China urges lasting Mideast truce, reopening of shipping lanes

This live blog follows updates for Day 77 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 76, go here.

• US VP Vance says progress is being made in negotiations with Iran 
• Global Sumud Flotilla announces new effort to break Gaza siege 
• Trump, Xi agreed Strait of Hormuz 'must remain open'
• Lebanon, Israel to hold new talks in US as ceasefire nears end
• Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli officials’ actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Iran’s FM says US sending ‘contradictory messages’

Published: May 15, 2026 | 09:17 GMT | by Web Desk

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has blamed what he calls “contradictory messages” from US for complicating negotiations.

Araghchi said Iran is not to blame for disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and that Tehran did not initiate the war and is only defending itself, Al Jazeera reported, quoting Iran’s IRIB broadcaster.

Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s stance that the strait remains accessible to vessels from “friendly countries” that coordinate with Iranian authorities, while ships belonging to Iran’s “enemies” are barred from passage.

Palestinian Authority says teen killed by Israeli forces in West Bank

Published: May 15, 2026 | 09:15 GMT | by AFP

The Palestinian Authority said Friday that a 15-year-old was killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, while the Israeli army said he had been throwing stones at Israeli cars on a road.

The authority's health ministry said it had been informed of the killing of Fahd Zidan Oweis. 

He was "shot dead by the (Israeli) forces at dawn today in the town of Al-Lubban al-Sharqiyya in the Nablus governorate. His body has been withheld," it said.

The Israeli army told AFP that during a counterterror operation in the area it "eliminated a masked terrorist" who had "hurled rocks towards Israeli vehicles on a central road, endangering lives".

Violence has increased in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza in Oct. 2023.

According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,072 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began.

US State Department offers up to $15M for information on IRGC financial networks

Published: May 15, 2026 | 08:33 GMT | by Web Desk

The individuals, the State Department says, “are involved in KIPAS’s testing, development and supply of drones”.

A post by the State Department’s national security rewards program on X Thursday said people who submit tips about individuals, their associates, or financial networks may be eligible for an award of up to $15m.

“Help us put a dent in the IRGC’s revenue stream,” the post states.

Israel army issues evacuation warning for five south Lebanon villages

Published: May 15, 2026 | 07:17 GMT | by AFP

Israel's military called on residents of five villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate on Friday ahead of expected attacks against Hezbollah, despite a truce with Lebanon intended to halt the fighting.

"In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Defence Army is compelled to act against it forcefully," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X, listing five villages near the city of Tyre, on the south Lebanon coast.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and stay away from the villages and towns by a distance of no less than 1,000 metres," he added.

China urges lasting Mideast truce, reopening of shipping lanes

Published: May 15, 2026 | 05:22 GMT | by AFP

China called on Friday for a lasting truce in the Middle East and for shipping lanes to be reopened "as soon as possible", as the strategic Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed during the war with Iran.

US President Donald Trump has discussed Iran during a summit in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

When asked if the two presidents had discussed the subject, China's foreign ministry responded on Friday saying it hoped a lasting ceasefire could be reached "as soon as possible" to restore peace and stability in the Middle East.

"Shipping lanes should be reopened as soon as possible in response to the calls of the international community," it added.

"There is no point in continuing this conflict which should not have happened in the first place."

In peacetime, the Hormuz Strait accounts for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, along with other key commodities.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that naval forces had allowed a number of Chinese ships to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz since the previous night.

Israel says soldier killed in south Lebanon fighting

Published: May 15, 2026 | 04:46 GMT | by AFP

Israel's military said Friday that one of its soldiers died in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing its losses to 20 personnel since the war began in early March.

Staff Sergeant Negev Dagan, 20, "fell during combat in southern Lebanon", the military said, without providing additional information.

Since the war began, 19 Israeli soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed.

Trump suggests wants Iran's uranium for optics

Published: May 14, 2026 | 02:46 GMT | by Web Desk

US President Donald Trump suggested that hunting down Iran's enriched uranium was primarily for political optics, after Israel demanded it as a goal.

"I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it's — I think, it's more for public relations than it is for anything else," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview from China broadcast late Thursday in the United States.

Xi ‘explained’ to Trump ‘concept of harmony among all beings’: Foreign Ministry

Published: May 14, 2026 | 01:39 GMT | by Web Desk

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has posted an image of the Chinese and US leaders during a visit to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven on Thursday, where Xi “explained for President Trump and his family the concept of harmony among all beings and respect for the law of nature,” Al Jazeera reported.

Trump is currently in Beijing on the third day of his state visit to China.

US brokers between Israel, Lebanon, and says progress with China

Published: May 14, 2026 | 00:11 GMT | by Web Desk

The United States sought to extend a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon as President Donald Trump voiced optimism about China's efforts on Iran.

"We had a full day of productive and positive talks," a senior State Department official said, expecting more to say on Friday.

A Lebanese official told AFP that the country would seek "the consolidation of the ceasefire" and said: "The first thing is to put an end to the death and destruction."

Israeli troops claim Palestinian killed for throwing stones in West Bank

Published: May 14, 2026 | 00:11 GMT | by Web Desk

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man accused of throwing stones at vehicles near the village of al-Lubban Asharqiya in the occupied West Bank, the military said, according to Al Jazeera. 

According to a statement from the Israeli army, troops claimed they identified three individuals throwing stones at passing vehicles and opened fire, killing one person and hitting another.

Child wounded as Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in Silwan

Published: May 14, 2026 | 23:51 GMT | by Web Desk

Israeli settlers have attacked a family with stones in the town of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, wounding a child, Al Jazeera reported.

The child, Mohammed Nidal al-Rajabi, sustained facial wounds after being pelted with stones by settlers operating under the protection of Israeli police.

Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli officials’ actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Published: May 14, 2026 | 23:14 GMT | by AFP

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement on X condemning what it described as “provocative practices” by Israeli authorities at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Al Jazeera reported.

The statement, which did not name any officials, cited two specific incidents: An official storming the mosque under the protection of Israeli police and another official raising the flag of Israel in the mosque’s courtyards.

According to news reports from Jerusalem Day, the officials were far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who entered the compound under police protection, raised the Israeli flag near the Dome of the Rock, and danced with supporters and Knesset member Yitzhak Kroizer, who accompanied him and was photographed prostrating towards the mosque.

Saudi Arabia called on the international community to halt practices it said violate international laws and norms, and to hold Israeli authorities accountable for what it termed “serious violations” against Islamic holy sites and Palestinian civilians.

Iran says no US visas issued yet for 2026 World Cup

Published: May 14, 2026 | 21:24 GMT | by AFP

Iran's football federation chief said on Thursday that no visas had yet been issued for the national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, state media reported.

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must give us guarantees, because the visa issue has still not been resolved," the state news agency IRNA quoted federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying.

"We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet," he added.

Hezbollah says targeted troops in north Israel with drone

Published: May 14, 2026 | 20:17 GMT | by AFP

Hezbollah said that it targeted Israeli troops in northern Israel with a drone, as Lebanon and Israel were holding a new round of direct talks in Washington.

In a statement, the group said it "targeted a gathering of Israeli enemy army soldiers at the Rosh HaNikra site" near the border with Lebanon with a drone.

Trump says Xi offered help to open Hormuz, vowed not to arm Iran

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

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said President Xi Jinping had offered China's help to open the Strait of Hormuz and pledged not to send military equipment to aid Iran in its war against the US and Israel.

"He said he's not going to give military equipment… he said that strongly," Trump told the "Hannity" show on Fox News, after the two leaders met in Beijing.

"He'd like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said 'if I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help,'" Trump added.