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 delaying Iran attack at the request of Gulf leaders as serious negotiations take place; Iran’s president vows not to bow down and never yield to any power; Pakistan condemns drone attacks carried out against Saudi Arabia in the strongest possible terms.



Middle East roundup: Trump says 'serious negotiations' underway with Iran

State Department says negotiations toward a permanent political agreement take place June 2 and 3, while the Pentagon convenes military delegations from both countries on May 29 to coordinate discussions, address concerns and support efforts.

Day 77: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

BEIJING: President Donald Trump said he had made &quot;fantastic trade deals&quot; with China&#39;s Xi Jinping, as the pair met on Friday at final talks of a superpower summit that according to the US leader has also reaped a Chinese offer to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had arrived in Beijing seeking to seal deals in sectors including agriculture, aviation and artificial intelligence, as well as to contain differences between the two sides in a number of tense geostrategic areas -- not least the Middle East war. Trump&#39;s overtures to Xi, whom he described as a &quot;great leader&quot; and &quot;friend&quot;, have so far been met with more muted tones by the Chinese leader. But the US leader said &quot;a lot of good&quot; has come out of the visit. &quot;We&#39;ve made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries,&quot; he said after a walk with Xi among the rosebushes in the gardens of Zhongnanhai, a central leadership compound next to Beijing&#39;s Forbidden City. &quot;We&#39;ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn&#39;t have been able to solve,&quot; he added, without providing details. Xi said it was a &quot;milestone visit&quot;, and that the two sides had to date established &quot;a new bilateral relationship, which is a relationship of constructive strategic stability&quot;. He promised to send Trump seeds for the White House Rose Garden. &#39;Help on Hormuz&#39;&nbsp;In an interview with Fox News after the first day of the summit wrapped, Trump said Xi had agreed to several US wish list points. On the topic of the war in Iran, the US president said Xi had effectively assured his counterpart that China was not preparing to militarily aid Tehran, which has essentially closed the Strait of Hormuz. &quot;He said he&#39;s not going to give military equipment... he said that strongly,&quot; Trump told Fox. &quot;He&#39;d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said &#39;if I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help,&#39;&quot; Trump added. Asked whether the two leaders had discussed Iran, the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday released a statement calling for &quot;a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire&quot;. &quot;Shipping lanes should be reopened as soon as possible in response to the calls of the international community,&quot; it added. Boeing, oil, soybeans&nbsp;Trump did not spell out on Friday the trade agreements that he said had been sealed with China. However, in the Fox interview, Trump said one big business deal struck involved Xi agreeing to purchase &quot;200 big&quot; Boeing jets. Shares of the US aviation giant fell after Trump&#39;s comments, in a sign the market had expected a more robust purchase from China. The US president also said Beijing had also voiced interest in buying US oil and soybeans. And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Trump and Xi were talking about setting up &quot;guardrails&quot; for the use of artificial intelligence. Bessent said the world&#39;s &quot;two AI superpowers are going to start talking&quot;, though US export controls on the advanced technology to China remain a sore point in relations.

China

'We've made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries,' he said after a walk with Xi among the rosebushes in the gardens of Zhongnanhai, a central leadership compound next to Beijing's Forbidden City.

Trump says made 'fantastic trade deals' with Xi

Web Desk

China's President Xi Jinping (L) looks at US President Donald Trump as they attend a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026. (AFP)

US president says President Xi offered China's help to open the strait, pledges not to send military equipment to aid Iran; Iranian media reports that naval forces allowed Chinese ships to pass through Hormuz; Israel, Lebanon to open new round of peace talks in Washington.




Day 76: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed US President Donald Trump with a handshake in Beijing on Thursday for a superpower summit. Xi greeted Trump at the Great Hall of the People at just past 10:00 a.m. (0200 GMT). Accompanied by Trump, Xi shook hands with several US officials, including Pentagon Peter Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump and Xi stood in the center as a Chinese military band played The Star-Spangled Banner, then the Chinese national anthem, as cannons fired. Jumping schoolchildren in brightly colored outfits waving US and Chinese flags chanted &quot;welcome, welcome&quot; as Trump and Xi walked past them in the square. The two leaders will also enjoy a state banquet at the hall in the evening, and Trump will visit the historic Temple of Heaven, a World Heritage site where China&#39;s emperors once prayed for a good harvest. The US president arrived for the two-day summit on Air Force One late Wednesday, accompanied by top CEOs, including Nvidia&#39;s Jensen Huang and Tesla&#39;s Elon Musk -- symbols of business deals Trump hopes to reach. The trip to Beijing marks the first by a US president in nearly a decade, following Trump&#39;s visit in 2017. &#39;Big hug&#39;&nbsp;At the top of Trump&#39;s wish list will be business deals in agriculture, aircraft and other areas, with a host of top US businessmen in the US leader&#39;s delegation. Aboard Air Force One en route to Beijing, Trump vowed on social media to push Xi to &quot;open up&quot; China to US firms &quot;so that these brilliant people can work their magic.&quot; The US president said he expected a &quot;long talk&quot; with Xi about Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China, but insisted that &quot;I don&#39;t think we need any help with Iran&quot; from Beijing. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a somewhat different tone. &quot;We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they are doing now, and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf,&quot; US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told broadcaster Fox News in an interview aired Wednesday. Tariff truce?&nbsp;The long-simmering trade war between the two countries will also be top of the agenda, after Trump&#39;s sweeping tariffs last year triggered tit-for-tat levies that exceeded 100%. Trump and Xi are set to discuss extending a one-year tariff truce that the two leaders reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October, though a deal remains far from certain. China&#39;s controls on rare earth exports, AI rivalry and the countries&#39; trade relationship are also among the topics expected to be taken up by the two heads of state. Trump will also hope to leave with a firm date for Xi&#39;s reciprocal visit to the United States later in 2026.

The two leaders shook hands after Trump arrived in a motorcade to the steps, where a US delegation including State Secretary Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and business CEOs including Elon Musk awaited him.

Trump and Xi meet for high-stakes talks in Beijing

'I think that we are making progress. The fundamental question is do we make enough progress that we satisfy the president’s red line?' Vance tells reporters at the White House.

Day 75: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Day 74: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

BEIJING:&nbsp;Donald Trump was due in Beijing Wednesday on the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, as he seeks to ramp up trade. Leaving Washington on Tuesday on a trip that was delayed by his war, <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-confirms-trumps-visit-this-week" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump</a> said he expected a &quot;long talk&quot; with counterpart&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-us-to-exchange-views-on-major-issues-during-trump-visit" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xi Jinping</a> about Iran. But he also played down disagreements on Iran, saying that Xi has been &quot;relatively good, to be honest with you&quot;. &quot;I don&#39;t think we need any help with Iran. We&#39;ll win it one way or the other. We&#39;ll win it peacefully or otherwise,&quot; Trump told reporters as he left the White House. This week&#39;s trip -- the first since Trump visited in 2017 -- will involve high-stakes talks with Xi on Thursday and Friday, during a packed itinerary that includes a state banquet and tea reception. China&#39;s controls on rare earth exports and the countries&#39; trade relationship are among the topics expected to be taken up by the heads of the world&#39;s top two economies. The buildup to the superpower summit was already visible Tuesday on the streets of Beijing, with police monitoring major intersections and checking the ID cards of passengers on the metro, AFP journalists saw. &#39;Definitely a big deal&#39;&quot;It&#39;s definitely a big deal,&quot; said Wen Wen, a 24-year-old woman travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing, when asked by AFP about Trump&#39;s visit. &quot;Some progress will certainly be made,&quot; she said, noting that she hopes China and the United States can ensure &quot;lasting peace&quot; despite &quot;recent instability in the global situation&quot;. Trade ties between Beijing and Washington have been fraught in recent years. The two sides are currently maintaining a one-year truce in their tariff war reached at Trump and Xi&#39;s last meeting in South Korea in October. China&#39;s major surplus in trade with the United States has long irked Trump, who slapped tariffs on the country&#39;s goods during his first term in office. Trump will be accompanied in China by a large group of top US business executives, including Tesla&#39;s Elon Musk and Apple&#39;s Tim Cook, the White House has said. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Positive results&#39;</h2>For Li Jiahao, 30, who manages a Beijing karaoke bar, the summit will not necessarily solve all problems in China-US relations -- though he is hoping for &quot;positive results&quot;. &quot;Coming here and actually resolving the issues are two different things,&quot; he told AFP. &quot;China and the United States both have responsibilities as major powers,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;only through friendship can we achieve mutual development and become stronger&quot;. The war in Iran -- launched by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28 -- has presented new challenges in the already-complicated relationship between Beijing and Washington. The US Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned 12 individuals and entities -- including several based in Hong Kong -- it said facilitated sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China. Asked about the latest moves on Tuesday, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry, said that &quot;China firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions&quot;.

Asia

China's controls on rare earth exports and the countries' trade relationship are among the topics expected to be taken up by the heads of the world's top two economies.

Articles tagged with "Strait of Hormuz"

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'

Middle East roundup: Trump says 'serious negotiations' underway with Iran

Day 77: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Trump says made 'fantastic trade deals' with Xi

Day 76: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Trump and Xi meet for high-stakes talks in Beijing

Day 75: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Day 74: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Trump heads to China for superpower summit

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