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Rubio says 'significant progress' made in Iran talks

PHOTO: Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses a press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on May 24, 2026.
2:23
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
US, Iran inch closer to peace deal 
By David Brennan, Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: May 18, 2026, 10:08 AM

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal.

Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations are concluded "one way or the other."

Key Headlines

  • US and Iran making progress on interim agreement, official says
  • Trump says his proposal Iran deal 'the exact opposite' of former President Obama's
  • Trump posts AI image of US drone destroying Iranian ships after announcing 'agreement' with Iran
  • Rubio says 'significant progress' made in Iran talks
  • Trump says agreement 'largely negotiated,' includes Strait of Hormuz reopening
Here's how the news is developing.

May 18, 2026 10:08 AM

Iran 'better get moving, FAST' and make a peace deal, Trump says

President Donald Trump is saying that Iran "better get moving, FAST," warning that "there won't be anything left of them" if they do not comply with his demands and make a peace deal.

"For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!," Trump wrote on his social media platform early Sunday afternoon.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks at an event on maternal healthcare in the Oval Office of the White House, May 11, 2026 in Washington.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks at an event on maternal healthcare in the Oval Office of the White House, May 11, 2026 in Washington.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The president did not provide a new deadline or timeline for Iran's response, as he has previously.

During an interview in China with Fox News that aired Thursday night, Trump warned that Iran “can make a deal or they get annihilated.”

Last week, Trump called the ceasefire with Iran "unbelievably weak" and "a piece of garbage" after he disapproved of their peace deal proposal response.

-ABC News' Emily Chang


May 18, 2026 10:08 AM

US didn't seek Chinese help to reopen Strait of Hormuz, Greer says

President Donald Trump's top trade envoy said Sunday that the U.S. president exacted a commitment from the Chinese to not "provide material support to Iran," but that the United States did not seek China's direct help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

"When the president went in, he did not go in asking them to take action in the Straits of Hormuz. He was very focused on making sure that they didn't provide material support to Iran. That's a commitment he obtained and confirmed," U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on ABC News' "This Week."

PHOTO: U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer appears on ABC News' "This Week" on May 17, 2026.
ABC News
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer appears on ABC News' "This Week" on May 17, 2026.
ABC News

Greer said China has "a clear interest" in reopening the strait -- "I was in these meetings, and that's what, that's what the Chinese said," he said -- but without getting involved directly, it's unclear whether China's position will do anything to pressure Iran.

"The president isn't seeking to have joint military operations with the Chinese. I don't think the American presidents have ever done that," Greer said. "But obviously we want to make sure that they're not getting in the way of anything we're doing to try to clarify that situation."

-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan


May 18, 2026 10:08 AM

Drone strike in UAE causes fire in generator at nuclear plant, officials say

A drone attack caused a fire in an electrical generator at a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, officials in Abu Dhabi said on Sunday.

The generator was "outside the inner perimeter" of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra Region, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said on social media.

PHOTO: This undated photograph released by the United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency shows the under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi's Western desert.
Arun Girija/Emirates News Agency via AP
This undated photograph released by the United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency shows the under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi's Western desert.
Arun Girija/Emirates News Agency via AP

"The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) confirmed that the fire did not affect the safety of the power plant or the readiness of its essential systems, and that all units are operating as normal," officials said.

-ABC News' Mike Trew



May 23, 2026 5:38 PM

CENTCOM says it redirected 100 vessels during blockade

U.S. forces have now re-directed 100 commercial vessels as part of its blockade against Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.

PHOTO: Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, May 22, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, May 22, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters

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