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May 29, 2026e-Paper
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May 29, 2026e-Paper
Updated – May 30, 2026 04:53 am IST
U.S. President Donald Trump. File. | Photo Credit: Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar at the State Department in Washington on Friday (May 29, 2026), as negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran drag on.
Also read: U.S. military conducts another defensive strike against Iran
U.S. and Iranian negotiators edged toward a deal to extend their fragile ceasefire for 60 days, but the potential breakthrough was still hanging on President Donald Trump’s approval, U.S. sources told AFP on Thursday (May 28, 2026).
The development came after Washington and Tehran accused each other of violating the truce, underscoring the volatility of talks three months after the war in West Asia began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
President Donald Trump will only make a peace deal with Iran if it meets all his conditions, a White House official told AFP after the U.S. leader huddled with aides to discuss a possible agreement.
“The Situation Room meeting has concluded and lasted approximately two hours. President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines,” the White House official said on condition of anonymity.
“Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” the official said.
– AFP
U.S. President Donald Trump held a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers as he pondered moving forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the agreement has not been finalised.
Ahead of the meeting, Mr. Trump said he was looking to make a “final determination”. A senior administration official later said the roughly two-hour meeting with national security aides had concluded.
The official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, would not say whether Mr. Trump had made a decision to sign off on the tentative agreement.
Mr. Trump confirmed the high-level talks the day after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had come to terms on a tentative agreement. The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days as new talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme.
– AP
A political understanding has been reached between Iran and the United States over the Iran war, but it has not yet been finalised, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Friday (May 29, 2026).
The source said U.S. Donald Trump’s claim that uranium would be unearthed by the U.S. was not true, adding that the possible memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington does not include any nuclear-related issues.
– Reuters
Iran’s Fars news agency cited informed sources on Friday (May 29, 2026) as saying the latest comments by U.S. President Donald Trump about a potential deal to end the West Asia war were a “mixture of truth and lies”.
“Trump claimed that Iran was obligated to open the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, even though no such clause appears in the text of the agreement,” the agency said.
On Trump’s assertion that Washington and Tehran would coordinate on destroying Iran’s enriched uranium, it added: “Well-informed sources emphasised that not only does this not appear in the memorandum of understanding, but this claim is fundamentally baseless.”
– AFP
Israeli forces have advanced to positions north of Lebanon’s Litani River, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday (May 29, 2026), as Israel escalates attacks against Hezbollah militants after warning thousands more Lebanese to flee their villages.
The Israeli advance came as the U.S. military hosted Israeli and Lebanese defence representatives in Washington on Friday to pursue a U.S.-brokered plan to forge peace between the two countries and disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The Washington talks also aim to reinforce an April 16 ceasefire that has failed to halt cross-border fighting, with Israeli warplanes pounding Lebanon’s south and east and Hezbollah firing drones and rockets into Israel.
– Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he would be meeting in the White House Situation Room on Friday (May 29, 2026) to make a final decision on a deal with Iran.
He also listed what a potential deal would need to include: Iran agreeing not to develop a nuclear weapon, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the removal of any sea mines, the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iran and the removal and destruction by the U.S. of Iran’s highly enriched uranium.
“No money will be exchanged, until further notice. Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to. I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
– Reuters
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing a deal to extend their ceasefire in the West Asia war, but the potential breakthrough still hangs on President Donald Trump’s approval.
Mr. Trump remained notably silent into Friday (May 29, 2026) morning, despite U.S. sources telling AFP a deal just needed his sign-off, underscoring the volatility of talks three months after the war rattled the West Asia and the global economy.
“It’s hard to say exactly when or if the President is going to sign the MOU,” Mr. Vance told reporters on Thursday (May 28, 2026). “We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points. We’ve made a lot of progress here.”
– AFP
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Washington on Friday (May 29, 2026) for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that are expected to include the latest developments in negotiations on ending the Iran war.
A first round of peace talks in Pakistan concluded without a pact but Reuters cited sources as saying on Thursday (May 28, 2026) that Tehran and Washington had reached an initial agreement, to extend a ceasefire announced in April and lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump, however, is yet to approve the agreement and Iran’s Tasnim news agency reiterated on Friday that it had not been finalised, saying it had undergone changes in recent days.
– Reuters
Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Friday (May 29, 2026) in a post on X that Tehran does not trust guarantees and words, and would judge by actions, adding that Iran would not act unless the other side did first.
The United States and Iran reached an agreement on Thursday (May 28, 2026) to extend their ceasefire and lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, sources told Reuters, though U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to approve it and Iranian state media said it had not been finalised.
– Reuters
Milan prosecutors have placed two Iranians living in Italy under investigation and ordered their homes to be searched over alleged threats to compatriots opposed to the Tehran government, judicial documents showed on Friday (May 29, 2026).
According to a nine-page search warrant seen by Reuters, prosecutors suspect the two people of aggravated threats and association for the purpose of terrorism and subversion of democracy.
The case stems from complaints filed by several Iranian citizens living in Italy.
– Reuters
U.S. oil and gas major Chevron will not consider paying a toll to move ships through the Strait of Hormuz, CEO Mike Wirth told Bloomberg TV on Friday (May 29, 2026).
Wirth also said several vessels that transit through the Strait of Hormuz have been attacked in recent days.
Perhaps not every day, but there have been “multiple incidents,” he said.
Chevron currently has six vessels under charter — belonging to a third party — in the waterway, Wirth said. It will be the ship owner who decides whether or not to move through the strait, he said.
Mr. Wirth also told Bloomberg TV that ship owners and insurers would have to feel comfortable to move oil through the Strait again.
– Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday (May 29, 2026) that Israeli forces had crossed Lebanon’s Litani River, which runs around 30 kilometres north of the countries’ shared border.
“Our forces have crossed the Litani, they have moved up to the commanding terrain. We are operating in Beirut, in the Beqaa, across the entire front and are hitting Hezbollah head on,” he said during a visit to troops near the border, according to a video released by his office.
– AFP
London police said a Greek national was charged on Friday with assisting a foreign intelligence service, believed to be Iranian, in targeting a UK-based Persian-language journalist, the latest such case in Britain.
Ioannis Aidinidis, 46, who lives in Munich in Germany, was charged with the offence under the UK’s National Security Act following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
“The country to which the allegations relate is believed to be Iran and the allegations relate to the targeting of a UK-based journalist working for Iran International,” the capital’s Metropolitan Police said.
– AFP
Chinese airlines 9 Air and Shandong Airlines will cut fuel surcharges on domestic flights from June 5, they said on Friday (May 29), the first reduction since the start of the Iran war.
The carriers will cut fuel surcharges for flights of 800 km (497 miles) or less to 80 yuan ($11.82) from 90 yuan.
Fuel surcharges for flights of more than 800 km will be cut to 150 yuan from 170 yuan, notices released by the two airlines showed.
Chinese airlines tend to revise fuel surcharges for domestic flights in tandem, state media has said, suggesting other carriers could follow suit in the coming days.
-Reuters
Sardar Azmoun is Iran’s third top scorer in history with a successful club career behind him but is set to miss out on the 2026 World Cup in an exclusion shadowed by political controversy.
Azmoun, 31, is not part of the Iranian squad that has been preparing in Turkey for the World Cup and only a sensational last minute recall would see him join his teammates.
The tournament — co-hosted by the United States where Iran will play its group matches — will put the Team Melli under intense scrutiny as a shaky ceasefire holds after five weeks of war between Iran and the U.S. and Israel.
The striker, who currently plays for a club in the UAE, a U.S. ally, faced a backlash in media in the Islamic republic in March during the U.S.-Israeli war after a photograph showed him alongside the ruler of Dubai.
-AFP
Asian stock markets mostly surged and oil prices receded on Friday (May 29), boosted by optimism that the United States and Iran will reach a deal to end their war that has hobbled global energy supplies.
Oil markets have whipsawed this week as investors parse the chances of a breakthrough agreement between Washington and Tehran that could potentially resume normal shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
During Friday afternoon trading in Asia, the price of Brent crude was down by more than one percent to $92.54 a barrel, while primary U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate dropped at a similar pace to $87.56 a barrel.
Seoul led the charge in Asia, surging 3.6 percent while Tokyo’s Nikkei closed at a record high. Sydney, Taipei and Hong Kong also saw healthy gains, while Shanghai lost 0.7 percent on the day.
In Europe, London, Paris and Frankfurt were all higher.
-AFP
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Washington, DC on Friday (May 29), amidst the ongoing U.S.-Iran deal.
According to the daily schedule released by the US Department of State, it stated, “10:00 a.m. (local time) Secretary Rubio meets with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar at the Department of State.”
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Mr. Dar would travel to Washington after concluding engagements at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and other meetings in New York.
In a statement, the ministry said, “Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, after concluding his engagements at the United Nations Security Council and other meetings in New York, will depart for an official visit to Washington, D.C. tomorrow, 29 May 2026.”
-ANI
The Philippines received an Iranian crude cargo this month, ship-tracking data shows, likely the country’s first since the Iran war disrupted supplies from West Asia.
The Suezmax tanker Ocean Start delivered Iranian crude to Petron’s Bataan refinery on May 17, according to data from Kpler. The tanker is capable of carrying 1 million barrels of oil.
The Ocean Start received the cargo in early May through a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer in waters off Singapore with another Suezmax tanker Kylo, which loaded the crude at Iran’s Kharg Island on March 27, the data showed.
Kpler data indicated that this was the first Iranian crude delivery to the Philippines. Another analytics firm, Vortexa, also identified the cargo as Iranian crude delivered to the Petron refinery following an STS transfer.
-Reuters
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is the headline speaker at Asia’s premier defence summit opening Friday (May 29, 2026), but China’s top officials aren’t expected despite weighty questions like Taiwan and the war in Iran.
Beijing’s Defence Minister is to skip the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore for the second year running, which analysts viewed as a sign of China’s rising power.
Defence Minister Dong Jun’s absence means no meeting there with Mr. Hegseth as China warns the U.S. over its involvement with Taiwan and Washington seeks an end to the war in West Asia.
– AFP
The economic impact of the West Asia conflict, which began in late February with the assassination of Iran’s Supreme leader by American and Israeli forces, has been significant on India, and some of the effects would unfold over the next few quarters, according to a top transportation and logistics entrepreneur.
“The broader impact of the crisis is likely to be felt more strongly over the next few quarters rather than immediately,” said Vineet Agarwal, Managing Director, Transport Corporation of India Limited (TCI), one of the leading multi-modal transportation and logistics companies, in an interview.
Asian stock markets surged and oil prices receded on Friday (May 29, 2026), boosted by optimism that the United States and Iran will reach a deal to end their war that has hobbled global energy supplies.
Oil markets have whipsawed this week as investors parse the chances of a breakthrough agreement between Washington and Tehran that could potentially resume normal shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
During Friday morning trading in Asia, the price of Brent crude was down 0.9% to around $93 a barrel, while the primary U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate shaved 1.1% to just below $88 a barrel.
Leading indices on stock exchanges in Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei surged by more than two percent, while Sydney was up by one percent.
Hong Kong’s gains were more muted, while Shanghai’s main benchmark had lost 0.4%.
– AFP
The U.S. said it has imposed new sanctions on Iran’s military oil trade, even as Washington and Tehran reached a tentative agreement to extend their ceasefire and lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Treasury Department said it had sanctioned eight vessels involved in transporting Iranian crude oil and petroleum products to global markets. The vessels included the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Flora, the Comoros-flagged crude oil tanker Hauncayo and the Panama-flagged tanker Ill Gap.
Read the full story below
The U.S. imposes new sanctions on Iran's military oil sales and warns Oman against tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States also warned Oman not to get directly or indirectly involved in any effort to impose a toll in the Strait of Hormuz, saying it will penalise any partners involved in such a system.
“The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X.
“Oman, in particular, should know that the U.S. Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved – directly or indirectly – in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalised,” he added.
– Reuters
U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and launch talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said President Donald Trump still needs to sign off on the emerging memorandum of understanding.
Read the full story below
U.S. and Iran negotiate a tentative 60-day ceasefire extension and initiate nuclear talks amid rising tensions.
Published – May 29, 2026 07:28 am IST
Iran / Israel-US strikes on Iran / Israel / war / unrest, conflicts and war / Lebanon / Israel-Palestine Conflict / Live news / negotiation
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