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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 18, 2026, 11:59 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 18, 2026 11:59 PM

Iranian president says 'Dialogue doesn't mean surrender'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post on Monday that dialogue with the United States "doesn't mean surrender."

Pezeshkian's social media post came after Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei announced that Iran had responded to the latest American proposal for ending the war.

"Dialogue does not mean surrender. The Islamic Republic of Iran enters into dialogue with dignity, authority, and the preservation of the nation's rights, and under no circumstances will it retreat from the legal rights of the people and the country," Pezeshkian said in his social media post. "We will serve the people with logic and with all our might, to the end, and safeguard the interests and honor of Iran."

PHOTO:  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a gathering of public relations officials in Tehran, May 18, 2026.
Sopa Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a gathering of public relations officials in Tehran, May 18, 2026.
Sopa Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

Earlier on Monday, Baghaei said at a press briefing that Iran had sent a response to the U.S. proposal through a Pakistani mediator after reviewing the proposal "over the past several days.

“So the process continues through the Pakistani mediator," Baghaei said. "What can be said with certainty is, first of all, that rights are not something we are to negotiate or compromise over. Iran’s right to enrichment is recognized under the NPT agreement, or the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. There is no need for another party to recognize this right for Iran. This right already exists."

-ABC News William Gretsky and Victoria Beaule


May 18, 2026 7:22 PM

Trump says he's postponing strikes on Iran, at Middle East allies' request, in hopes of deal

President Donald Trump said on social media that the U.S. will hold off on attacks on Iran, planned for Tuesday, at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, because “serious negotiations are now taking place” and that a deal acceptable to the U.S. “will be made.”

Trump said he has asked the Pentagon to prepare for “a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow


May 18, 2026 7:03 PM

Death toll in Lebanon tops 3,000

At least 3,020 people have died in Lebanon and another 9,273 have been injured since the Iran war began, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

PHOTO: Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment on the village of Arnoun in southern Lebanon on May 16, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment on the village of Arnoun in southern Lebanon on May 16, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images


May 18, 2026 4:27 PM

National security meeting on Iran planned for Tuesday: Official

President Donald Trump is expected to hold a meeting of his top national security advisors in the Situation Room on Tuesday, according to an administration official familiar with the plans.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss next steps on Iran and the potential for new military action against the country, the official said.

Over the weekend, Trump met with members of his national security team at his golf club in Virginia to strategize on Iran, the official said, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff participated in the meeting, the official said.

PHOTO: Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 15, 2026.
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 15, 2026.
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images


-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston


May 25, 2026 5:32 AM

US and Iran making progress on interim agreement, official says

The U.S. and Iran are making progress ironing out a two-step interim agreement in which the U.S. would get a broad "commitment" from Iran to negotiate a removal of their stockpile of enriched uranium, a senior administration official said on a call with reporters on Sunday morning.

This limited agreement includes an immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz and end to the U.S. naval blockade there, the official said, as questions of how to dispose of the stockpiled radioactive material remain.

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

“We're going to do a deal where ... they will open up the Strait in exchange for us lifting the blockade, and they will agree in principle to dispose of the highly enriched uranium,” the official said. “That is currently where the substantive conversation’s focused.”

“Even if we get this language in a good place, it is going to take days for it to filter through their system and get an approval,” the official added.

The official offered no specific details on timing, both regarding how long this peace negotiation process could last and how long the nuclear material removal process could take.

Trump posted on his social media platform Saturday that “an Agreement has been largely negotiated” between the U.S. and Iran, “subject to finalization” between the parties involved. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the deal’s "ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

Iran has not yet signed on to or publicly commented on the proposal.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray


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