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ABC News

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 19, 2026, 4:48 PM

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 19, 2026 4:48 PM

Trump sets new deadline for Iran, explains why he backed off strikes

President Donald Trump offered an account of the details and timeline related to his decision to call off a planned attack on Iran this week, while setting a new deadline of next week for Iran to strike a deal or face strikes.

During an event showing the construction of the White House ballroom project on Tuesday, the president appeared to suggest that he had been “one hour away” from definitively ordering strikes Iran on Monday before he made the decision to delay the attacks at the request of allies in the region who said there has been progress with Iran peace talks.

"I was an hour away,” Trump said on Tuesday. “You're talking about yesterday? We were going to be striking very ... it would have been happening right now. Yeah, it was all done. The boats, the ships are all loaded. They're loaded to the brim, and we're all set to start,” Trump said.

But, the president said just moments later that he was “one hour away" from “making the decision” to carry out those strikes.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart and Isabella Murray


May 19, 2026 3:09 PM

Trump says he was 'an hour away' from striking Iran

President Donald Trump said he was "an hour away" from striking Iran, saying the U.S. would have been striking "right now."

The ships are all "loaded" and ready to attack, Trump said during an event the White House Tuesday.


May 19, 2026 12:25 PM

UK warns of looming food security crisis if Strait of Hormuz doesn't reopen soon

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned Tuesday that "the world is sleepwalking into a global food crisis," saying that if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened "tens of millions of people" could go hungry.

The closure of that critical waterway to almost all ships has disrupted exports of large quantities of fertilizer products.

Earlier this month the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization warned that the war had created a global "scarcity" of fertilizer which would "lead to lower [crop] yields and tightening food supplies in the latter half of 2026 and into 2027."

PHOTO: Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images
Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images


The UK Foreign Office warned that "if global partners don’t get fertiliser moving" then vulnerable regions of the world will need "shipments of critical emergency aid...not just external investment and technology," it said in a press release.

Cooper said Iran had "hijacked" the critical international shipping lane.

"Iran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz while the agriculture clock is ticking shows why we need urgent global pressure to get the Strait reopened, fertiliser and fuel moving and ease the costs of living pressures", Cooper said.

-ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge



May 19, 2026 7:58 AM

CENTCOM says 85 vessels redirected as blockade continues

U.S. Central Command said in a post to X on Monday that the number of commercial vessels redirected amid the ongoing American blockade of Iranian ports had reached 85.

"CENTCOM continues to strictly enforce the U.S. blockade against Iranian ports," the command said in its post.

CENTCOM continues to strictly enforce the U.S. blockade against Iranian ports. U.S. forces have now redirected 85 commercial vessels to ensure full compliance. pic.twitter.com/zKZBdSJzVC

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 18, 2026

May 19, 2026 10:28 PM

Senate narrowly advances Iran war powers resolution

The Senate narrowly advanced an Iran war powers resolution Tuesday by a vote of 50-47 -- marking the first time the Senate has approved moving forward with this resolution after seven previously failed votes.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost his primary in Louisiana over the weekend after President Donald Trump endorsed his opponent, voted yes to advance the resolution for the first time. He has not yet issued a statement explaining his change in position on the measure.

His GOP colleagues Sens. Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski also voted for the resolution, along with the majority of Democrats. There were multiple GOP absences.

As in past votes, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution.

The resolution "directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran unless a declaration of war or authorization to use military force for such purpose has been enacted."

The resolution only needed a simple majority in the procedural vote to advance. The Senate would need to vote again to advance the bill. Right now, if no other member changes their votes and there is full GOP attendance, the measure would still ultimately fail. Though it's a breakthrough moment for Democrats who have for months been bringing war powers resolutions to the floor.

"It sort of feels like the momentum is slowly, not fast enough for me, but moving our way, and that's really positive," Sen. Tim Kaine, who has been leading the Democratic effort on war powers, told reporters after the vote.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin and Lalee Ibssa


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