Field Marshal Asim Munir arrives Tehran amid ongoing regional mediation efforts

This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.

Catch up: Yesterday’s top developments

• US CENTCOM says forces remain at ‘peak readiness’ in Middle East
• Iran condemns 'illegal' US sanctions on Lebanon ambassador-designate
• Over 7,200 people rescued during war, says Iranian Red Crescent 
• Death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon reaches 3,009
• Four dead, two injured in Israeli strike on medical center in Lebanon

Iran says Pakistani officials in Tehran ‘a turning point’

Published: May 22, 2026 | 18:30 GMT | by Web Desk

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil ⁠Baghaei said, “The current process and the presence of senior Pakistani officials in Tehran means that we have reached a turning point or a decisive situation."

He further said that the foreign ministry was having talks with a delegation from Qatar while Pakistan remained the main mediator.

Pakistan’s CDF arrives at Tehran to advance regional mediation efforts

Published: May 22, 2026 | 17:04 GMT | by Web Desk

Pakistan's Chief of Defense Forces arrived late Friday in Tehran as part of ongoing mediation efforts, said a statement by the military's media wing.

"On arrival, he was received and warmly welcomed by Iranian Minister for Interior Eskandar Momeni," the statement added, "Federal Minister for Interior, Mr Mohsin Naqvi was also present at the reception."

President Trump says Iran is ‘dying to make a deal.’

Published: May 22, 2026 | 16:10 GMT | by Web Desk

US President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House, said, “Iran is dying to make a deal, we’ll see what happens. But we hit them hard, and we had no choice because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They cannot have it.”

“We have the greatest military in the world,” he said, referencing campaigns in Venezuela and Iran.

Rubio calls Pakistan 'primary mediator’ in the conflict

Published: May 22, 2026 | 14:22 GMT | by Web Desk

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he spoke with NATO allies about possible challenges with reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking with reporters at the meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Rubio said, “The primary interlocutor on this has been Pakistan and continues to be,” he added, “they've done, I think, an admirable job, and that's who we continue to work through.”

Pakistan's CDF expected to discuss regional issues in Iran

Published: May 22, 2026 | 13:01 GMT | by Web Desk

Pakistan Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has departed for an official visit to Iran, according to security sources.

“During the visit, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will discuss Iran-US talks, regional peace, and other important matters,” security sources said.

The sources added that Munir would also meet “important senior Iranian personalities” during the visit.

There’s been ‘a little bit of movement’ in Iran negotiations, says Rubio 

Published: May 22, 2026 | 09:50 GMT | by Web Desk

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while speaking at a news conference, said, “there’s been some slight progress” towards a deal with Iran, but “I don’t want to exaggerate it.

“There’s been a little bit of movement and that’s good,” said Rubio, according to Al Jazeera.

“The fundamentals remain the same: Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

UAE official says '50-50' chance of US-Iran agreement on Hormuz strait

Published: May 22, 2026 | 09:03 GMT | by AFP

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.

Iranian officials "have missed a lot of chances over the years because there's a tendency to overestimate their cards", said presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.

"I hope they don't do that this time."

Trump 'disappointment' with NATO over Iran must be 'addressed': Rubio

Published: May 22, 2026 | 09:01 GMT | by AFP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that US President Donald Trump's "disappointment" with NATO over Iran must be "addressed".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that President Donald Trump's "disappointment" with America's allies over a lack of support in the Iran war would need to be "addressed".

"The president's views, frankly disappointment, at some of our NATO allies and their response to our operations in the Middle East -- they're well documented -- that will have to be addressed, that won't be solved or addressed today," Rubio said before meeting his alliance counterparts in Sweden.

Rubio said US decisions on Europe troops are "not punitive".

"The United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our force deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops. This is not a punitive thing, it's just something that's ongoing," Rubio told reporters ahead of talks in Sweden with his NATO counterparts.

Gaza aid flotilla detained members 'beaten and assaulted', says activist  

Published: May 22, 2026 | 07:41 GMT | by Web Desk

Global Sumud Flotilla activist Juliet Lamont stated that detainees experienced “systematic” violence while in Israeli custody following interception, according to Anadolu News Agency.

The Australian activist reported that 180 individuals on one detention vessel were “beaten and assaulted,” and that dozens sustained broken ribs.

The activist further alleged that detainees were subjected to sexual assault, taser use, physical beatings, and injections of unidentified sedatives.

US CENTCOM says forces remain at ‘peak readiness’ in Middle East

Published: May 22, 2026 | 07:11 GMT | by Web Desk

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that its forces in the Middle East are at 'peak readiness' in a post shared on X on Friday. 

The post said, "U.S. Navy fighter jets launch from aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the Arabian Sea."

"The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is maintaining peak readiness while enforcing the U.S. blockade against Iranian ports," the post added.

Iran condemns 'illegal' US sanctions on Lebanon ambassador-designate

Published: May 22, 2026 | 06:57 GMT | by AFP

Iran's foreign ministry on Friday condemned what it called "illegal" US sanctions on Tehran's ambassador-designate to Lebanon, according to a ministry statement.

The ministry "strongly condemned the illegal and unjustified action by the US Treasury Department in sanctioning Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani, Iran's designated ambassador to Beirut," the statement said.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on the Iranian diplomat.

The foreign ministry described the move as "another example of the rogue behaviour and disregard of the US ruling establishment for the fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter".

Over 7,200 people rescued during war, says Iranian Red Crescent 

Published: May 22, 2026 | 06:47 GMT | by Web Desk 

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in a post on X on Friday stated that aid workers rescued more than 7,200 people alive from beneath the rubble during the war.

Death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon reaches 3,009

Published: May 22, 2026 | 04:41 GMT | by Web Desk 

Death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon has reached 3,009, according to state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health of Lebanon issued a statement on Thursday, indicating that the total cumulative toll of the aggression from March 2 to May 21 has reached: 3,089 deaths and 9,397 wounded.

Four dead, two injured in Israeli strike on medical center in Lebanon 

Published: May 22, 2026 | 04:32 GMT | by Web Desk 

An overnight air strike on an Islamic Health Authority center in the town of Hannaouiyah killed four people, Al Jazeera reported, quoting state-run National News Agency (NNA).

According to the agency, two paramedics were also injured in the attack.

Iran says Lancet warns damage to Pasteur Institute threatens regional health security

Published: May 22, 2026 | 04:13 GMT | by Web Desk 

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei stated, "the Lancet, a world-leading medical journal has warned that damage to Pasteur Institute of Iran, as the result of US/Israeli attacks, threatens regional health security."

Israeli strike kills two people in south Lebanon: Military

Published: May 22, 2026 | 03:49 GMT | by Web Desk 

The Israeli military carried out an airstrike in south Lebanon, killing two people it said on Friday were armed and "moving in a suspicious manner" in an area where it is fighting Hezbollah.

"A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of meters from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon," the Israeli military posted on Telegram.

"Following their identification and continuous monitoring by the IDF, the armed individuals were struck and eliminated in an aerial strike," the post said.

Since a truce began on April 17, Israel has continued to launch strikes, carry out demolitions and issue evacuation orders in south Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah.

Oil prices rise amid skepticism over US-Iran talks to end war

Published: May 22, 2026 | 02:55 GMT | by Web Desk 

Oil prices have climbed as investors grow sceptical about a potential breakthrough in US-Iran talks as the two nations remain deadlocked over Tehran’s uranium stockpile and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported. 

Brent crude oil rose by $2.38, or 2.3 percent, reaching $104.96 per barrel as of 00:34 (GMT) on Friday, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose by $1.73, or 1.8 percent, to settle at $98.08 per barrel.

The rise followed a roughly 2 percent drop for both benchmarks’ crude on Thursday, which had marked their lowest prices in almost two weeks.

Indonesia says flotilla participants on their way home, condemns ‘inhumane’ treatment

Published: May 22, 2026 | 02:55 GMT | by Web Desk 

Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono has said nine Indonesian citizens seized by Israeli forces while sailing with the Gaza-bound aid mission have arrived safely in Istanbul, Turkiye, Al Jazeera reported. 

Sugiono added that Indonesia was working to ensure they returned home “safely and as soon as possible”.

“Indonesia strongly condemns the acts of torture carried out by Israel against Indonesian citizens during their detention,” Sugionio said in a statement shared on X.

“Indonesia reiterates that all forms of inhumane actions against Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers by the Israeli military constitute violations of international law and are contrary to humanitarian principles.”

Lebanese accuse Israel of wiping their towns off the map

Published: May 22, 2026 | 01:38 GMT | by Web Desk 

Lebanese mother-of-two Hala Farah is collecting photos and videos to preserve the memory of her hometown, which, like many others along the southern border, has been completely destroyed by Israeli forces.

Testimony from residents and officials, as well as satellite images and photographs taken by AFP journalists on both sides of the border, show widespread destruction in dozens of Lebanese towns and villages since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2.

Responding to Hezbollah's attacks, Israel carried out massive airstrikes and launched a ground invasion in the south, which borders Israel and where the Iran-backed movement holds sway.

But Farah, 33, said everything in her hometown Yarun, less than a kilometre (mile) from Israel, has been destroyed.

"All that's left are memories and some pictures that we and the neighbours are trying to collect... so that we can tell our children what Yarun was like," she told AFP.

"I had hoped my daughters would grow up in the family home," she said, wearing a pin showing her village.

Rubio denounces NATO refusal to help on Iran ahead of alliance talks

Published: May 21, 2026 | 16:10 GMT | by AFP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio renewed criticism of NATO for not supporting the US war on Iran, as he headed to alliance talks in Sweden.

"There are many countries in NATO that agree with us that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon, that Iran is a threat to the world," Rubio told reporters in Miami before leaving for the talks among NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden.

President Donald Trump "said, fine, I'm going to do something about it," Rubio said.

Iran condemns treatment of Gaza flotilla activists at Ashdod Port

Published: May 21, 2026 | 12:00 GMT | by Web Desk

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has condemned what he described as the "humiliation" of detained humanitarian activists from the "Aid to Gaza" flotilla at Israel’s Ashdod Port, warning that continued international silence over Israeli actions risks "normalizing atrocity."

In a post on X, Baqaei said images of an Israeli minister personally humiliating handcuffed humanitarian activists, including several European citizens, were "profoundly shocking" and evoked "the darkest echoes of history."

The spokesperson accused Western governments of "complicit silence, passive acceptance, and institutionalized inaction" regarding what he described as "occupation, apartheid and genocide." 

He warned that "endless impunity does not moderate lawlessness, it normalizes atrocity and emboldens its perpetrators."

Israeli artillery hits areas in western Deraa, Syria

Published: May 22, 2026 | 01:31 GMT | by Web Desk

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports that Israeli forces have targeted an area between the villages of Maariya and Abdeen in the Yarmouk Basin, located in the western countryside of Syria’s Deraa province.

The Israeli artillery bombardment hit agricultural lands and forested areas on the western outskirts of the region, SANA reports according to Al Jazeera.

There is currently no information regarding casualties, it added.