Iranian officials report progress in talks with US Iranian officials reported progress in talks between the US and Iran, according to reporting from Al Jazeera. This comes as Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is visiting Iran as part of Pakistan's role in mediating negotiations. According to Al Jazeera, Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir is expected to come to Tehran if talks continue to progress.
Helsingborg [Sweden], May 22 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that discussions aimed at halting the conflict with Iran have shown 'some slight progress,' while simultaneously echoing Washington's dissatisfaction with its NATO allies. Speaking to journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden, the top American diplomat noted that there has been 'some slight progress' in negotiations.
Helsingborg [Sweden], May 22 (ANI): Asserting Washington's firm stance on global maritime security, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has redoubled pressure on Tehran, identifying its aggressive manoeuvres in vital trade corridors as a non-negotiable hurdle in ongoing diplomatic discussions.
Lebanon’s talks with Israel test fragile relationship with Syria Submitted by MEE correspondent on Fri, 05/22/2026 - 09:26 Beirut’s independent diplomacy raises Syrian concerns over precedent and regional coordination Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) shakes hands with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the People's Palace in Damascus, 9 May 2026 (Sana/AFP) Off Since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the relationship between Lebanon and Syria has moved carefully, almost nervously, between necessity and mistrust. The two countries are bound together by geography, history, security, and a long list of unresolved issues. But neither side has fully escaped the weight of the past.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif flies to Beijing on May 23 as his country seeks to reinvigorate its efforts to mediate in the ongoing standoff between the United States and Iran. On his three-day visit at the invitation of China, a key diplomatic and trade partner with Iran, Sharif will also seek to deepen bilateral defense cooperation and secure fresh Chinese investment for Pakistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Beijing on May 23 as his country seeks to reinvigorate its efforts to mediate in the ongoing standoff between the United States and Iran. On his three-day visit at the invitation of China, a key diplomatic and trade partner with Iran, Sharif is also seeking to deepen bilateral defense cooperation and secure fresh Chinese investment for Pakistan.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Responding to remarks by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the recent US-Israeli onslaught constituted a blatant act of aggression and could not be portrayed merely as an “unnecessary war”.
Iran’s ruling establishment has increasingly turned to threats and combative rhetoric as it faces mounting economic problems at home and growing diplomatic strain abroad, expanding a wartime language into everyday governance.
UAE official says there is '50-50' chance of US-Iran agreement on Strait of Hormuz The US and Iran have just a "50-50" chance of reaching an agreement that would free up the Strait of Hormuz, a senior UAE official said on Friday. Presidential adviser Anwar Gargash urged Tehran not to overplay its hand in the stop-start negotiations during the fragile ceasefire. Iranian officials "have missed a lot of chances over the years because there's a tendency to overestimate their cards", Gargash told the Globsec Forum in Prague.
Tehran [Iran], May 22 (ANI): In what is likely to bring relief to the world, Al Arabiya on Friday reported that a final draft of a possible agreement between the United States and Iran could be announced within hours. Al Arabiya cited sources aware of the matter.
America's Middle East: How Washington brought ruin to the region Submitted by Hossam el-Hamalawy on Thu, 05/21/2026 - 12:16 Marc Lynch's new book says US foreign policy did not fail but was designed to keep the Middle East broken A Kuwaiti woman welcomes a US soldier with rose water on 27 February 1991 after allied forces rolled into Kuwait City (Christophe Simon/AFP) Off America’s Middle East by Marc Lynch is a book written against amnesia, and against the greasy consolations by which empires survive their crimes. It is also, improbably, a magnificent act of civic faith. Lynch begins in rage, but he does not remain there.
Nato alliance has to be good for all involved, Rubio says Nato has to be good for all those involved, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday ahead of a Nato meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, adding that he expects the meeting will set the groundwork for the Nato leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, later this year. "Like any alliance, it has to be good for everyone who's involved. There has to be a clear understanding of what the expectations are," Rubio said.
Palestinian UN ambassador withdraws General Assembly vice presidency bid after US pressure Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour is withdrawing his bid for vice president of the UN General Assembly after the US threatened to revoke visas for the Palestinian delegation if he did not drop the bid, NPR reported. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the report said Lebanon's ambassador is taking Mansour's place after the Palestinian UN delegation relayed through an Arab country that Mansour will refrain from running for a vice presidential position for the next two years. The spokesperson of the president of the UN General Assembly, La Neice Collins, confirmed the Palestinian delegation's withdrawal.
NATO chief says Hormuz Strait 'not necessarily our problem as an alliance' NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for world energy trade, is an "issue for member states of the alliance - but not for NATO as an alliance".
New posts 16:36 Reports: Pakistan Army Chief Leaves For Tehran Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (right) meets with Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran last month. Pakistans powerful army chief, Asim Munir, is traveling to Tehran amid renewed peace efforts, according to media reports in Pakistan and Iran.
New posts 22:09 Senior UAE Official: Restart Of Iran War Would Be 'Catastrophic' Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the president of the UAE, meets Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran on March 12.
Tehran [Pakistan], May 22 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday held another meeting with Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran amid the ongoing negotiations on a ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran, the Tasnim News reported. Naqvi met Abbas Araghchi to mediate between the US and Iran so both parties can move an inch closer towards ending the West Asia conflict.
Palestinian UN ambassador withdraws vice presidency bid after US pressure Submitted by Bilge Kotan on Fri, 05/22/2026 - 05:44 A diplomatic cable revealed that the United States instructed its diplomats to threaten Palestinian officials with revoking the visas of the Palestinian UN delegation ahead of the vote Riyad Mansour, the State of Palestine representative to the United Nations, attends a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East and Palestine on 24 November 2025, at UN headquarters in New York City. (Spencer Platt / AFP) Off Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour is withdrawing his bid for vice president of the UN General Assembly , after the US threatened to revoke visas for the Palestinian delegation if he did not drop the bid, NPR reported. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the report said Lebanon's ambassador is taking Mansour's place after the Palestinian UN delegation relayed through an Arab country that he will refrain from running for a vice presidential position for the next two years.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held another meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Friday to discuss proposals aimed at resolving disputes between Tehran and Washington.
Why Netanyahu leaked his secret wartime visit to the UAE Submitted by Ali Bakir on Thu, 05/21/2026 - 13:19 By going public with a meeting Abu Dhabi wanted kept quiet, Netanyahu trapped the Emiratis between domestic embarrassment and the regional cost of their Israel ties Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a ceremony in Jerusalem, Israel, 21 April 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/Pool/Reuters) On On 13 May, Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a brief yet dramatic statement saying that, during the war with Iran , the Israeli prime minister had "secretly visited" the United Arab Emirates and met President Mohammed bin Zayed in what it described as a "historic breakthrough". Hours later, the UAE foreign ministry pushed back with unusual sharpness, calling the report "entirely unfounded" and reminding the world that Emirati-Israeli relations operate openly under the 2020 Abraham Accords . The Emiratis were reportedly furious over the disclosure.
