US adds Persian Gulf Strait Authority to sanctions list The United States Treasury Department on Wednesday issued new Iran-related sanctions by adding the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to its Specially Designated Nationals list, according to the department's website.
US places UN expert Albanese back on list of sanctioned individuals The US Treasury Department has re-added the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories back to its sanctions list, the department’s website shows. This comes days after the department lifted sanctions on Francesca Albanese, after a federal judge found that the Trump administration likely violated her free speech rights. The Trump administration sanctioned Albanese in July 2025 over what it described as her "biased and malicious activities", including recommending that the International Criminal Court take action against the US and Israeli officials, companies and executives.
Hezbollah claims 37 military operations against Israeli troops in Lebanon Hezbollah announced that it launched 37 military operations on Wednesday against Israeli forces inside southern Lebanon as well as Israeli sites in the Galilee.
Trump says he will not ease sanctions on Iran as part of a deal US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that easing sanctions on Iran is not under consideration in the current negotiations towards ending the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and paring down Iran's nuclear capability. This comes as Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has repeatedly insisted that unlocking access to his country's money should be a confidence-building measure, if not a precondition, for talks with the US. Both Ghalibaf and Iran’s central bank chief travelled to Qatar on Monday to discuss the release of some $6bn that has been held in the Gulf state - on Washington's orders - since September 2023, signalling a potential breakthrough.
US carries out new hits on Iranian military sites: Report The US military has launched attacks on Iran targeting an army base that Washington officials allege poses a threat to its troops and commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official speaking to Reuters on Wednesday. The official added that the US army also struck down several Iranian drones. Iran’s Fars news agency earlier reported three explosions that were heard east of the port city of Bandar Abbas.
South Korea summons Iranian ambassador over attack on vessel South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has summoned Iranian Ambassador Saeed Koozechi to lodge what it described as a strong protest over an attack on a South Korean vessel, according to Yonhap news agency. Seoul demanded “responsible measures, including steps to prevent a recurrence”, the report said. Tensions escalated after South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said an Iranian-made antiship missile was “highly likely” used in an earlier attack on the HMM Namu, operated by South Korean shipping company HMM.
Death toll rises after Israeli strike on Gaza City home The death toll from an Israeli air strike on a home in central Gaza City has risen to seven, with at least 15 others wounded, according to medical sources at al-Shifa Hospital cited by the Wafa news agency. The strike targeted a house near al-Israa Tower on Omar al-Mukhtar Street, close to the municipal park in the city centre, the report said. According to Wafa, an Israeli warplane fired two missiles at the building.
Lebanese soldier killed in Israeli strike in south Lebanon The Lebanese military says one of its soldiers was killed in an Israeli strike on the Kfar Roman-Khardali road in southern Lebanon.
Iran reopens Isfahan airport after more than 80 days Iranian authorities have announced the reopening of Isfahan International Airport, about 440km south of Tehran. According to ISNA news agency, the airport had been closed for more than 80 days during the US-Israeli war on Iran, the governor of Isfahan said. Earlier, Iranian authorities also announced plans to reopen Tabriz International Airport in the country’s northwest after it sustained damage in a US-Israeli attack.
Trump says he will not ease sanctions on Iran as part of a deal Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 19:38 As negotiations continue, Tehran has made clear its primary goal is financial relief US President Donald Trump talks to reporters, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, right, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick during a cabinet meeting at the White House, in Washington, DC, on 27 May 2026 (Evan Vucci/Reuters) Off US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that easing sanctions on Iran is not under consideration in the current negotiations towards a long-term end to the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and paring down Iran's nuclear capability. This comes as Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has repeatedly insisted that unlocking access to his country's money should be a confidence-building measure, if not a precondition, for talks with the US. Both Ghalibaf and Iran’s central bank chief travelled to Qatar on Monday to discuss the release of some $6bn that has been held in the Gulf state - on Washington's orders - since September 2023, signalling a potential breakthrough.
Israeli strike on Gaza City home kills at least four people The Palestine Red Crescent Society says at least four people have been killed and 15 others wounded in an Israeli air strike targeting a home in central Gaza City.
Trump negotiating over his legacy, says former US official Joey Hood says President Donald Trump’s effort to tie a possible US-Iran deal to expanding Arab normalisation with Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords reflects his desire to shape a historic legacy. “Donald Trump really is negotiating with himself. He’s negotiating with his legacy,” Hood told Al Jazeera.
Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Oman despite centuries of US ties Submitted by Sean Mathews on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 20:18 Officials tell MEE the Trump administration has borne a grudge against Oman for months, but the country is key to Iran's ambitions A man views Rasool al-Adham Mosque from the corniche at Port Sultan Qaboos in Oman's capital, Muscat, on 5 February 2026 (Loic Venance/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump threatened to attack Oman on Wednesday, in remarks that offered a window into what several US officials have told Middle East Eye is the administration’s frustration with Muscat amid the war on Iran. Trump said he would “blow up” Oman if it agreed to work with Iran to impose a fee for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz as part of a settlement to end the US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic. “The strait is going to be open to everybody.
Trump says Iran will not get sanctions relief for giving up uranium US President Donald Trump said Iran would not receive sanctions relief in exchange for handing over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which Washington has described as a central demand in ongoing negotiations. “They’re gonna give up their highly enriched uranium not for sanctions relief. No, no, not at all,” Trump told PBS News.
Trump says Strait of Hormuz will not be controlled by anyone US President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would remain outside the control of any single country as negotiations over the waterway continue. “We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it,” Trump said. “That’s part of the negotiation that we have.
Trump says US now has ‘things understood’ with Iran US President Donald Trump said the US now has “things understood” with Iran as negotiations continue over a possible agreement. “This is regime change,” Trump told his cabinet in closing remarks. He also said US negotiators were “doing very well”, while signalling that Washington was not yet ready to finalise a deal.
US extends deportation protections for Lebanese nationals The Trump administration will extend deportation protections and work permits for thousands of Lebanese nationals in the US for six months, according to a notice published in the Federal Register. An estimated 11,000 Lebanese nationals are covered under Temporary Protected Status, based on 2024 figures. The extension allows them to continue living and working legally in the US until 27 November.
Trump’s 'Board of Peace' fund has no money for Gaza: Report Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 19:13 A senior US official travelled to Saudi Arabia in April in an unsuccessful attempt to solicit funding from Saudi Arabia, MEE revealed US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio walk to board Air Force One before departing from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on 20 March 2026 (Saul Loeb/AFP) Off The coffers of US President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" are empty and the organisation is stuck in a legal and political limbo, The Financial Times reported on Wednesday. The report follows a Middle East Eye exclusive that revealed a senior Trump administration official travelled to Saudi Arabia in April to ask the kingdom to follow through on its pledge of $1bn to the board. Aryeh Lightstone, one of the key US officials overseeing the US’s post-war planning for Gaza, met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the financial pledge Riyadh made, one Arab official and a US official told MEE.
Israeli strikes hit Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon’s Tyre Several hours after Israel issued evacuation orders for parts of Tyre in southern Lebanon, at least three powerful air strikes hit areas covered by the warnings. One strike hit the Rashidieh refugee camp, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Tyre and the second-largest in Lebanon. A second strike targeted the area of al-Housh, while a third hit el-Buss refugee camp in the city.
Trump’s Board of Peace fund for Gaza received no money: Financial Times US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has “zero” cash in its official fund despite member countries pledging billions of dollars, according to a report by the Financial Times. The newspaper said the fund, administered by the World Bank and endorsed by the United Nations, has not received any donor money since the board was established in January, citing four unnamed sources “familiar with the matter”. “Zero dollars have been deposited,” one source told the FT.
