Web Desk/AFP

This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.<hr style="line-height: 2;">Catch up: Yesterday&rsquo;s top developments<ul style="list-style-type: square;"><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">US resident released from Iranian prison, returns home: rights group</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Israeli strike in Lebanon kill at least 10 people, including women, children</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Palestinian foreign ministry slams Israel&rsquo;s flotilla interception as war crime</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Vance says Iran talks making &#39;good progress&#39;</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Qatar says US-Iran negotiations need &#39;more time&#39;&nbsp;</li></ul><hr style="line-height: 2;"> Israel says 430 Gaza flotilla activists being transferred to IsraelPublished: May 20, 2026 | 03:42 GMT | by AFP Israeli authorities said late Tuesday that 430 activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were en route to Israel, after their vessels were intercepted at sea the day before. &quot;Another PR flotilla has come to an end. All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels and are making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives,&quot; a spokesman from Israel&#39;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. <hr> UN expert accuses EU of enabling Israel&rsquo;s kidnapping of flotilla activistsPublished: May 20, 2026 | 03:05 GMT | by Web Desk Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, has expressed alarm amid reports Israeli forces had fired on activists aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, Al Jazeera reported.&nbsp; &ldquo;Maximum alert on the Flotilla! Israel has been given license to threaten, kidnap, and shoot at civilians ALSO in international waters!&quot; Albanese wrote in a post on X. &ldquo;Shame on the EU, [Israel&rsquo;s] main enabler in this part of the world,&rdquo; she added. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Araghchi says returning to war will feature &#39;many more surprises&#39;Published: May 20, 2026 | 00:33 GMT | by Web Desk Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that if the war were to return in the region, it would feature &quot;many more surprises&quot; due to the &quot;lessons learned and knowledge&quot; Iran gained during the conflict.&nbsp; &quot;Months after initiation of war on Iran, US Congress acknowledges loss of dozens of aircraft worth billions,&quot; Araghchi said in a post on X. &quot;Our powerful armed forces are confirmed as first to strike down a touted F-35,&quot; he added.<hr style="line-height: 2;"> Iran says US trying to &lsquo;whitewash&rsquo; its crimes at UNPublished: May 20, 2026 | 01:25 GMT | by Web Desk Iran&rsquo;s UN mission has accused Washington of &ldquo;spreading lies, false accusations, and disinformation against Iran and its peaceful nuclear programme&rdquo; at the Security Council. The US &ldquo;continues to violate international law through unlawful maritime blockades, and unwavering support for the Israeli regime&rsquo;s crimes and atrocities across the region,&rdquo; the Iranian mission said in a post on X. &ldquo;In fact, the culprit and the thief are now playing the role of prosecutor and judge, trying to whitewash his own crimes.&rdquo; The criticism from Tehran comes as a resolution drafted by the US and Gulf countries on the Strait of Hormuz has reportedly gained support from about two-thirds of UN member states, ahead of a possible vote. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Pakistan at UN strongly condemns drone attacks on UAE, Saudi ArabiaPublished: May 20, 2026 | 01:25 GMT | by Web Desk Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, strongly condemned the drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. While speaking to the UN, he said that Pakistan stood in &ldquo;complete solidarity&rdquo; with the Middle Eastern country, reiterating its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all friendly countries of the region. He also said that the attack on Saudi Arabia constituted a serious violation of the Kingdom&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Trump says to get done with Iran war &lsquo;in a very nice manner&rsquo;Published: May 20, 2026 | 00:43 GMT | by Web Desk US President Donald Trump has said that Washington had done a good job in its war with Iran, stating that it was going to be finished &quot;very quickly.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are going to get it done in a very nice manner,&quot; he said.&nbsp; The US president also said that the deal would be reached without Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon. Separately, while speaking to reporters in the White House, he said that if an agreement is not reached within the next &quot;two or three ⁠days,&quot; a new US attack would happen.<div style='box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 1.25rem; line-height: 2; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;' id="isPasted"> </div><div style='box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'><div style="box-sizing: border-box; align-self: end; position: absolute; top: 1px; right: 0px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; align-items: flex-start;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; width: 38px; height: 38px; line-height: 2;"> </div></div></div></div><hr style="line-height: 2;"> Russia ready to &lsquo;extend helping hand&rsquo; to resolve US-Iran conflictPublished: May 20, 2026 | 00:25 GMT | by Web Desk Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabko says his country is ready to extend a helping hand to negotiations between Iran and the US, if necessary, but does not intend to impose its services, Al Jazeera reported. &ldquo;Russia is ready to provide all possible assistance in resolving this conflict, which is well known to its parties. At the same time, we have never imposed and do not intend to impose our services. But in the event of an appropriate request, we will extend a helping hand,&rdquo; he said during an interview with the country&rsquo;s TASS state news agency. Ryabkov emphasized that Moscow has always been and remains &ldquo;committed to finding solutions exclusively through political and diplomatic channels&rdquo;.&nbsp; He said Moscow welcomes attempts by Washington and Tehran to resume the negotiation process and notes the &ldquo;active role of the Pakistani side in stabilizing the situation and creating conditions for moving toward a lasting peace.&rdquo; <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Developing countries bearing brunt of war on Iran, UN warnsPublished: May 20, 2026 | 00:12 GMT | by Web Desk The UN has cut global growth forecasts to 2.5% this year, compared with an estimated 3 percent last year, citing higher energy costs and weaker trade due to the US-Israel war on Iran. In the latest World Economic Situation and Prospects Report, the global body warned that low-income families in developing countries bear the heaviest burden &ldquo;as higher food and energy prices take up a larger share of their spending and rising costs outpace wages&rdquo;. Sharply declining aid flows and increased debt levels in low-income countries mean that those governments have less funding available to respond to the crisis, through &ldquo;spending on health, education, and social protection&rdquo;, it said. The biggest economic shocks are being felt in Western Asia, it added, &ldquo;driven not only by the energy shock but also by direct infrastructure damage and severe disruptions to oil production, trade, and tourism&rdquo;. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> &lsquo;Appalling lie&rsquo;: Iran rejects US claim over missile strike on schoolPublished: May 19, 2026 | 23:18 GMT | by Web Desk Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, has written on X that a US claim about the elementary school in Minab that was hit by a missile is a &ldquo;baseless fabrication and an appalling lie.&rdquo; Baghaei said that US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper&rsquo;s earlier statement that the Shajareh Tayyebeh school was located on an active Iranian cruise missile site was &ldquo;a clear attempt to obscure the severe reality of the 28 February missile attacks, which resulted in the tragic slaughtering of over 170 school children and their teachers.&rdquo; The spokesman added that &ldquo;targeting an active educational institution during school hours constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and is a clear war crime&rdquo;. &ldquo;The civilian nature of the site cannot be obscured by technical misrepresentations,&rdquo; he said, adding that the US authorities &ldquo;responsible for ordering and executing this catastrophic assault must be held fully accountable under international law.&rdquo; <hr>

Americas

Middle East

Trump says will resume strikes on Iran if deal not reached within "two or three ⁠days"; Araghchi says Iran will benefit from the lessons learned and the knowledge gained; Moscow notes active role of the Pakistani side in stabilizing the situation, creating conditions for lasting peace.

Iran’s FM Araghchi says return to war will ‘feature many more surprises’

Says talks with Iran are progressing well, but warns military action could resume if negotiations fail; Palestinian foreign ministry slams Israel’s flotilla interception as a war crime; Qatar says US-Iran negotiations require more time to reach a deal.

Middle East roundup: US VP Vance says Iran talks making 'good progress'

Says Iran’s proposal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is under discussion by senior officials; Putin tells Iran FM Moscow will do 'everything' to help secure Mideast peace; Iran FM says Islamic Republic is 'stable, solid' in meeting with Putin; EU’s von der Leyen says too early to drop sanctions against Iran; Saudi Arabia commends diplomatic initiatives led by Pakistan.






Day 59: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Iran fires missiles at Israel as strikes intensify across the region, Trump issues fresh threats and ultimatums, and tensions rise after attacks on energy sites, military targets and infrastructure, deepening instability across the Middle East.

Day 36: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

BEIRUT: UN chief Antonio Guterres said Saturday on a visit to Beirut that diplomatic channels remained open to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah and urged the international community to support Lebanon.&nbsp;&quot;There is no military solution, only diplomacy, dialogue and full implementation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions. The diplomatic avenues are available, including through my special coordinator for Lebanon... and through key member states,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;We are doing everything we can now to bring about an immediate de-escalation and the cessation of hostilities,&quot; Guterres told reporters.&nbsp;&quot;My special coordinator is engaging with all actors around the clock to bring the parties to the table and UNIFIL peacekeepers... remain in position,&quot; he said, referring to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.&nbsp;He said attacks against peacekeepers and positions were &quot;completely unacceptable and they must stop. They are in breach of international law and may constitute war crimes&quot;.&nbsp;Three peacekeepers serving with the Ghanaian contingent were wounded earlier this month in south Lebanon.&nbsp;Guterres arrived in Beirut on Friday for what he called a &quot;solidarity&quot; visit, and launched a $325 million humanitarian appeal to support Lebanon as it responds to the displacement crisis.&nbsp;&quot;My message to the international community is simply step up your engagement, empower the Lebanese state and support the Lebanese Armed Forces to secure the capabilities and resources they need. Respond generously to the humanitarian appeal,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The Israeli army has issued sweeping evacuation orders to residents of south Lebanon and Beirut&#39;s southern suburbs, with the Norwegian Refugee Council saying they cover 14 percent of Lebanese territory.&nbsp;&quot;Evacuation orders in a situation where so many vulnerable populations exist in the areas that are asked to be evacuated does not create enough security for civilians, and whatever does not create enough security for civilians inevitably becomes in violation of international humanitarian law,&quot; Guterres said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said the fighting in Lebanon should be stopped through talks, not war. He urged all sides to stop fighting and use talks, diplomacy, and UN rules and resolutions to find peace.

UN chief says 'diplomatic avenues' available to stop war in Lebanon

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday condemned Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;continued&rdquo; military aggression in southern Lebanon, which has claimed more than 400 civilian lives, including at least 83 children and 42 women, and displaced over 600,000 people.&nbsp;Speaking at the United Nations, Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Representative Usman Jadoon highlighted the scale of destruction caused by Israeli strikes and criticized the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.&nbsp;&ldquo;Lebanon is a country of remarkable diversity, shaped by layers of civilization and rich cultural legacy,&rdquo; Jadoon said. &ldquo;Its people have long shown resilience in the face of adversity, preserving a vibrant social fabric rooted in coexistence among communities and traditions.&rdquo;&nbsp;He urged the international community to allow Lebanon a period of calm to pursue peace and stability, warning that continued escalation threatens far more than infrastructure.&nbsp;&ldquo;Sweeping illegal evacuation orders across large parts of southern Lebanon have deepened civilian suffering,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;Jadoon emphasized that the use of force must remain the &ldquo;exclusive prerogative&rdquo; of the Lebanese state, with the Lebanese Armed Forces playing a central role.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan supports efforts to strengthen their capacity and operational effectiveness,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;The Pakistani diplomat welcomed recent initiatives by the Lebanese government, including the March 2 Cabinet decision to reinforce national security structures and the four-point plan aimed at restoring calm and stability.&nbsp;He also strongly condemned attacks on UN peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL who were injured in Israeli strikes. &ldquo;Their safety and security must be guaranteed at all times,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Jadoon denounced the continued Israeli military presence and construction of positions inside Lebanese territory as &ldquo;illegal and unacceptable.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;These actions contravene international law and undermine Lebanon&rsquo;s efforts to ensure peace and stability,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;He called for Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;immediate, full, and unconditional withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories.&rdquo;&nbsp;Highlighting the broader regional context, Jadoon said the situation in Lebanon cannot be viewed in isolation.&nbsp;&ldquo;Heightened confrontation and unjustified attacks on several brotherly countries, which Pakistan has condemned, have gravely aggravated regional security and stability,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;He urged that &ldquo;dialogue and diplomacy must prevail over confrontation&rdquo; and called for de-escalation, restraint, and renewed diplomatic engagement to prevent further deterioration of regional security.&nbsp;&ldquo;Only sustained political dialogue and respect for international law can lead the region toward stability and peace,&rdquo; he concluded.

Foreign Affairs

Security

Pakistan condemned Israel’s “continued” military aggression in southern Lebanon, which has claimed more than 400 civilian lives, including at least 83 children and 42 women, and displaced over 600,000 people

Articles tagged with "Israel strikes on Lebanon"

Iran’s FM Araghchi says return to war will ‘feature many more surprises’

Middle East roundup: US VP Vance says Iran talks making 'good progress'

Day 59: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Day 36: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

UN chief says 'diplomatic avenues' available to stop war in Lebanon

Pakistan condemns Israel’s escalation, calls for Lebanon sovereignty respect

Iran’s FM Araghchi says return to war will ‘feature many more surprises’