That’s it for today
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Thank you for joining us. We’re pausing our live coverage of the Iran talks.
Here are the top stories from today:
- Donald Trump has announced that he will lift the US blockade of Iranian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
- The US president met with advisers in the White House Situation Room to make a “final determination” on moving forward on an agreement to extend a ceasefire with Iran
- Oil prices fell to a six-week low, and stocks rallied on Wall Street as traders digested Mr Trump’s move to end the naval blockade
- Iranian sources told state news outlets that Mr Trump’s comments were a “mixture of truth and lies”
Read more: Trump: Hormuz blockade will end
Ceasefire in the balance
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Donald Trump said earlier on Friday that he would soon decide on a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran.
The US president said he would meet in a secure White House room to make a “final determination” on the proposal, which would extend the truce, agreed in April, for another 60 days, giving negotiators time to forge a permanent end to the war.
Several hours later, the White House said the meeting had concluded but did not provide any more information.
It comes as the two countries still appeared to differ on significant issues, though US officials have suggested a peace deal may be close.
Summer fuel shortage ahead, IMF and World Bank warn
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The heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and International Energy Agency have warned that their could be shortages of fuel during the high-demand summer months if oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz does not return to normal.
“Global oil inventories are being drawn down at a record pace in response to the major loss of supply through the Strait of Hormuz,” the heads of the agencies said in a joint statement on Friday.
“If shipping flows do not return to normal, continued rapid depletion of global oil inventories ahead of peak summer oil demand in the Northern Hemisphere would present increasing risks for fuel security, market conditions, and broader economic resilience.”
They also highlighted that the surge in energy and fertiliser prices due to the war was having a disproportionate effect on lower income countries.
Pictured: Rally in Tehran
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Israeli strikes in Lebanon rise by 110pc in three days
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According to analysts at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data organisation (ACLED), Israel has conducted 242 aerial strikes in southern Lebanon over the past three days.
Bassel Doueik, a Lebanon and Jordan researcher at ACLED, said the strikes taking place between the 23rd and 26th May represented a 110 per cent increase as compared with the period from May 19 to May 22.
It follows earlier reports that eight people, including some children, had been killed in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Aldoun.
Situation Room meeting has ended
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The president has reportedly concluded the meeting the during which he said he would make his “final determination” on an Iran peace deal.
A White House official told the Associated Free Press that he was not sure if Trump had reached a decision on the deal with Iran at the gathering, which took place in the White House Situation Room.
The president has not yet made any announcements or posted on his Truth Social account.
US-Israeli drone targeted and destroyed by Iran
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Tasnim News Agency has reported that an US-Israeli “micro-drone” was targeted by Iranian army air defences near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
The agency, close to security forces, also said the Revolutionary Guards claimed to have shot down a drone last night.
US sources have not commented on the report.
Death toll rises to eight in Lebanese town hit by Israeli strikes
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Lebanon’s National News Agency said the death toll from earlier Israeli strikes on the southern town of Aldoun has risen to at least eight.
The agency reported that all casualties were Syrian nationals and that some were children.
Rescue teams continue to search the area following the attack.
UAE launched ‘dozens’ of strikes on Iran
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The United Arab Emirates launched “dozens of strikes” against Iran in co-ordination with the US and Israel during the early days of the war, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
According to unnamed sources familiar with the matter, UAE forces targeted Qeshm and Abu Musa islands in the Strait of Hormuz; Bandar Abbas; the oil refinery on Lavan island in the Persian Gulf; and the Asaluyeh petrochemical complex.
In addition to the strikes, the UAE also reportedly acted against Iran’s financial interests by closing schools and clubs in Dubai that were linked to Tehran and by denying visas and transit rights to Iranian citizens.
‘No negotiations’ taking place on nuclear issue, Iran says
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Iran’s foreign ministry said there were “no negotiations” taking place on its nuclear programme after Donald Trump demanded in a Truth Social post that it should relinquish its enriched uranium under a deal to end the Middle East war.
“At this stage, we are focused on ending the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state TV.
Iran’s foreign minister: No final agreement reached
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Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, has issued a statement saying no deal has been finalised with the US so far and that the management of the Strait of Hormuz must be decided upon by Iran and Oman.
“Regarding the understanding, as I said while speaking to you, exchanges of messages are continuing, but no final agreement has been reached yet,” Baghaei told state media.
Israeli warplanes hit Lebanese town after issuing threat
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The Israeli army has launched a strike against the southern Lebanese town of Zefta, after issuing a displacement threat to residents calling on them to flee their homes.
According to the state-run NNA, the strike destroyed a two-storey building. No casualties have been reported so far.
The NNA also reported strikes on the towns of Halta, Adloun, Jouya, Burj al-Shamali and Nabatieh al-Fawqa.
Iran has ‘offered verbal commitments to negotiate on uranium’
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Donald Trump has claimed Iran’s enriched uranium, “which is buried deep underground... will be unearthed by the U.S. in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED.”
According to US news site Axios, the 60-day memorandum states that Iran will agree to negotiate on its nuclear programme, but it does not include specific concessions. US officials have only received verbal commitments, it reported.
Earlier on Friday, Ebrahim Azizi, Iran’s foreign policy chief, vowed that Tehran’s “nuclear dust”, which it claims is for civilian use, would never be extracted from Iranian soil.
The issue of the material, which the US and Israel claims is for a nuclear bomb, has been a constant stumbling block in negotiations on ending the war, which began on Feb 28.
Pictured: US fighter jet lands on deck of assault ship
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Iran denies Trump’s account of the deal
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Iranian officials rejected Donald Trump’s characterisation of a potential agreement, describing his claims as “a mixture of truth and lies” designed to portray a false victory.
Sources told the Iranian state news agency Fars that Mr Trump “distorted the agreement’s central provisions.”
On the Strait of Hormuz, Mr Trump said Iran agreed to open it toll-free with unrestricted shipping.
The agreement contains no such provision, sources said.
Iran said it will reopen the strait according to pre-arranged management terms after the blockade is lifted, potentially including ship inspections and security services.
On nuclear material, Mr Trump claimed Iran agreed to remove or destroy its enriched uranium.
Iranian sources said this provision does not exist in the agreement text.
The most significant omission from MrTrump’s announcement was the immediate $12 billion payment from Iran’s frozen assets, sources said.
The agreement requires the US to pay this sum immediately as a condition for any further negotiations.
If the US fails to pay, it constitutes a breach of American obligations.
A complete ceasefire in Lebanon, “according to Hezbollah’s terms,” is also required before further negotiations, sources added.
Iranian officials added that the final agreement will be based on “the Islamic Republic’s principles and red lines.”
Oil prices plummet following blockade announcement
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Oil prices fell as traders digested Donald Trump’s announcement that he would end the US naval blockade of Iran.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading at $91.73 a barrel, down from $93.37 earlier on Friday.
Markets in London reacted cautiously to the latest geopolitical developments in the Middle East.
The FTSE 100 was down 0.1pc, while the more domestically-focused FTSE 250 climbed 0.7pc.
All major indices were trading higher in New York. The S&P 500 added 0.3pc, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7pc and the Nasdaq gained 0.2pc.
Government borrowing costs in the UK and across Europe were largely steady.
Analysis: The gap between Trump’s nuclear victory and Tehran’s reality
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In Washington, it was a triumph.
Donald Trump claimed that Iran had agreed to surrender its enriched uranium stockpile to the United States for destruction, declaring the nuclear dispute settled and the conflict’s end within reach.
In Tehran, they denied Mr Trump’s announcement and called it a “mix of truth and lies.”
The gap between Mr Trump’s narrative of victory and Iran’s actual negotiating position reveals that what appears settled in one capital remains contested in the other.
Iran’s refusal to surrender uranium comes from multiple interconnected reasons that make removal politically impossible for Tehran’s leadership.
Uranium, for the Islamic Republic, is national sovereignty. Tehran views the enriched material as a strategic asset and national property, not a negotiating commodity that the government can surrender to a foreign power without destroying its credibility.
Transferring it to the US for destruction would be seen as capitulation that hardliners - already threatening to destroy the government if a deal is reached - would portray as complete national humiliation.
Additionally, the IRGC, which views itself as the war’s victor, opposes surrendering uranium as evidence of military defeat.
Agreeing to US control of enriched uranium would contradict the narrative Iran’s negotiators are building domestically that military force, not diplomacy, secured concessions.
And Iran remembers the 2015 nuclear deal. The United States withdrew from the agreement and imposed maximum pressure sanctions. Iranians across the political spectrum now distrust American commitments.
Giving the US physical possession of uranium would remove Iran’s nuclear leverage permanently, making verification of American compliance impossible.
What we know so far
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- Donald Trump has announced the US naval blockade of Iran has been lifted, as he headed to his war room to make a “final determination”.
- This week, it was reported that US and Iranian negotiators were working towards a 60-day memorandum of understanding on ending the war.
- Under draft versions of that agreement, Iran would re-open the Strait of Hormuz, remove sea mines, and the US would end its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
- It is not clear if the US president meant lifting the embargo, imposed on April 13, would be conditional on him accepting the MOU, or if it had already been ended.
- After this, a longer, protracted period of negotiation would begin over the status of Iran’s enriched uranium and Iran’s $24bn in frozen assets.
- Iran has repeatedly said its enriched uranium, which it claims is for civilian purposes, will never be removed from its territory. It has not responded to Trump’s claims.
Iran’s top diplomat tells Omani counterpart US demands are “excessive”
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Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi told his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi that reaching a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war depended on Washington dropping its “excessive demands”, Tehran’s foreign ministry said.
“The Iranian minister of foreign affairs... indicated that arriving at a final agreement depended on ending the American party’s attitude based on excessive demands and shifting and contradictory positions,” the ministry said in a summary of a call between the ministers.
Trump lifts naval blockade on Iran
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Donald Trump said the US naval blockade on Iran will be lifted as he heads into the White House situation room to consider a peace deal.
The US president demanded Iran give up control of the Strait of Hormuz but also announced the US blockade “will now be lifted”.
He said ships “may start the process of heading home!,” adding a message for trapped sailors: “Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!”
It was not immediately clear if Iran had agreed to opening the Strait or whether the US blockade had actually been lifted ahead of Trump making his final decision.
Mr Trump also claimed Iran’s enriched uranium, a stumbling block to agreeing a permanent peace deal, would be extracted by the US and destroyed with the cooperation of the Iranian regime.
Earlier on Friday, Iran’s top negotiator warned that Tehran’s “nuclear dust”, which the US claims is intended for a nuclear bomb, would never be removed from Iran.
The US and Iran are thought to have agreed to a framework peace deal and Mr Trump is considering signing a final document.
“I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination,” Mr Trump said.
Iran, which has a separate blockade on certain ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, has not commented on Mr Trump’s announcement.
Lebanon’s president tells US that Israel truce is “essential”
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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that a ceasefire with Israel was crucial to progressing peace talks, as Israeli and Lebanese military delegations meet at the Pentagon.
In a statement, Aoun’s office said that during a phone call, the president “emphasised the need to exert all efforts to reach a ceasefire, considering it an essential gateway to moving on to any other step.”
The statement added that Rubio expressed his support for Lebanon’s stability, independence and sovereignty.
US secretary of state to meet Iran war mediator
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The US secretary of state Marco Rubio is meeting with Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar in the White House this afternoon.
This comes after Iran’s president spoke with representatives in Islamabad earlier today.
Rubio and Dar stood for photos in front of the media, but took no questions before their meeting.
Iran’s foreign minister has “productive” talks with Omani counterpart
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had a “very productive” phone call with his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi and discussed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, Araghchi said: “We discussed Hormuz and its future administration in line with our sovereign responsibilities and international law. We welcome consultation with all neighboring states.”
Araghchi also expressed Iran’s solidarity with Oman “in face of any threat.”
This comes days after US president Donald Trump threatened to “blow up” Oman if the country didn’t “behave like everybody else.”
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 29, 2026In very productive call with FM @badralbusaidi, expressed Iran's solidarity with Oman in face of any threat.
We discussed Hormuz and its future administration in line with our sovereign responsibilities and international law.
We welcome consultation with all neighboring states. pic.twitter.com/MB6EVYNkNn
Lebanon’s culture minister warns historic sites under threat
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In a social media post, Lebanon’s Culture Minister, Ghassan Salame said the ministry had “conducted communications with counterparts around the world and international organisations to protect archaeological sites in the south.”
This comes after the Israeli army launched a series of strikes on Lebanon yesterday, including the southern town of Tyre.
Tyre was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984 and contains important archaeological remains.
Israeli forces push deeper into Lebanon
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces had crossed Lebanon’s Litani River, which runs around 30 kilometres north of the countries’ shared border.
The Litani River was once the edge of the buffer zone Netenyahu intended to establish in southern Lebanon.
He told Israeli troops at Israel’s northern border: “Our forces have crossed the Litani, they have moved up to the commanding terrain. We are operating in Beirut, in the Beqaa, across the entire front and are hitting Hezbollah head on.”
Milan prosecutors investigate Iranians over threats to dissidents
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Prosecutors in Milan have placed two Iranians living in Italy under investigation and ordered their homes to be searched over alleged threats to compatriots opposed to the Tehran government, Reuters reports.
According to a nine-page search warrant seen by Reuters, prosecutors suspect the two people of aggravated threats and association for the purpose of terrorism and subversion of democracy.
The case stems from complaints filed by several Iranian citizens living in Italy, with one Iranian dissident telling investigators she had received a phone call telling her she had been sentenced to death for being an opposition supporter.
One of the two suspects had an Instagram profile from which death threats were made against anyone hoping for the accession to power of Reza Pahlavi - the exiled son of Iran’s former Shah - the warrant showed.
It said both suspects, named as Jalilian Farshid and Adib Ansari Rohoulah, were known to attend an Islamic centre in Milan owned by the Iranian consulate.
Missiles win concessions not diplomacy, says Iran’s top negotiator
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Iran’s chief negotiator said the Islamic Republic’s missile programme, not diplomacy, is forcing Donald Trump to make concessions.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: “We gain concessions not through talk, but through missiles – in talks we just enforce them.”
He expressed scepticism about any agreement, saying: “We have no trust in guarantees and words, only actions are the measure,” he said, adding: “No action will be taken before the other side acts.”
“The winner of any agreement is someone who is better prepared for war the day after it.”
The statement, posted on X in Persian, reveals a fundamental paradox in Iran’s negotiating position.
His effort to lay groundwork with Iran’s domestic audience – emphasising military victory and conditional trust – typically precedes major political announcements.
By telling Iranians that concessions came from military strength rather than from weakness in negotiations, Mr Ghalibaf may be preparing public opinion for an imminent agreement that hardliners might otherwise reject as capitulation.
This requires framing diplomatic engagement and making concessions not as capitulation but as “tactical consolidation” following “battlefield success.”
The West is ignoring the dangerous new partnership reshaping Iran from within
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A shadowy new partnership appears to have formed between two of the most powerful figures in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), write Kasra Aarabi and Saeid Golkar.
Yet in the West it has been almost entirely overlooked.
It is no secret that the mainstream coverage of the Iran war has lacked nuance. But nowhere has this been clearer than in efforts to understand the regime’s internal power structure following the elimination of supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Following Khamenei’s death and the mysterious absence of his son and successor, Mojtaba, the mainstream narrative was quick to cast the speaker of the Iranian parliament and IRGC veteran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as the “Putin” of Iran.
And while it is true that the IRGC very much remains in control of the regime (a process that began long before the war), it soon became clear that Ghalibaf was not the real power in Tehran.
Not only has Ghalibaf been undermined during negotiations with the United States, but rumours circulating among networks of younger IRGC figures suggest the former Guardsman is now sulking after being left out in the cold.
In March, we revealed that Ahmad Vahidi, the IRGC’s new commander-in-chief, was in fact the main power in the regime – a report that has subsequently been corroborated by Western intelligence sources.
But this is only half of the story.
Man charged with ‘spying for Iran’, says Met Police
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A Greek national has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service believed to be Iran, the Metropolitan Police announced.
Ioannis Aidinidis, 46, who resides in Munich, Germany, was charged on Friday with assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
The allegations relate to the targeting of a British-based journalist working for Iran International, a television news channel that operates in London and promotes former crown prince Reza Pahlavi.
On May 16, Aidinidis was arrested in the West Sussex area by detectives from CTP London, supported by officers from CTP South East. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.
The Met Police said: “There is not believed to be any wider threat to the public in relation to this matter.”
Pictured: US aircraft takes off in Middle East
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Pictured: Anti-Israel poster in Tehran
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More than 75 Lebanese children killed or injured over past week
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An average of 11 children have been killed or injured every 24 hours in Lebanon in the last week, according to Unicef.
A total of 77 children have been struck by attacks over the past seven days, the children’s humanitarian aid group reported.
Since the ceasefire began in April between Israel and Lebanon, 55 children have been killed, and 212 injured, according to the agency.
Ricardo Pires, a spokesman for Unicef, described the toll as “staggering”.
Iranian state media mocks US over reopening of Strait of Hormuz
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Iranian state broadcaster IRIB has mocked the US after it cited the importance of international law in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on social media, it said: “America, after failing to open the Strait of Hormuz, is now talking about international law!
“It’s like an armed robber who couldn’t break down the door, now giving a speech about ‘property rights’ and ‘house rules’.”
Iran accuses UN of ‘silence’ over Israeli aggression
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Iran has accused the UN Security Council of “silence and indifference” over Israel’s military campaign.
Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesman for the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry, told Fars News that the UN’s lack of action was a “factor emboldening the Israeli regime”.
He condemned the attacks across cities in southern Lebanon, as well as Beirut, the Lebanese capital, that took place yesterday.
IDF announces more strikes on Lebanon
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The Israeli military has announced imminent attacks on six towns and villages in Lebanon.
Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the force, issued an “urgent warning” to residents to evacuate their homes.
He said: “Out of concern for your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River.
“Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, and their combat means is endangering their life!”
Pictured: Israeli attacks on Hezbollah
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IDF intercepts ‘suspicious aerial target’
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The Israeli air force intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” launched from southern Lebanon.
Authorities were alerted to the projectile in the Misgav and Margaliot areas of Upper Galilee. It is unclear who was responsible.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “The air force intercepted a suspicious aerial target that was identified in the area where IDF forces are operating in southern Lebanon.
Watch: US aircraft fly over Arabian Sea
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American planes take off from USS Abraham Lincoln while the aircraft carrier transits the Arabian Sea.
Iranian president thanks Pakistan for mediation efforts
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The Iranian president has thanked Pakistan for “efforts” mediating the negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Masoud Pezeshkian said he spoke to Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, to emphasise “Iran’s commitment to diplomacy” during a phone call.
In a statement on the call, he wrote: “Iran’s policy is to expand cooperation with Muslim and neighbouring countries in all fields.”
Pictured: Mourners weep at funeral of Israeli soldier
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Sgt Rotem Yanai, 20, was killed during an operational activity in northern Israel on Wednesday.
Deal ‘includes $300bn investment fund for Iran’
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A $300 billion investment fund for Iran has been included in the terms of the proposed deal to extend the ceasefire by 60 days, according to reports.
Officials told the New York Times that the money would be used as part of a “reconstruction program” that would be promised to Tehran in the event a final agreement was signed.
Iran had demanded reparations for bombardment damage that some Iranian officials estimate at $300 billion to $1 trillion.
The proposal echoes an earlier idea floated by Steve Witkoff, Washington’s envoy to the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Both men are real estate investors.
Iranian officials said they had proposed to American negotiators that US companies, including major oil and energy corporations, could enter Iran for investments and joint venture deals.
Pictured: Israeli attacks on Lebanon
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Any country trading Iranian oil faces sanctions, US warns
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The US has warned third-party countries that they face sanctions after delivering the latest update to Operation Economic Fury.
Tommy Pigott, a spokesman for the Department of State, said Washington was continuing its “maximum pressure” campaign against the Iranian econonmy.
In a statement issued on social media, he wrote: “The US is targeting the Iranian regime’s dark fleet and illicit oil networks under Economic Fury.
“Today’s sanctions cut off billions in revenue that funds the IRGC, proxy forces, and attacks on our partners.
“Any entity trading Iranian oil faces serious risk of US sanctions.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister arrives in Washington
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Pakistan’s foreign minister has arrived in Washington to meet Marco Rubio.
Ishaq Dar has played a key role in the mediation efforts between the US and Iran during the war.
The talks in Washington will cover bilateral ties and regional issues, including Islamabad’s efforts to help to negotiate a permanent end to the conflict in the Middle East.
IDF urges Lebanese residents to evacuate village
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The Israeli military has announced further strikes on Lebanon in a continuation of its campaign against Hezbollah.
Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), urged residents of the village of Ain Qana to evacuate their homes “immediately”.
“In light of the terrorist Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is compelled to act against it forcefully,” he said.
“The IDF does not intend to harm you.”
On Thursday, Israeli attacks on the Lebanese cities of Beirut, Tyre and Sidon killed at least 14 people, according to the country’s ministry of health.
US sanctions more Iranian oil sales despite tentative deal
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Good morning and welcome to The Telegraph’s live coverage of the war in the Middle East.
The US Treasury has announced additional sanctions on Iran’s military oil sales despite Tehran and Washington agreeing to a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire.
Sanctions were placed on Sepehr Energy Jahan – the oil sales arm of Iran’s armed forces – which facilitates the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil to China.
The Treasury claimed that Iran’s military generated revenue through these sales “via an array of front companies to help fund its reconstitution and threaten its neighbours” in a statement on Thursday.
Scott Bessent, Treasury secretary, said: “The Treasury Department will continue to increase pressure on Iranian oil sales to deprive the Iranian regime and its military of the financial resources it needs to threaten US allies and partners in the Middle East.”