Updated on: May 21, 2026 9:00:05 AM IST
L: A member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s volunteer Basij force demonstrates how to handle a Kalashnikov-style assault rifle | R: US President Donald Trump
US-Iran war news LIVE updates: Iran said on Wednesday that it was reviewing a new US proposal aimed at ending the Middle East conflict, while President Donald Trump described the negotiations as being on the “borderline” between reaching an agreement and renewed military action as the conflict, under a temporary ceasefire, neared the three-month mark.
Trump, who earlier said the talks were in their “final stages,” later cautioned that diplomatic efforts could collapse rapidly.
“It’s right on the borderline, believe me,” AFP news agency quoted Trump telling reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington. “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go.”
Iran war news | Key points
US-Iran war status: An April 8 ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, brought an end to direct fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel, but verbal hostilities have continued to intensify. Trump has repeatedly warned of renewed military action, while Iranian officials have answered with increasingly sharp rhetoric and unabashed trolling through its social media handled.
Latest big updated on ceasefire by Trump: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said talks with Iran were in final stages, adding that an agreement could emerge “very quickly” or “in a few days.” He, however, stressed that Tehran must provide “100 per cent good answers.” “We’ll either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty… but hopefully that won’t happen,” he said.
Iran’s response to Trump: Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had “received the points of view of the American side” and was currently reviewing them, AFP reported. He reiterated Iran’s demands, including the release of frozen assets and the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports. Earlier, Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Washington of attempting to reignite the conflict after Trump threatened further strikes unless Iran accepted a deal. Ghalibaf warned of a “forceful response”, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared that any renewed conflict would extend well beyond the Middle East.
Strait of Hormuz: Although the temporary ceasefire on April 9 stopped active combat, it has not led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – the strategic waterway that normally handles about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Wednesday warned that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz could “trigger a severe global food price crisis” in the months ahead. The future of the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the major obstacles in negotiations, with growing fears that the global economy could face further strain as pre-war oil reserves diminish.
Pakistan minister visits Tehran again: Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Iran for the second time this week as mediation efforts continued amid stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington, according to Iranian state media citing diplomatic sources in Islamabad.
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Trump, who earlier said the talks were in their “final stages,” later cautioned that diplomatic efforts could collapse rapidly.
“It’s right on the borderline, believe me,” AFP news agency quoted Trump telling reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington. “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go.”
Iran war news | Key points
US-Iran war status: An April 8 ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, brought an end to direct fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel, but verbal hostilities have continued to intensify. Trump has repeatedly warned of renewed military action, while Iranian officials have answered with increasingly sharp rhetoric and unabashed trolling through its social media handled.
Latest big updated on ceasefire by Trump: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said talks with Iran were in final stages, adding that an agreement could emerge “very quickly” or “in a few days.” He, however, stressed that Tehran must provide “100 per cent good answers.” “We’ll either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty… but hopefully that won’t happen,” he said.
Iran’s response to Trump: Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had “received the points of view of the American side” and was currently reviewing them, AFP reported. He reiterated Iran’s demands, including the release of frozen assets and the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports. Earlier, Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Washington of attempting to reignite the conflict after Trump threatened further strikes unless Iran accepted a deal. Ghalibaf warned of a “forceful response”, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared that any renewed conflict would extend well beyond the Middle East.
Strait of Hormuz: Although the temporary ceasefire on April 9 stopped active combat, it has not led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – the strategic waterway that normally handles about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Wednesday warned that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz could “trigger a severe global food price crisis” in the months ahead. The future of the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the major obstacles in negotiations, with growing fears that the global economy could face further strain as pre-war oil reserves diminish.
Pakistan minister visits Tehran again: Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Iran for the second time this week as mediation efforts continued amid stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington, according to Iranian state media citing diplomatic sources in Islamabad.
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May 21, 2026 8:58:31 AM IST
US-Iran war news LIVE: Trump drops big war update after ‘tense phone call’ with Netanyahu
US-Iran war news LIVE: US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly had a tense phone conversation regarding the next phase of the conflict with Iran, as Washington appeared to favour a diplomatic agreement over renewed military strikes, according to US media reports.
Following Tuesday’s call with Trump, Netanyahu’s “hair was on fire”, Axios reported on Wednesday. The report said the Israeli Prime Minister was pushing for the resumption of strikes aimed at further weakening Iran’s military capabilities and undermining the regime by targeting critical infrastructure.
According to Axios, a revised peace memorandum was prepared by Qatar and Pakistan, with contributions from other regional mediators, in an effort to narrow the differences between the US and Iran.
Trump, however, on Wednesday continued to be confident that an agreement is still possible, while also warning that military action remains an option if talks fail.
“The only question is, do we go and finish it up, or are they gonna be signing a document. Let’s see what happens,” reports quoted Trump as saying on Wednesday while speaking at the Coast Guard Academy.
Later the same day, he remarked that the US and Iran were “right on the borderline” between reaching a deal and returning to war.
“It’s right on the borderline, believe me. If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go. We have to get the right answers – it would have to be a complete 100 per cent good answers,” Trump told reporters after returning to Washington from the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.
Netanyahu, however, remains extremely doubtful about the negotiations and is said to favour restarting the war to further reduce Iran’s military strength and damage the regime through attacks on key infrastructure.
On Sunday, Trump stated that he had postponed strikes on Iran that were scheduled for Tuesday after requests from several Arab countries, including Qatar and the UAE.
May 21, 2026 8:49:17 AM IST
US-Iran war status: April 8 ceasefire to verbal hostilities
US-Iran war status: An April 8 ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, brought an end to direct fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel, but verbal hostilities have continued to intensify.
February 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran and latter’s retaliation led to a full-scale war that disrupted the entire Gulf and regions beyond.
Trump has repeatedly warned of renewed military action, while Iranian officials have answered with increasingly sharp rhetoric and unabashed trolling through its social media handled.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said talks with Iran were in final stages, adding that an agreement could emerge “very quickly” or “in a few days.” He, however, stressed that Tehran must provide “100 per cent good answers.” “We’ll either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty… but hopefully that won’t happen,” he said.
May 21, 2026 8:38:58 AM IST
US-Iran war news LIVE: Trump says US, Iran on final stages of talks, or edge of fresh conflict
US-Iran war news LIVE updates: Iran said on Wednesday that it was reviewing a new US proposal aimed at ending the Middle East conflict, while President Donald Trump described the negotiations as being on the “borderline” between reaching an agreement and renewed military action as the conflict, under a temporary ceasefire, neared the three-month mark.
Trump, who earlier said the talks were in their “final stages,” later cautioned that diplomatic efforts could collapse rapidly.
“It’s right on the borderline, believe me,” AFP news agency quoted Trump telling reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington. “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go.”
