Middle East roundup, May 28: US strikes Iran, drawing retaliatory attack on American base

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

• Spanish FM calls Israel’s southern Lebanon war zone declaration ‘unacceptable
• ’Iran condemns US ceasefire violations after strikes in south
• Israel strikes Tyre after declaring 'combat zones' in south Lebanon
• Israeli soldier killed by Hezbollah drone near Lebanon border: Military
• 'Nobody's going to control' Hormuz Strait, says Trump

US Central Command denies aircraft downed in Iran

Published: May 28, 2026 | 23:33 GMT | by Web Desk

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied reports circulating in Iranian media that a US aircraft was shot down in the country.

“No U.S. aircraft were shot down. All U.S. air assets are accounted for,” it said in a post on its official X account.

US, Iran made 'a lot of progress' towards deal: Vance

Published: May 28, 2026 | 22:15 GMT | by AFP

The United States and Iran have made good progress towards a ceasefire extension deal but President Donald Trump is not yet ready to approve it, US Vice President JD Vance said Thursday.

"We're going back and forth on a couple of language points. We've made a lot of progress here," Vance told reporters.

"Hopefully, we'll continue to make progress and the president will be in a position where he can endorse the agreement, but obviously that's still TBD (to be determined)," he added.

Not seeking nuclear weapons: Iranian president

Published: May 28, 2026 | 21:00 GMT | by Web Desk

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has once again said that Iran is "not seeking [to build] nuclear weapons," according to semi-offical ISNA news. 

“If we stand against the strongest power in the world, we must accept the hardships, we cannot fight and expect the process to be as normal as before,” he added

Qatar ruler, Trump discuss Middle East war in phone call: state media

Published: May 28, 2026 | 20:15 GMT | by AFP

Qatar's ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump about developments in the Middle East war, Qatari state media reported Thursday.

"The call discussed the latest updates in the Middle East, in light of the political and security developments taking place in the region, along with the regional and international efforts aimed at reducing escalation and enhancing stability," the Gulf nation's official news agency said.

The emir "stressed the need to prioritise political and diplomatic solutions and dialogue between all parties in order to consolidate regional security and stability and spare the region further tension and escalation," it added.

The report said Trump "voiced his appreciation" for Qatar's role in supporting the mediation efforts of Pakistan, which has emerged as a key link between Washington and Tehran.

Israeli strike kills woman, two children

Published: May 28, 2026 | 18:00 GMT | by AFP

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike south of Beirut on Thursday killed a woman and two children, after Israel's army said it "precisely struck" the capital without identifying the target.

"The Israeli enemy strike on the town of Choueifat led to a final toll of three martyrs including a woman and her baby daughter, and a child of Syrian nationality, in addition to wounding 15 people including three children and five women," the health ministry said in a statemen

Mideast war imperils Sri Lanka's economic recovery: IMF

Published: May 28, 2026 | 15:30 GMT | by AFP

Sri Lanka's recovery from its worst economic meltdown is under threat from the effects of the Middle East war, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday, a day after granting a $695-million bailout installment.

Tough economic reforms since Sri Lanka's sovereign default in 2022 have placed the country in a better position, IMF mission chief Evan Papageorgiou told a news conference in Washington.

But US-Israel war on Iran as well as the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which struck in November, "are weighing on the economy and have tilted the risks firmly to the downside," Papageorgiou said.

Surging oil prices due to the war, launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, have heavily impacted many import-dependent Asian countries including Sri Lanka.

Israeli strike hits apartment south of Beirut

Published: May 28, 2026 | 14:16 GMT | by AFP

A Lebanese military source told AFP that an Israeli strike hit an apartment south of Beirut on Thursday, shortly after Israel's military said it launched a strike on the capital.

"An Israeli strike targeted an apartment in the Choueifat area," the military source said on condition of anonymity, while AFPTV footage showed smoke rising from the area on the edge of Beirut's southern suburbs.

Iran missile attack on Kuwait an 'egregious ceasefire violation': US military

Published: May 28, 2026 | 13:04 GMT | by AFP

An Iranian missile attack on Kuwait was an "egregious ceasefire violation," the US military said Thursday, amid an exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran.

"This egregious ceasefire violation by the Iranian regime occurred hours after Iranian forces launched five one-way attack drones that posed a clear threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz," the US Central Command said in a post on X, adding that all the drones were intercepted by US forces, who also prevented a sixth drone launch.

Israel military says launched strike on Beirut

Published: May 28, 2026 | 11:22 GMT | by AFP

The Israeli military said it launched an airstrike on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Thursday after earlier strikes on the country's south killed at least 12 people.

"A short while ago, the IDF precisely struck in Beirut. Details to follow," a brief military statement said. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was supposed to have taken effect on April 17 but has never been observed.

Lebanon says 11 dead, including 2 children, in Israeli strikes on south

Published: May 28, 2026 | 10:47 GMT | by AFP

Lebanon's health ministry said on Thursday that Israeli strikes on the country's south killed at least 11 people, including two children, and wounded 21 others.

The ministry said in a statement that an airstrike on a building in the city of Sidon killed five people, including two women, and wounded 21, five of them children. 

In another statement, it said "the Israeli enemy's raid at dawn today targeting a vehicle in the town of Adloun, Sidon district, resulted in six martyrs, including two children, their mother and their father".

Spanish FM calls Israel’s southern Lebanon war zone declaration ‘unacceptable’

Published: May 28, 2026 | 09:35 GMT | by Web Desk

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, in a post on X on Thursday, stated, "We are deeply concerned about the escalation of the offensive in Lebanon."

"Israel's declaration of southern Lebanon as a war zone is unacceptable and contrary to international law," the foreign minister said.

Iran condemns US ceasefire violations after strikes in south

Published: May 28, 2026 | 08:19 GMT | by AFP

Iran's foreign ministry condemned on Thursday what it called violations by the United States after its strikes on the southern port city of Bandar Abbas and expressed solidarity with Oman after President Donald Trump threatened to "blow them up".

The ministry's spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, said Iran would "take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty" and condemned what he called "the threatening rhetoric of American officials against Iran and several regional countries."

Israel strikes Tyre after declaring 'combat zones' in south Lebanon

Published: May 28, 2026 | 07:23 GMT | by AFP

The Israeli military said on Thursday it had begun new strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure around the southern Lebanese city of Tyre after issuing an evacuation warning to its residents.

Israel the previous day had declared all areas south of Lebanon's Zahrani River - an area roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the border and including Tyre - as "combat zones" and told residents to evacuate ahead of attacks against Hezbollah.

The sweeping warning -- the first of its kind since an April 17 ceasefire -- came as many Lebanese tried to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha.

In a fresh evacuation order to residents of parts of Tyre early on Thursday, the Israeli military said it was "compelled to take forceful action" against Hezbollah and announced in a later statement on Telegram that it had begun strikes it said targeted the group's infrastructure.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported two sets of Israeli strikes had taken place on the city and an area to its east on Thursday morning, hitting a building and sparking a fire in Tyre.

Israeli soldier killed by Hezbollah drone near Lebanon border: Military

Published: May 28, 2026 | 07:13 GMT | by AFP

The Israeli military said on Thursday that a soldier was killed the day before by a Hezbollah drone near the Lebanon border, taking to 24 the number of its troops killed in the war.

A military statement named her as 20-year-old Sergeant Rotem Yanai, who "fell during operational activity in northern Israel".

It added that one reservist soldier was severely injured and another moderately so in the same incident.

The military told AFP that Yanai was killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone.

A total of 24 Israelis have been killed since hostilities began on March 2, including 23 soldiers and one civilian contractor.

'Nobody's going to control' Hormuz Strait, says Trump

Published: May 28, 2026 | 05:13 GMT | by Web Desk

US President Donald Trump has said that 'nobody's going to control' the strategically and economically important, Strait of Hormuz, according to CBS News.

"We'll watch over it, but nobody's going to control it," President Trump said of the strait.

When asked if he would accept a short-term deal that allows Iran and Oman to control the strait, he says "Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we'll have to blow them up."

Pakistan, Saudi interior ministers discuss latest regional situation 

Published: May 28, 2026 | 04:45 GMT | by Web Desk

Pakistan's Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, said a post by Pakistan's Ministry of Interior on X on Thursday.

A detailed exchange of views took place during the meeting regarding Pakistan-Saudi bilateral relations and internal security matters.

A high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior will soon visit Pakistan to enhance bilateral cooperation, the post said.

Both interior ministers also discussed the latest situation in the region. 

Saudi Arabia's interior minister appreciated Pakistan's positive role in reducing tensions, the social media post added. 

Mideast war reshaping national energy strategies: IEA

Published: May 28, 2026 | 04:21 GMT | by AFP

The Middle East war is pushing countries to open new supply routes and turn to domestic resources to tide over the world's biggest energy crisis, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.

"We are in the midst of the largest energy security crisis the world has ever faced –- and I believe this will reshape investment strategies globally, with parallels to the major changes the energy world witnessed after the oil shocks of the 1970s," said IEA executive director Fatih Birol.

"We are already seeing intensified efforts by both producer and consumer countries to diversify trade routes and energy sources -– such as advancing new pipelines and other supply infrastructure, on the one hand, and turning more to domestically available resources, on the other," he added in the World Energy Investment report by the energy agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The IEA estimates that global energy investment will reach $3.4 trillion in 2026, slightly higher than the previous year, with around $2.2 trillion devoted to power grids, storage, low-emission fuels, nuclear, renewables, energy efficiency and electrification.

Alongside this, around $1.2 trillion is expected to be invested in oil, natural gas and coal.

It nevertheless expects oil investment to decline for the third straight year in 2026, falling below $500 billion despite rising crude prices.

Iran Guards say targeted US base in retaliation for strikes: State TV

Published: May 28, 2026 | 03:57 GMT | by AFP

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards targeted an American base on Thursday in retaliation for US strikes on the country's south, Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported.

"Following this morning's aggression by the invading US military against a location on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport using aerial projectiles, the American air base that served as the source of the attack was targeted at 4:50 am (0120 GMT)," the Guards said, according to IRIB.

It did not provide details of the location of the base, though Kuwait, said it was responding to missile and drone attacks on Thursday morning.

Iran forces fired at 4 ships attempting to cross Hormuz: State broadcaster

Published: May 28, 2026 | 03:11GMT | by AFP

Iranian forces fired at four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Thursday, the same day Washington carried out fresh strikes on southern Iran.

"Four vessels attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz and enter the Persian Gulf without coordination with the security forces," IRIB posted on Telegram, saying the incident took place at around 12:35 am local time (2105 GMT Wednesday) but without providing details on the ships.

"They were warned, but after they ignored the warning, warning shots were fired at them, forcing them to return," it added.

Kuwait army says air defenses responding to missile, drone attacks

Published: May 28, 2026| 02:41GMT | by AFP

Kuwait's military said on Thursday it was responding to missile and drone attacks, after the United States carried out fresh strikes on Iran and Tehran said it had fired at ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Kuwaiti air defenses are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks," the Kuwaiti army posted on X.

US Treasury sanctions Iran authorities overseeing Strait of Hormuz

Published: May 28, 2026| 02:36GMT | by AFP

The United States Treasury announced sanctions Wednesday against Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, Tehran's new agency that collects fees for traveling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"The Iranian military's latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, because they "may be providing support to and receiving services from" Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may "be exposed to sanctions risk."

Israeli military issues evacuation order in Lebanon's southern city of Tyre

Published: May 28, 2026 | 02:30GMT | by AFP

Israel's military issued an evacuation warning for residents of the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon on Thursday, saying it would operate against the fighter group Hezbollah in the area.

"The IDF is compelled to take forceful action against it," the Israeli military's order said, in reference to Hezbollah.

It added that residents of the zone around certain buildings should leave and travel north of the Zahrani River, and that remaining in the area "places you at risk."

US military conducts new strike in southern Iran: US media

Published: May 27, 2026 | 00:51 GMT | by AFP

The US military shot down four drones launched from Iran and struck a control center in the port city of Bandar Abbas, US media reported Wednesday evening, citing unnamed officials.

The strike in Bandar Abbas prevented a fifth drone from being launched, CNN and The New York Times reported, and follows what the US military described as "self-defense" attacks overnight Monday to Tuesday on Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats.

Read our May 28 live blog for earlier developments here