Iran-US war latest: Lebanon and Israel ceasefire extended as Trump says he threw away Tehran’s peace proposal
Donald Trump has suggested that he threw away Iran’s peace proposal after reading the “unacceptable” first sentence as diplomatic efforts to end the war reached a stalemate.
Speaking onboard Air Force One on his journey back to the US from China, the US president said he had “looked at” Tehran’s response to a peace plan drawn up by Washington but “if I don’t like the first sentence I just throw it away”.
Pressed on the content of the document, he told reporters it was “an unacceptable sentence”, adding: “If they have nuclear in any form, I don’t read the rest.”
Trump launched the war in February with the stated aim of ensuring Iran does not build a nuclear weapon.
His comments came after Iran’s foreign minister declared he has “no trust” in the Trump administration to help bring about a peace deal, but that the US were seeking fresh negotiations.
Tehran is trying to give diplomacy a chance but will only negotiate with Washington if it believes it is serious about peace, Abbas Araghchi said on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi. Israel and Lebanon extend ceasefire by 45 days as Washington talks conclude
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 45-day extension of a ceasefire that has tamped down the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as two days of talks facilitated by Washington concluded on Friday with an agreement to hold further meetings in the coming weeks.
“The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on X, adding that the talks aimed at settling decades of conflict between the two countries were “highly productive.” The ceasefire was set to expire on Sunday.
Maira Butt15 May 2026 21:19Iran war left in limbo after Trump and Xi fail to agree path to ending conflict at crucial summit
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping failed to agree on a concrete path to end the war in Iran during the US president’s highly anticipated Beijing visit, dashing hopes for an end to a conflict that has devastated the Middle East for over two months.
The President’s first visit to China was met with significant fanfare, with hopes that Beijing - Tehran’s most powerful ally - could help broker a peace agreement during 48 hours of bilateral meetings.
After the talks, Trump said the pair had agreed that Iran must not have nuclear weapons and claimed they "want the Strait of Hormuz open". He also declared they had “settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve”.
But in the absence of agreement between the US, which sparked the war with its attacks alongside Israel on 28 February, and China on a concrete blueprint for peace will mean the Middle East remains in limbo with diplomatic efforts stalling.
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Alex Croft15 May 2026 21:02Oil prices rise 3% to $109 a barrel as peace appears distant
Oil prices rose around 3 per cent to near $109 a barrel on concerns over a lack of progress in resolving the conflict.
It follows the failure of landmark talks between Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping to agree on any meaningful path towards peace in Iran.
Alex Croft15 May 2026 20:01Fresh Lebanon talks aim to extend ceasefire
A fragile ceasefire in Lebanon due to expire on Sunday, abd discussions between Lebanese and Israeli officials were set to continue on Friday after what a senior State Department official said were productive talks on Thursday.
Hezbollah opposes the talks, in which Israel is insisting on the group's disarmament.
Thousands have been killed in Israel’s ongoing attacks in Lebanon, which began after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in early March in response to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Alex Croft15 May 2026 19:00UAE rejects Iranian allegations and says it reserves 'full sovereign' rights to respond to threat
The United Arab Emirates has said it reserves the full sovereign, legal, diplomatic and military rights to respond to any Iranian threat or hostile act, in a new statement released on Friday.
It said it categorically rejects Iran’s allegations and attempts to justify Iranian attacks that targeted the UAE during the BRICS meeting on Friday.
The UAE had been accused of working with the US and Israel to attack Iran.
Maira Butt15 May 2026 18:09
Smoke rises behind buildings following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre on May 15 (AFP/Getty)
The strikes came as Lebanon and Israel remained locked into talks aimed at extending a ceasefire - which has failed to comprehensively halt attacks (AFP/Getty)
Thousands have been killed in Lebanon since early March (AFP/Getty)
Alex Croft15 May 2026 18:01Trump lambasts reporter inches from his face on flight from China and calls him ‘treasonous’ over Iran question
President Donald Trump labeled a reporter “treasonous” and “fake” for his coverage of the ongoing Iran war during a tense exchange aboard Air Force One.
While en route to Washington after a three-day summit in Beijing, Trump was pressed about the situation in Iran — where the conflict is currently paused under a fragile ceasefire — after he indicated the military campaign could soon continue.
“What would be the use in repeating the bombing?” New York Times White House and National Security Correspondent David Sanger asked, standing just a few feet from the GOP president. “You did it for 38 days and you did not get the political changes in Iran.”
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Maira Butt15 May 2026 17:48Beijing: Iran war has no reason to continue
Chinese president Xi Jinping did not comment on his discussions with Donald Trump about Iran, despite claims by the US president that the pair agreed on several issues.
Beijing’s foreign ministry did, however, issue a blunt statement outlining Beijing's frustration with the Iran war.
"This conflict, which should never have happened, has no reason to continue," it said.
Alex Croft15 May 2026 17:27Merz and Trump hold call over Iran
We’re hearing from German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has said he had a good phone call with US president Donald Trump following his trip to China.
The leaders agreed that Tehran must return to the negotiating table, open the Strait of Hormuz, and not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, Mr Merz said on X.
He added that they discussed reaching a peaceful solution in Ukraine and “coordinated their positions ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara”.
Alex Croft15 May 2026 16:53
Alex Croft15 May 2026 16:21
