Iran sent a new peace proposal to the United States with terms that appeared similar to offers Washington has previously rejected, although a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday (May 18) that the US had softened its position on some issues.

A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conveyed messages between the sides in the war in the Middle East since hosting the only round of peace talks last month, had shared the latest proposal with Washington. But the source suggested progress had been difficult.

The sides “keep changing their goalposts”, the Pakistani source said, adding: “We don’t have much time.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to the American side through Pakistan” but gave no details. Washington did not immediately comment.

The Iranian proposal, as described by the senior Iranian source, appeared similar in many respects to Iran’s previous offer, which US President Donald Trump rejected last week as “garbage”.

It would focus first on securing an end to the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz – a major oil supply route that Iran has effectively blockaded – and lifting maritime sanctions.

More contentious issues around Iran’s nuclear programme and uranium enrichment would be deferred to later rounds of talks, the source said.

However, in an apparent softening of Washington’s stance, the senior Iranian source said the US had agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds – totalling tens of billions of dollars – held in foreign banks. Iran wants all the assets released.

The Iranian source also said Washington had shown more flexibility in allowing Iran to continue some peaceful nuclear activity under supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency separately quoted an unidentified source as saying the US had accepted waiving oil sanctions on Iran while negotiations were under way. Iranian officials did not immediately comment on Tasnim’s report.

FRAGILE CEASEFIRE

A fragile ceasefire is in place after six weeks of war that followed US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. But talks mediated by Pakistan have stalled and Trump has said the ceasefire is “on life support”.

Washington has previously demanded Tehran dismantle its nuclear program and allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply.

Iran has been demanding compensation for war damage, an end to a US blockade of Iranian ports and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social at the weekend that “the Clock is Ticking” for Iran, adding that “they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Trump is expected to meet top national security advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for resuming military action, Axios reported.

Baghaei said Tehran was prepared for all scenarios.

“As for their threats, rest assured that we are fully aware of how to respond appropriately to even the smallest mistake from the opposing side,” he told a televised weekly press conference.

Source: Reuters

— Agencies

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters said Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state of “strict management” following what it described as Washington’s repeated breaches of commitments by continued blockade.  

The developments were followed by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s remarks early on the day, saying the Strait of Hormuz “will not remain open” if the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports.

Tehran also stressed that control over its maritime routes remains under its authority. 

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a brief post on X that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” to all commercial ships in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon.

Araghchi’s comments drew criticism after US President Donald Trump welcomed the move while keeping the US blockade on Iranian ports in place until a deal is reached, prompting Tehran to reject what they described as misleading messaging.

Based on previous agreements reached in negotiations, Iran agreed to allow “limited” passage for vessels in a “managed manner,” the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters said. 

However, it added that “the Americans, with their repeated breaches of commitments, continue to engage in piracy under the so-called blockade,” according to state broadcaster IRIB.

“For this reason, control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic strait is under the strict management and control of the armed forces,” it added. 

It further warned that as long as the US blockade remains in place, the situation will remain unchanged. 

The US imposed a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, preventing all ships from and to Iran’s ports from passing through.

The strategic waterway of Hormuz, responsible for roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil, was closed by Iran as a means in its war with the US and Israel since the conflict started in late February, sharply driving up global oil prices. Its traffic now relies on the shaky Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.

The strait was set to remain open for the remaining period of the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which took effect on Thursday and is set to expire on April 26.

 

BREAKING
Iran’s Central Military HQ:
Iran agreed to allow a limited number of ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz according to agreements.#But U.S. did not fulfill their obligations.
So, the Strait of Hormuz is now #closed again and passage requires IRAN approval.

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) April 18, 2026

 

–Agencies 

Iran’s science minister said more than 30 Iranian universities have faced “direct attacks” so far during the war with the US and Israel, according to the state-aligned Iran Students’ News Agency.

Hossein Simaei Sarraf, Iran’s minister of science, research and technology, said “non-military sites and essential infrastructure for education and research have been targeted,” ISNA reported. “Today, millions of schoolchildren and university students have been deprived of education and research.”

Buildings at the Shahid Beheshti University, a prestigious university in Tehran, were damaged by a US-Israeli strike yesterday, the Iranian Red Crescent and local media said.

Iran says the attacks on its universities are an attempt to weaken the country’s scientific and cultural foundations.

Israel frames the attacks as part of a broader effort to degrade Iran’s nuclear program. The United States maintains that its forces do not deliberately target civilians.

In retaliation for these attacks, Tehran has threatened to target American and Israeli-affiliated universities across the region.

Source: CNN

— Agencies

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has mocked the US on his X account after reports that an American fighter jet was shot down over Iran.

‘‘After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?’,’’ a post on Ghalibaf’s account says.

Trump said on 31 March that there has been regime change in Iran, saying the new crop of Iranian leaders are ‘‘much less radicalised’’ and more ‘‘rational’’.

Ghalibaf has also sarcastically posted, ‘‘Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses.’’

His account has been very active recently, posting occasional memes, while he was last seen on state TV on 17 March.

Some unconfirmed reports suggested the Trump administration was considering Ghalibaf as a potential partner and possibly even a future leader.

Source: BBC 

–Agencies 

President Donald Trump said on Monday the U.S. has had good and productive conversations with Iran and he will order the military to postpone any military strikes against Iranian power plants ⁠and energy infrastructure for five days.

Trump’s move followed a threat by Iran to attack Israel’s power plants and those supplying U.S. bases across the Gulf region if the U.S. targets Iran’s power network.

Conversations with ⁠Iran will continue throughout the week, Trump said in a social media post. “I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF ⁠WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS ⁠AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO ⁠THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS,” he wrote.

Trump had threatened to strike Iranian power plants by Monday evening if the country did not allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.

As of last week, Trump had said he wasn’t interested in pursuing a ceasefire with Iran.

“We could have dialogue, but I don’t want to do a ceasefire,” he said Friday afternoon.

Source: Reuters

– Agencies

Ukraine is also looking into whether it can have a role in restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, he said.

Ukraine has become one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone interceptors that are cheap and effective. They play a key part in its defense against Russia’s more than 4-year-old full-scale invasion.

“Our teams are already working with five countries on countering (Iran’s) ‘Shahed’ drones — we have provided expert assessments and are helping build a defense system,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Zelenskyy has previously said he hoped to provide expertise to Arab Gulf countries targeted by Iranian Shahed drones, versions of which are heavily used by Moscow’s invading forces, in exchange for advanced air defense missiles that Ukraine needs to counter devastating Russian aerial attacks. Kyiv fears it will get fewer of the sophisticated missiles it needs to fend off the Russian strikes as the Iran war burns through stockpiles.

Ukrainian expertise helps protect civilian and critical infrastructure

Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council who led a delegation to the Middle East and Gulf this week, said that Ukraine has deployed interceptor units there to help protect civilian and critical infrastructure and is working to expand that protection.

He said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukrainian military specialists are operating in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.

Ukraine is assessing further steps for long-term security cooperation with each of those countries, Umerov said.

The U.S. has asked for expert support for their military personnel in two areas of the region, Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv is also reviewing requests from European partners whose forces are based in the region.

The relationship between Washington and Kyiv on drone cooperation has been unclear.

Zelenskyy said last week that Ukraine was awaiting White House approval for an agreement on drone production. But a day later Trump spurned Ukraine’s offer of assistance, telling the “Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox News Radio: “No, we don’t need their help on drone defense.”

Ukraine looks to resume talks with US, Russia

Zelenskyy said late Thursday he has sent an official delegation to the United States in a bid to move forward suspended U.S.-brokered talks on ending Russia’s invasion.

The trilateral talks, which have yet to produce any breakthrough on key issues, have been on ice while the Iran war has dominated international attention.

The White House did not confirm any meeting with the Ukrainian delegation.

A senior Kremlin official indicated Friday that a new round of U.S.-mediated negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv will likely take place soon.

“The pause is temporary, we hope it’s temporary regarding the continuation of the trilateral format,” he said.

Western European officials have over the past year repeatedly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in negotiations while he tries to press his bigger army’s battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land. Russian forces hold nearly 20% of Ukraine.

Middle East conflict impacts Russia-Ukraine war

The latest conflict in the Middle East that began Feb. 28 with Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran has diverted international attention from Ukraine’s plight.

At the same time, Russia is getting a financial windfall from a temporary U.S. waiver on oil sanctions while Ukraine is desperately short of cash and still waiting for a 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) loan promised by the European Union.

Putin is widely expected to launch new offensives as the weather in Ukraine improves, piling further pressure on Kyiv.

___

Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.

Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, has been killed, according to the Israeli defence minister.

Khatib was “eliminated” in a strike ​overnight, Katz said.

There has been no confirmation ​from ⁠Iran regarding ⁠Khatib’s reported death.

Katz said ‌he and Prime ‌Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have authorised the military to ⁠kill any ​other senior Iranian official ​being ​targeted without the ⁠need for additional approval.

His reported death comes after Tehran confirmed the killings of the country’s powerful national security chief, Ali Larijani, and the head of the IRGC’s Basij paramilitary force.

Khatib was among the officials that the US was seeking information on last week, offering a reward of up to $10m.

The reward targeted 10 officials associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and also security chief Ali Larijani, who was killed on Monday, and the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

 

Source: Sky News

–Agencies 

Sri Lanka on Friday night repatriated the remains of 84 Iranian sailors who perished when their frigate was sunk nine days ago by a US submarine, local officials said.

The seamen were killed when the IRIS Dena was torpedoed on March 4 just off the coast of Sri Lanka, in an incident that extended the Middle East war to the Indian Ocean.

An Airbus A340 chartered by Iran “left a short while ago carrying the remains of the sailors,” an airport official at Mattala International Airport in the island’s south told AFP by telephone.

“The departure was delayed because 84 sealed boxes had to be loaded,” added the official who requested anonymity.

The destination of the flight was not disclosed.

The 32 sailors from the frigate who were rescued following the attack will remain in Sri Lanka for the time being, the Foreign Ministry said.

Of them, 22 have been discharged from the hospital and are being held at an air force base in the south of the island.

A second Iranian warship, the IRIS Bushehr, was allowed into Sri Lankan waters a day after Dena was sunk. Sri Lanka is providing safe harbour for the ship and its crew of 219.

Sri Lankan officials said they have not begun discussions on repatriating the Bushehr crew and those rescued from the Dena, but vowed that the sailors will be treated in line with Colombo’s international obligations.

Sri Lanka is currently hosting a total of 251 Iranian sailors.

– ‘Humanitarian considerations’ –

Crewmembers from the Bushehr are held at a navy camp just north of Colombo, while their ship has been taken over by Sri Lanka’s navy, which is trying to repair one of the two engines that were reportedly malfunctioning.

A third Iranian ship, IRIS Lavan, sailed past Sri Lanka and entered safe harbour in India’s southern port of Kochi on the same day the Dena was sunk. Lavan’s 183 crewmembers are in Indian custody.

Both Colombo and New Delhi have said they provided shelter to the Iranian sailors due to “humanitarian considerations” amid fears that they too could be killed in US attacks.

The ships had been taking part in a naval exercise organised by India off the coast of Visakhapatnam when the US and Israel began bombing Iran.

A local undertaker said the embalmed remains of the Iranian sailors were being sent back in sealed boxes.

The bodies, which were recovered from the Indian Ocean, were taken to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle, where autopsies were carried out.

A local magistrate ordered that the bodies be handed over to the Iranian embassy in Colombo for repatriation to the next of kin.

Source: AFP

–Agencies

The U.S. military on Wednesday warned civilians to leave port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating, adding that U.S. ⁠forces could not guarantee their safety.

“Iranian dockworkers, administrative personnel, and commercial vessel crews should avoid Iranian naval vessels and military equipment,” ⁠U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The United States has ⁠been carrying out strikes against Iranian naval vessels– ⁠sinking or destroying 60 so ⁠far.

Source: Reuters

–Agencies

The government will grant free visas valid for one month to a group rescued from Iranian vessels, allowing them to remain in the country under humanitarian protection, Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala said.

Minister Wijepala stated that similar decisions could be taken in the future as well, stressing that such measures would not be intended to support or harm any particular party.

According to the Minister, the decision regarding the Iranian sailors was taken by strictly adhering to international conventions and maritime laws applicable to the country.

He further emphasized that the government acted in line with a non-aligned policy while addressing the situation involving the Iranian seafarers, ensuring that Sri Lanka maintained neutrality while fulfilling its humanitarian responsibilities.