washington to achieve its long-term goals with Tehran. According to the media group's sources, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatardiffer on what kind of diplomatic agreement the US should pursue and how tough they should be with Iran. However, their attempt to convince Trump underlines the shared concern about a possible repetition of the situation observed between the end of February, when Israel and the US launched the war against Iran, and the early April ceasefire.

The words of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The chief of staff of the Pakistani army, Asim Munir, left for a visit to Iran. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Irna, citing a diplomatic source. This could be asignal that an agreement is close between the US and Iran to end the war.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares ruled out the possibility of Spain's expulsion from Nato and said he did not fear the US announcing a troop withdrawal, as Germany did. "We are serious," Albares replied when asked by journalists about an expulsion of Spain from Nato, on the sidelines of the ministerial in Sweden, as reported by Rtve. The minister went on to say that there is no sign that the US wants to withdraw troops. US President Donald Trump, angered by Madrid's ban on using the joint bases in Rota and Moron to attack Iran and by 'low' defence spending, has repeatedly threatened Spain's expulsion from Nato or its suspension from the alliance. In fact, the founding treaty of NATO makes no provision for the suspension of membership or the expulsion of a member state.

About fifty Flotilla activists were hospitalised in Istanbul for injuries sustained during their detention in Israel. This was reported by Global Sumud Flotilla sources. Among them is also an Italian who has been hospitalised. "We are trying in these hours to get news about his health conditions," explains Italian spokeswoman Maria Elena Delia, "we are told that many have suffered serious injuries and some are in shock.

- "It is embarrassing and painful to have to admit that, seven months after the so-called ceasefire, the situation has not improved at all. The sanitary conditions remain catastrophic'. For a few minutes, Randa's voice croaks, comes in hiccups, but her image remains clear. As if she were only a few kilometres away, and not in a clinic in the Gaza Strip, in the city of Deir el-Balah. Randa Masoud has been the medical coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières since 2024, but has been working in emergency health planning in the Strip for 14 years. Her speech at the Trento Festival of Economics, in the panel "Gaza and the West Bank not to be forgotten", is a description of a crisis that is still very serious: the ceasefire wanted by US President Trump has not produced concrete improvements. "Before the ceasefire there were more than 72,000 dead and more than 172,000 injured. We thought that at least the killings and injuries would end, but Palestinians continue to be hit every day'.

'On 11 May,' the worker continues, 'a bombing hit a shelter for displaced people full of women and children, 400 metres from a Médecins Sans Frontières facility. A few days later, on 17 May, another attack hit a community kitchen distributing food to displaced people, causing three deaths and numerous injuries'.

"Those who want to position themselves favourably to succeed must have resilience to face challenges. In this sense, China has done better than the rest of the world. But resilience has a cost: it comes from very long-term planning to anticipate and deal with crises. It is now the leader in electricity, which will be produced entirely from renewables by 2025. Ditto with oil: the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has not affected our economy in the slightest because, since the Gulf War, we have been accumulating reserves and storing them in former salt reserves, and not as some countries have done, building expensive structures and exploiting the land. Resilience does not come from being a regulatory superpower, as the EU has done with artificial intelligence, for example. Instead, it stems from a programmatic approach and an internationally open mindset'. So said Yang Wang, vice president of the University of Hong Kong, speaking at a panel at the Trento Festival of Economics.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy stated that 35 ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours, after obtaining the necessary permits and coordinating operations with the Pasdaran naval forces. The press office of the Revolutionary Guards Navy said the vessels included oil tankers, container ships and other commercial vessels. This was reported by Iran International.

"Iranian parliament lawmakers would certainly approve a proposal that would offer a reward to anyone who performs the 'fatwa' (a revenge) against Donald Trump, once the legal process of the measure is completed." Hassanali Akhlaghi-Amiri, a member of the Culture Committee of the Iranian Parliament, told 'Didban Iran', reported by Iran International.

The IDF announced that troops engaged in southern Lebanon yesterday killed five Hezbollah militants after intercepting them as they entered a command centre of the group north of the Israeli-controlled area. According to the Israeli army, the soldiers identified the militants north of the IDF defence line and carried out an air strike against the building. The IDF added that, during the course of the day, troops also struck Hezbollah weapons depots and other infrastructure of the group in Lebanon, killing other militants deemed a threat.

The EU Council decided today to extend the scope of its restrictive measures by also targeting natural and legal persons involved in Iranian actions and policies that threaten freedom of navigation in the Middle East.

The decision implements the political agreement reached by the EU ministers in the Foreign Affairs Council on 21 April 2026.

When the Persian Gulf crisis is over, energy prices are likely to be higher than before. And among the key factors most in the spotlight of the European Central Bank, to assess the impact of the energy shock on inflation, are 'second-round effects' and the general inflation expectations of the public. This was explained by President Christine Lagarde at the press conference after the informal Eurogroup meeting in Cyprus.

"As we have said repeatedly, the impact will depend on the duration (of the shock) and we are watching out for direct and indirect and second-tier effects," he continued.

An end to military operations and media warfare, an immediate, total and unconditional ceasefire on all fronts, guarantees for freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. These would be some of the points contained in the "final draft" of a possible agreement between Iran and the United States, with the mediation of Pakistan, as reported by the satellite TV al-Arabiya on the X account in English, citing its sources, according to which an announcement could arrive within hours. A detail, the latter, which is not, however, indicated by the broadcaster's Arabic service, which merely speaks of cautious optimism citing Pakistani sources. According to reports, the text also includes a mutual commitment by the parties not to strike military, civil or economic infrastructure, a commitment to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, as well as a joint mechanism to monitor the implementation of the understanding and resolve disputes. Negotiations on the unresolved issues would begin within seven days and a gradual lifting of US sanctions is indicated in return for Iran's commitment to the terms of the agreement. The Pakistani source to the Arabic-language channel emphasised that 'there is no alternative to an interim agreement between the US and Iran'. The source also confirmed that 'reducing the differences is not easy because both sides have high demands'. The source went on to indicate that "contacts continue to narrow the gap on the uranium and Strait of Hormuz issues." The source noted that 'the critical issue in the negotiations has been, and remains, how to handle highly enriched uranium' and added that 'the main issues of the agreement require a long period of negotiation'. Finally, the source said that Pakistan has high hopes of China in advancing the potential US-Iran deal.

An Israeli attack in southern Lebanon killed six people, including two rescue workers and a little girl. This was stated by the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Among the victims of the attack in the village of Deir Qanun al-Nahr were two rescuers from the Risala scout association, one of whom also worked as a freelance photographer, and a Syrian girl. The association is linked to the Amal movement, an ally of Hezbollah.

"We are waiting for news on talks that are currently in progress. There has been some slight progress. I do not want to exaggerate, but there has been a slight improvement and that is positive. The fundamental principles remain the same: Iran can never acquire nuclear weapons'. This was said by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Sweden

Two rescuers of the Islamic Scout Association, affiliated with the Amal movement, were killed in an Israeli drone attack in Deir Qanoun el-Nahr, in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon. This was reported by the daily L'Orient Le Jour, according to which the rescuers were hit as they were on their way to the site of an attack that had taken place earlier in the village. Four other people were injured.

Another four rescue workers, members of the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Authority, were killed last night in an airstrike against Hannaouiyah, also in the Tyre district.

"I don't think it can be Nato that intervenes" to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz "also because there is Turkey that would not be in favour. So we have to find another formula, another international scheme'. This was stated by Farnesina titular Antonio Tajani, arriving at the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Helsingborg. "We are absolutely available to participate in international missions under the UN flag, under the flag of the nations of the European Union," Tajani continued, reiterating that "once a stable ceasefire arrives, we are ready to do our part, I will confirm that today as well."

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is visiting Iran for mediation work, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a report by the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim and picked up by Al-Jazeera. During the meeting, the two officials reviewed the latest proposals to end the war in an attempt to resolve the remaining points of disagreement between the US and Iran, Tasnim said.

According to a report in the New York Times, Iran has begun talks with Oman on the imposition of tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The two sources familiar with the talks emphasise that the discussions are about tariffs, i.e. the fees charged for services rendered to ships in transit, and not about whether or not tolls should be imposed, which instead apply to the transit itself. Oman, a US ally, had initially rejected the idea of collaborating with Iran in the strait, but more recently realised that the project could benefit Mascate and expressed willingness to promote the plan with neighbouring Gulf countries and the United States, The Nyt points out, citing two Iranian officials.

During the military operation against Iran, the US military lost almost a fifth of its long-range MQ-9 Reaper drones. Tass writes this, citing a Bloomberg report. According to the report, since the start of the attack on Iran at the end of February, the Islamic Republic has destroyed more than two dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones, equivalent to almost 20% of the Pentagon's pre-conflict assets. A single drone costs $30 million. According to the report, the drones are equipped with high-powered sensors and cameras and can carry Hellfire missiles and JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) guided bombs. Bloomberg also speculates that the total number of drones lost during the conflict with Iran could reach 30, including drones that were damaged and therefore unusable. The agency estimates the total damage at USD 1 billion.

Iran has transferred billions of dollars through the Binance platform to finance the regime, and the transactions continue this month. The Wall Street Journal writes this. The transactions on the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange took place despite repeated warnings. Binance claims to have 'zero tolerance for illicit activity'. As Iran prepared for conflict with the United States, a major financier of the regime set up a secret payment network to guarantee the flow of money to the armed forces. At the centre of this network was Binance. Until December, the network, run by Babak Zanjani, an Iranian who describes himself as an 'anti-sanctions' trader, had transacted $850 million over two years on the cryptocurrency platform, mainly through a single trading account, as Binance's internal reports on regulatory compliance show

The negotiations currently underway between Iran and the United States, mediated by Pakistan, concern the cessation of hostilities 'on all fronts, including Lebanon'. This was told to the Irna news agency by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, emphasising that none of the rumours that have emerged in recent days about the various aspects of the negotiations can be confirmed.

According to Baqaei, rumours concerning the nuclear issue, whether it is the enrichment of uranium or the enriched material in Iran's possession, 'are mere media speculation, without foundation'.

- Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington continue, with Pakistan acting as mediator. This is stated by the Iranian news agency Isna, according to which the two sides are currently exchanging messages and draft texts in an attempt to establish a framework for an agreement.

The Republican leaders of the US House of Representatives withdrew a vote on a motion to limit President Donald Trump's ability to order military strikes against Iran, after it became clear that the resolution, forcibly carried by the Democrats, was likely to pass. "You don't have the votes!" the Dem MPs chanted in a tense moment in the chamber as Republicans attempted to postpone the vote until after MPs returned from their week-long Memorial Day recess, in the US media report. The passage of the measure would have been interpreted as an act of censure against Trump and the war he started with Israel against Iran without any authorisation in Congress. Opinion polls continue to indicate that a majority of Americans oppose the conflict, which has so far caused an increase in energy costs and shaken global supply chains. Trump and his allies have defended the conflict as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons

Further reading

Extreme attempts to revive negotiations between the US and Iran

26 April 2026

At least four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike against an Islamic Health Authority centre in the city of Hannaouiyah, in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon. This was reported by the Lebanese news agency NNA, also reporting two wounded.

"No, no. We will have" highly enriched uranium. We don't need it, we don't want it and we will probably destroy it. But we will not allow Tehran to have it." Donald Trump said this while clarifying that Iran cannot keep enriched uranium.