Iran claims to have opened fire on a fighter jet in Iranian airspace after threatening retaliation over renewed US strikes of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday its air defence units had shot at a jet and taken down an American MQ-9 drone.
The sudden escalation came after US forces conducted strikes in southern Iran against military targets in what the military described as defensive actions.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the Strait of Hormuz has to be open “one way or the other”, adding that the negotiating language of the deal with Iran could “take a few days”.
Iran’s top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar’s prime minister on a potential deal with the US to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said on Monday, after Washington and Tehran played down hopes of a swift end.
The official said Monday’s discussions focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier that nuclear issues would only be negotiated after a framework accord is agreed.
Key Points
- US launches fresh strikes against Iran
- US attacks Iran as Tehran ministers discuss peace deal in Qatar
- Rubio says Strait of Hormuz has to be open 'one way or the other'
- Four Iranian guard troops killed in US strikes - report
- Oil prices rise after fresh US strikes
Unfreezing of Iranian funds 'last sticking point': Iranian source
12:15 , James Reynolds
A source said to be close to negotiations tells Iran’s Fars news agency that the unfreezing of Iran’s funds is the last serious sticking point with the United States now being resolved through Qatar mediations.
Trump gives Tehran new nuclear warning as US and Iran edge towards peace deal
12:00 , James Reynolds
Donald Trump has warned that Tehran “must understand” it cannot have a nuclear weapon as the two sides edge towards a potential peace deal.
The US says it is close to reaching an agreement with Iran that would end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with expectations rising that a breakthrough could be imminent.
However, while adopting a more positive tone on Sunday, following previous reports the US was considering further strikes against Iran, Trump said his team would “not be rushed”.
His comments came soon after the US secretary of state Marco Rubio suggested an announcement could be made “within hours”.
Trump gives Tehran new warning on nuclear weapons as US and Iran edge towards deal
Iran to turn internet back on after record blackout
11:56 , James Reynolds
Iran is ending a government-imposed internet blackout that has been in place for nearly three months, according to state media.
President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an official order to reopen international internet access, local broadcasters reported on Monday, though independent monitors say the shutdown remains in effect.
The current blackout was introduced in late February following attacks from the US and Israel. It came just weeks after internet restrictions were eased after a similar blackout in January as a result of anti-government protests.
Iran to turn internet back on after record blackout
Watch: Rubio says Strait of Hormuz ‘will be open one way or another’ as US launches new strikes on Iranian naval base
11:30 , James Reynolds
The Independent View: Let’s hope Trump has cooled on a new Iran attack
11:00 , James Reynolds
When Donald Trump said that he would probably not be attending his son’s wedding, citing “a thing called Iran and other things”, and when his vice-president suddenly changed his weekend plans to return to Washington, it was not hard to imagine the worst.
That worst, from a great many perspectives, was that the US president had decided to end the ceasefire with Iran and act on his earlier threat to destroy its “whole civilisation”.
So it was an unexpectedly welcome turn of events when Mr Trump revealed on his Truth Social platform that, for the time being at least, almost the opposite was true.
He said that an agreement had been “largely negotiated” with Iran, and added that he had spoken to the leaders of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries about a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to peace” – peace being spelt out in capital letters.
In full:
Let’s hope Trump has cooled on a new Iran attack
Recap: Israel vows to escalate strikes on Lebanon
10:30 , James Reynolds
Israel will escalate strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued to trade blows despite an April 16 truce aimed at halting the deadliest spillover of the war on Iran.
Tehran has demanded a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon as a condition in talks with the US aimed at ending the broader war.
Netanyahu said on Sunday he and President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call that Israel would retain the right to confront perceived threats on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Netanyahu doubled down on that message on Monday night, saying in a video released on Telegram: "We are at war with Hezbollah, and we will intensify our strikes."
$24bn in frozen funds must be released in potential MOU with the US: Iranian source
10:27 , James Reynolds
An Iranian source close to Tehran’s negotiation team tells the Tasnim news agency that the US must agree to releasing $24bn in frozen Iranian funds as part of a potential memorandum of understanding to end the war.
Catch up: US carries out ‘self-defense’ airstrikes on Iran threatening fragile ceasefire
10:00 , James Reynolds
The U.S. has carried out what it called “self-defense” airstrikes against Iran, threatening a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
The strikes targeted missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil passageway in the Middle East that Iran has effectively closed amid the war, according to the U.S. Central Command.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” CENTCOM spokesperson Tim Hawkins told the media Monday evening.
US carries out ‘self-defense’ airstrikes on Iran threatening fragile ceasefire
The latest: Trump says Iran will hand over enriched uranium or destroy it
09:47 , James Reynolds
Donald Trump insisted late on Monday that Iran would hand over its enriched uranium or destroy it, as questions remain over the scope of a permanent ceasefire to end the war.
In another lengthy post on Truth Social on Monday, the US president said talks with Iran were going "nicely", but warned of fresh attacks if they failed.
It "will only be a Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all," he wrote.
His secretary of state said that negotiating a deal with Iran could still “take a few days”, quashing hopes for an imminent end to the conflict.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier that nuclear issues would only be negotiated after the framework accord was agreed.
Qatar did not offer Iran money to end the war, says foreign ministry
09:00 , James Reynolds
Qatar did not offer Iran $12bn to secure a deal, the spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry says on social media.
Dr Majed Al Ansari says the reports are “simply not true” and says they “are being circulated by parties attempting to sabotage the deal”.
The reports suggesting Qatar “offered” $12 billion to Iran to secure a deal are simply not true & are being circulated by parties attempting to sabotage the deal & undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts toward regional de-escalation & stability.
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) May 25, 2026
Qatar’s diplomatic role, in…
IRGC says it reserves right to respond to US aggression
08:41 , James Reynolds
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says in a statement that it reserves the right to respond to an US breach of the ceasefire arrangement.
It claims to have downed an MQ9 drone after identifying “hostile aircrafts” entering Iranian airspace in the Gulf region.
Khamenei promises new Middle East without US footholds
08:25 , James Reynolds
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on his Telegram channel on Tuesday that Gulf powers will no longer be a shield for United States bases and the US will no longer have a safe haven in the region, as Tehran and Washington discuss a framework to end their three-month-old war.
Senior Iranian MP threatens US with response to strikes: 'Prepare your shelters'
07:59 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei has warned the US to "prepare your shelters" and "get your bunkers ready" after Washington launch airstrikes on Iranian naval bases yesterday.
Rezaei posted on X a short while ago, addressing his message to "the owners of glass houses". It comes after the US military said it had struck missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in the Strait of Hormuz.
https://x.com/EbrahimRezaei14/status/2059147425512824833
Rezaei is a senior Iranian MP and spokesperson for the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.
Earlier he posted on X as Iranian lawmakers were in Doha to discuss a peace deal with the US.He said that diplomats representing Tehran in talks with the US “must negotiate from a position of victorious power”.
“The definitive victor of the war has been and remains the valiant Iranian nation,” said Rezaei.
“Yielding to the enemy only makes it more savage and exacerbates our problems. Please do not whitewash the red lines.”
Doubts grow over Trump’s mental fitness, polls find
07:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Many Americans continue to fear that Donald Trump is experiencing a decline in his mental faculties in a manner similar to what the country came to believe Joe Biden underwent during his own presidency.
With the president’s Oval Office events and rallies around the country increasingly defined by a tendency to wander off into unrelated topics and nonsensical asides Trump himself has dubbed “The Weave”, he’s is set to visit Walter Reed Medical Center Tuesday for a scheduled annual physical.
It isn’t clear yet if he’ll be subjected to one of the “cognitive tests” he boasts about acing on the campaign trail as a means of heading off speculation about his capabilities.
But the president’s test results aren’t convincing more than half of Americans who say that the president has noticeably declined in the past year, according to polling, or boosting his sagging approval ratings that are now in the mid-30s in most surveys.
More here.
Is Donald Trump mentally fit? Doubts grow ahead of president’s annual medical exam
Iranian MP says future of talks depends on US actions
07:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The chief of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee said progress in talks with Washington hinges on whether US confidence building measures deliver tangible results.
“No action will be taken unless the Islamic Republic’s interests are fully secured,” Ebrahim Azizi said this morning.
A team representing the Iranian leadership is currently in Doha to discuss peace talks, even as the US launched fresh strikes on an Iranian naval base in the Strait of Hormuz.
Muslims begin the annual Hajj in sweltering heat against a backdrop of war concerns
07:06 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, has officially begun.
More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the country, Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, commander of the Hajj passport forces, said Friday. The faithful have been pouring into the country for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related regional tensions and uncertainty.
Egyptian pilgrim Samya Abdul Moneim said she was grateful to God that she made it to the Hajj, which is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it.
“I am in a state of blessing and happiness,” she said in Mecca on Sunday. “It’s an indescribable feeling, truly. I mean, thank God, I am in a blessing.”
More here.
Muslims begin the annual Hajj in sweltering heat against a backdrop of war concerns
Minister says joining Abraham Accords ‘not acceptable’ for Pakistan
06:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif has said that he does not believe that Islamabad should join the Abraham Accords.
The Abraham Accords were a series of diplomatic and commercial agreements forged with US influence to normalise relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in 2020.
Donald Trump says he has urged the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords as he tries to negotiate an agreement to end his war with Iran.
“Personally, I don’t think that we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies,” Asif told Samaa TV.
“We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us,” he said.
Four Iranian guard troops killed in US strikes - report
06:32 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
At least four Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops were killed in the US attack on the Iranian naval base in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian news website Tabnak reported.
Iranian state television separately reported blasts around Bandar Abbas, a city on the Strait of Hormuz home to a military port and a dual-use airport.
The US military last night said it carried out “self-defence” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines.
Trump promoted ‘The Abraham Accords’ for peace. What you need to know
06:13 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Donald Trump has said he asked Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the “Abraham Accords” as he tries to negotiate an agreement to end his war with Iran.
The US president has repeatedly said he wants to expand the accords, brokered by him during his first term in the White House.
Trump said he spoke on Saturday to leaders of those countries, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which have already signed the accords, a set of agreements to normalise relations with Israel.
More here.
Trump promoted ‘The Abraham Accords’ for peace. What you need to know
Watch: Rubio says Strait of Hormuz ‘will be open one way or another
06:02 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Oil prices rise after fresh US strikes
05:43 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Oil prices rose again on Tuesday after US military strikes in southern Iran shattered hopes of an imminent peace deal.
Positive noises about peace talks coming from both the US and Iran had sent crude tumbling 7 per cent on Monday – one of the sharpest single-day drops in weeks.
But Brent crude climbed again by $1.40, or 1.5 per cent, to $97.56 a barrel this morning after Washington struck missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to lay mines near the Strait of Hormuz overnight, casting a shadow over negotiations that briefly appeared close to a breakthrough.
More here.
Oil prices rise after fresh US strikes dent hopes of Iran peace deal
What is being discussed at the Doha talks?
05:25 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The official briefed on the Iranians' Doha visit said the discussions focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Iran's central bank governor attended to discuss the potential release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final deal.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier that nuclear issues would only be negotiated after the framework accord was agreed.
US president Donald Trump has said his key aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium. Tehran has consistently denied it has plans to do that.
Baghaei said the potential Iran deal contained no specific details on management of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually flows.
Iran would not charge tolls for ships to pass through but there would be a cost for services offered such as navigation and steps to protect the environment, he said, under a protocol to be agreed with Oman, which lies on the opposite shore of the waterway.
Citing a Middle East diplomatic source, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported the US and Iran were discussing a plan to open the strait about 30 days after reaching a deal to end hostilities.
Iranian official says there will be no retreat in fight against US
04:50 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The newly appointed leader of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in his first public message that “there will be no retreat” in Iran's fight against the US and Israel, according to Tasnim News Agency.
“The military field, the diplomatic field and the people sent forth into the streets demonstrated this through their courageous resistance and brought the enemy to its knees,” Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr said.
Israel continues to bomb southern Lebanon
04:37 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israel will escalate strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Netanyahu says
04:35 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israel will escalate strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as a US official said the militia had ignored warnings to halt firing at Israel in a conflict that could threaten US-Iran negotiations.
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued to trade blows despite a 16 April aimed at halting the deadliest spillover of the US-Israeli joint war on Iran.
Tehran has demanded a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon as a condition in talks with the US aimed at ending the broader war.
As the US and Iran appeared to draw closer to a potential deal on Sunday, Netanyahu said he and president Donald Trump agreed in a phone call that Israel would retain the right to confront perceived threats on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Netanyahu doubled down on that message on Monday night, saying in a video released on Telegram: "We are at war with Hezbollah, and we will intensify our strikes."
He said Israel's military was not taking its "foot off the gas. On the contrary, I said to step on the gas even more.
Israel's military has remained deployed in a broad swathe of southern Lebanon since the truce, with its air force striking what it describes as Hezbollah positions and its ground forces demolishing towns where it says the militia holds sway.
Oil prices rise after US attack on Iran
04:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Oil prices rose this morning and stocks were mixed as investor optimism over an imminent US-Iran peace deal was tempered by new US strikes in the Middle East.
The developments sent Brent futures rising more than 1 per cent in early Asian trade to $98.39 per barrel. The West Texas Intermediate futures also climbed, but there was no settlement on Memorial Day. It remained at $91.79.
Rubio says Strait of Hormuz has to be open 'one way or the other'
04:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said this morning that the Strait of Hormuz has to be open, "one way or the other", when referring to US strikes on Iran.
"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 on his plane in India's Jaipur.
He said a deal with Iran was still being negotiated in Qatar despite the renewed strikes on southern Iran's port of Bandar Abbas.
“There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress,” he said.
“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."
Trump rips into Obama's 'Iran policy' in new post
04:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Donald Trump has ripped into former US president Barack Obama’s “Iran policy” in a new Truth Social post.
Trump shared a side-by-side illustration Monday night, Washington time. On the left was a picture of a pallet of cash titled, “Obama’s Iran Policy”. On the right was a picture of a US ship firing strikes titled, “Trump’s Iran Policy”.
During Obama’s second term, Tehran signed the so-called Iran Nuclear Deal. Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.
The deal restricted Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions, but Trump argued during his first term, “the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and — over time — reach the brink of a nuclear breakout”.
Trump's counterterrorism chief who quit over Iran war says US is 'inviting escalation'
04:03 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Donald Trump's counterterrorism chief, who quit over the Iran war, has said that the US is “inviting escalation,” following fresh strikes.
“Iran would have no incentive to mine the Strait of Hormuz if we weren’t there”, Joe Kent wrote on X in reaction to the US announcing defensive strikes on Iranian missile launch sites and mine-laying boats.
“Pull our forces out & Iran faces major pressure to open the Strait from the rest of the world & loses their justification”, Kent added. “Staying in our current posture is inviting escalation for zero gain”.
Kent, Trump’s former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in March, claiming “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation”.
US attacks Iran as Tehran ministers discuss peace deal in Qatar
04:02 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The US launched fresh strikes on Iran while Tehran’s top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with the US to end the three-month-old war.
US Secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi earlier that the US would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before considering whether to deal with Iran in "another way".
There was a "pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the strait (of Hormuz), get the strait open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off," Rubio said.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Donald Trump said talks with Iran were going "nicely", but warned of fresh attacks if they failed. It "will only be a Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all," he wrote.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a briefing that conclusions had been reached on many topics but that did not mean the sides were close to agreement.
The official briefed on the Iranians' Doha visit told Reuters the discussions focused primarily on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium while Iran's central bank governor attended to discuss the potential release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final deal.
Baghaei said earlier that nuclear issues would only be negotiated on if the framework accord is agreed first.
US launches fresh strikes against Iran
04:01 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The US launched fresh airstrikes against Iran, claiming the attacks were in “self-defence”.
American forces “conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Central Command’s Captain Tim Hawkins said in a statement.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines,” the military spokesperson added.
Two Iranian boats were caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil passageway in the Middle East, a senior US official told Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin.
“The US military eliminated both IRGC vessels and also struck at a SAM (surface to air missile) site in Bandar Abbas that was targeting US warplanes,” Griffin wrote in an X post.
Two sources said the strikes do not indicate the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran is broken, per Griffin.
Iran war briefing for Tuesday 26 May:
04:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
- The US has launched fresh airstrikes against Iran, Central Command said, claiming the attacks were "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces"
- US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the Strait of Hormuz has to be open "one way or the other" following the fresh strikes
- The US struck Iran as Tehran's top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with Washington
- Oil prices rose on Tuesday, with Brent futures rising more than 1 per cent in early Asian trade to $97.32 a barrel
