The US president says he postponed a scheduled attack on Iran after pressure from Gulf allies as renewed talks gain momentum amid tensions.
Posted on May 19, 2026
US President Donald Trump said he postponed a planned attack on Iran after requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, adding that “serious negotiations are now taking place” behind the scenes.
The comments suggest renewed diplomatic efforts are underway amid weeks of rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Tehran's participation in the talks and rejected suggestions that the country was backing down under pressure. “Dialogue does not mean giving up,” he said, adding that Iran had entered into negotiations “with dignity, authority and preserving the rights of the nation.”
Meanwhile, there is no let-up in Israeli attacks on Lebanon as the death toll surpasses 3,000, with at least seven people killed on Monday, according to local reports, despite a US-brokered “ceasefire” extension.
This is what we know:
In Iran
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its forces attacked groups linked to the United States and Israel in the western province of Kurdistan, near the border with Iraq. In a statement carried by the ISNA news agency, he said that groups from “northern Iraq and acting on behalf of the United States and the Zionist regime were attempting to smuggle a large shipment of American weapons and ammunition” to Iran.
- The IRGC said fiber optic cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz could be put under a permit system as Tehran tightens control over the waterway. “Following the imposition of control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, citing its absolute sovereignty over the bed and subsoil of its territorial sea… could declare that all fiber optic cables passing through the waterway are subject to permits,” the IRGC said in a social media post.
- Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, mocked Trump for setting and then canceling a deadline for a military strike against Iran, saying Tehran would not fold under pressure. In a post on
- Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters in Iran, warned the United States and its allies not to make another “strategic mistake or miscalculation,” according to the Tasnim news agency. He said Iranian forces were stronger and more prepared than before, adding that any new aggression would face a “much more powerful” response than previous confrontations.
war diplomacy
- Pakistan has been playing a central role in indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran, and Iran says it delivered its response to the latest US proposal through Islamabad. Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani also expressed support for Pakistan's mediation efforts aimed at resolving the crisis through diplomatic means.
in the united states
- The US president touted a “very positive development” in talks with Iran, which convinced him to postpone a planned military attack. He said allies in the Middle East told him they “are very close to reaching a deal” that would leave Iran without nuclear weapons.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States has extended its sanctions waiver for Russian oil shipments already at sea for 30 days, as global energy prices continue to rise due to the war. The latest “30-day temporary general license” “will provide the most vulnerable nations with the ability to temporarily access Russian oil currently stranded at sea,” he said in a social media post.
- Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy, said Trump's insistence that Iran agree to zero uranium enrichment had made a deal impossible. In a post on
- Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, D.C., said the war is becoming a growing political issue for Trump as Americans face rising costs of living and economic pressures related to the conflict. While Trump has dismissed concerns and insisted that conditions will improve once the conflict ends, Hanna said, many voters remain unconvinced, and dissatisfaction threatens to influence November's midterm elections and potentially hurt Republicans at the polls.
- Henry Ensher, former U.S. ambassador to Algeria, said Trump is under increasing pressure not to launch more attacks on Iran because “there are no good military options.” He told Al Jazeera that a large-scale attack could “provoke major criticism if it fails to change Iran's behavior.”
In Lebanon, Gaza and Iraq
- Death toll in Lebanon: Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon since March 2, the Public Health Ministry said. “The total cumulative number of the aggression from March 2 to May 18 is now as follows: 3,020 martyrs and 9,273 injured,” the ministry said, with 211 people aged 18 or younger and 116 health workers among the dead.
- Hezbollah drone attack on Israeli troops: The Lebanese group said it attacked Israeli soldiers with drones in the southern city of Rachaf in retaliation for deadly Israeli attacks on southern villages. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
- Operations in western Iraq intensify: Iraqi forces carried out large-scale raids in western desert areas following unconfirmed reports of covert Israeli military sites in the region. Iraqi authorities have denied the existence of unauthorized foreign bases on their territory.
- Israeli raids on Ramallah: Israeli forces stormed several areas of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, including the villages of al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah. According to the Wafa news agency, there were clashes in al-Mughayyir after Israeli troops fired toxic gas canisters.
- Aid ships bound for Gaza seized: Sumud Global Flotilla organizers say Israeli forces continued to intercept ships heading to Gaza in international waters. They said the Perseverance ship, carrying volunteers from Australia, Belgium, Canada and France, was attacked and its crew detained. Around 30 vessels remain en route after at least 47 vessels were seized, they said. Malaysia, Qatar and Turkiye condemned the Israeli action.
