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="line-height: 2; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Trump says US-Iran draft deal is largely negotiated, includes Strait of Hormuz opening</li><li style="line-height: 2; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iranian ambassador to Pakistan expresses optimism over regional peace progress&nbsp;</li><li style="line-height: 2; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir ends Iran visit, talks made &quot;progress&quot; toward &quot;a final understanding&quot;&nbsp;</li><li style="line-height: 2; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Israel orders evacuation of 10 southern Lebanon villages ahead of strikes</li><li style="line-height: 2; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">An Israeli strike killed five police officers and a child in Gaza&nbsp;</li></ul><hr> Lebanon civil defense says Israeli strike destroys its Nabatieh facility Published: May 24, 2026 | 2:03 GMT | by AFP Lebanon&#39;s civil defense agency said early on Sunday its regional facility in the southern city of Nabatieh had been destroyed by an Israeli strike. The Directorate General of Civil Defense said the building had collapsed and a large number of vehicles and equipment had been damaged by a &quot;direct hit in a hostile Israeli strike&quot;. It added there were no reports of casualties among its personnel, who had been moved to another location before the incident. The civil defense agency condemned &quot;this attack on a center dedicated to humanitarian and relief work&quot;, stressing that it was facing &quot;growing risks and challenges&quot; in carrying out its operations. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have continued despite a truce that came into effect on April 17. Lebanon&#39;s health ministry has recorded the deaths of 123 rescuers and health workers in airstrikes since the country was attacked by Israel on March 2. <hr> US, Iran signal peace deal progress as Pakistan hopes to host talks &#39;soon&#39; Published: May 24, 2026 | 2:12 GMT | by Web Desk Pakistan said Sunday it hopes to host the next round of multilateral peace talks soon, as the United States and Iran signaled progress toward finalizing a peace deal. US President Donald Trump said a draft agreement between Washington, Tehran and &ldquo;various other countries&rdquo; had been &ldquo;largely negotiated&rdquo; but remained &ldquo;subject to finalization.&rdquo; &ldquo;An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries,&rdquo; Trump wrote on Truth Social. &ldquo;In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.&rdquo; Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran was working to finalize a memorandum of understanding with the United States aimed at ending war &ldquo;on all fronts,&rdquo; according to the country&#39;s state news agency IRNA. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad hoped to host the next round of multilateral peace talks &ldquo;very soon&rdquo; following months of diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran. <hr> Iran FM holds calls with Egyptian, Qatari counterparts on diplomacy Published: May 24, 2026 | 1:24 GMT | by Web Desk Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts on Saturday, the country&rsquo;s state news agency reported. According to IRNA, Araghchi spoke with Qatar&rsquo;s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt&rsquo;s Badr Abdelatty amid ongoing regional tensions. The Iranian FM discussed diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation and end the on-going Middle East War.

Middle East

Americas

Pakistan says it hopes to host upcoming multilateral talks as Washington and Tehran report progress toward finalizing a draft agreement that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending regional conflict.

LIVE: US, Iran signal peace deal progress as Pakistan hopes to host talks 'soon'

BEIJING: China&#39;s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing would play a &quot;greater role&quot; in ending hostilities in the Middle East during talks with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday, a week before US President Donald Trump is due to meet Xi Jinping. China is a key customer for Iranian oil, defying sanctions imposed by the United States, and is directly affected by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz bordered by Iran. Beijing has quietly engaged in efforts to resolve the weekslong crisis, and its diplomacy is credited with playing an important role in the fragile ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran. China &quot;will work harder to ease tensions and end the fighting, continue to support the launch of peace talks, and play a greater role in restoring peace and tranquility to the Middle East&quot;, Wang told Iran&#39;s Abbas Araghchi in Beijing. &quot;China considers that a complete cessation of fighting must be achieved without delay, that it is even more unacceptable to restart hostilities, and that continuing to negotiate remains essential,&quot; Wang said, according to a statement from his ministry after the talks. Manufacturing giant China has been comparatively sheltered from fuel shortages thanks to oil reserves and renewable energy, but costs of oil-derived materials like plastic and fabric have risen significantly. More than half of the crude imported by sea to China comes from the Middle East and mainly transits through the Hormuz strait, according to maritime analytics firm Kpler. Analysts have warned that the war&#39;s impact on China will be felt for months. During Wednesday&#39;s talks, Wang said China hopes &quot;the parties concerned will respond as quickly as possible to the urgent call of the international community&quot; for a resumption of normal and safe maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump trip loomsThe Wang-Araghchi talks came as Trump said the US would pause escorting commercial ships through the Hormuz Strait -- which drew Iranian attacks -- barely a day after it began doing so. Trump cited a desire to reach a peace deal with Iran. Washington demands tight controls on Tehran&#39;s nuclear programme, which Iran has refused to agree to and has led to talks crumbling. &quot;On the nuclear issue, China welcomes Iran&#39;s commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, while considering that Iran has the legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy,&quot; Wang said. The US leader is expected to meet Chinese President Xi in Beijing on a visit the White House said will take place May 14-15. Beijing has not confirmed those dates. A foreign ministry spokesman again refused to share details when asked about Trump&#39;s visit at a regular news conference on Wednesday. Trump would join rulers from the Gulf, Europe and Southeast Asia that have recently landed face time with Xi, who has sought to position China as a stable partner in the face of the US- and Israeli-led conflict. Trump&#39;s visit would also come more than a year after his sweeping global tariffs wreaked havoc on the supply chain, causing chaos in China&#39;s manufacturing sector.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on May 06, 2026. (Photo: IRNA)

China is a key customer for Iranian oil, defying sanctions imposed by the United States, and is directly affected by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz bordered by Iran.

China says will play 'greater role' in ending Mideast fighting

US President Donald Trump signals possible new Iran talks in Pakistan within two days; tells the New York Post Islamabad is increasingly likely as host; praises Field Marshal Asim Munir for his leadership.

Day 46: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Riyadh from March 18 to 19, at the invitation of the Saudi Foreign Minister, to participate in an emergency meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers on regional developments, the Foreign Office (FO) announced. &ldquo;He [Dar] will reiterate Pakistan&rsquo;s call for a swift end to the ongoing conflict and urge the need for return to dialogue and diplomacy,&rdquo; according to the FO.&nbsp;During the visit, Foreign Minister Dar will express complete support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence of all brotherly countries in the region and call for an end to all attacks on their territory. The foreign minister will highlight Pakistan&rsquo;s diplomatic outreach efforts and its desire to continue playing a pivotal role in resolving the grave security crisis facing the region.&nbsp;Saudi Arabia has convened the meeting on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen regional security and stability. The meeting comes as tensions across the Middle East continue to surge following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets that triggered retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region, raising fears of a wider conflict involving multiple countries and key global energy routes.&nbsp;The Middle East conflict has intensified after Iran confirmed the deaths of security chief Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, promising revenge.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Riyadh to attend a meeting on regional developments and will reiterate Pakistan’s call for a swift end to the ongoing conflict, urging a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

Articles tagged with "middle east conflict"

LIVE: US, Iran signal peace deal progress as Pakistan hopes to host talks 'soon'

China says will play 'greater role' in ending Mideast fighting

Day 46: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

Pakistan foreign minister to attend Riyadh regional meeting amid escalating Mideast conflict

LIVE: US, Iran signal peace deal progress as Pakistan hopes to host talks 'soon'