English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  May 22/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
To love God with all the heart & with all the understanding, and with all the strength & to love one’s neighbour as oneself is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices
Mark 12/28-34: "One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’Jesus answered, ‘The first is, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength."The second is this, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.’Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that "he is one, and besides him there is no other";and "to love God with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength", and "to love one’s neighbour as oneself", this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question."

Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 21-22 May/2026
Deifying Politicians Corrupts Them and Turns Their Followers into Sheep and Slaves/Elias Bejjani/May 22/ 2026
US sanctions Hezbollah MPs, Amal and security officials, and Iran's envoy to Lebanon
US sanctions nine individuals in Lebanon over alleged role in preserving Hezbollah influence
USA Treasury/Office of the Spokesperson/U.S. Sanctioning Hizballah’s Enablers in Lebanon
USDA treasurey: Counter Terrorism Designations
Clashes ongoing near Haddatha amid relative calm
Diverging narratives surround Lebanon’s handling of Hezbollah-linked financial activity
What will Lebanon-Israel military talks discuss?
Lebanon, Israel may agree to 'declaration of intent': What does it involve?
Hezbollah says Lebanese left with no choice but to resist occupation
Israeli strike damages hospital in south Lebanon
Bassil tells Hezbollah to stop 'insisting that its arms can't be touched'
Displaced Lebanese grandmother feeds thousands of compatriots who fled war
Inside Lebanon's proposed amnesty law: More than 3,400 prisoners could benefit
General Security denies claims of Lebanese passports issued to foreign nationals
Lebanese army says sectarian claims about Pentagon delegation ‘have no basis’
A Truce Worse than War/Samir Atallah/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 21/2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 21-22 May/2026
Trump vows US will retrieve uranium from Iran
Rubio hopes Pakistani talks with Iran will advance peace deal
IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi emerges as key power broker as Iran-US talks hang in
Supreme leader says enriched uranium must stay in Iran, Iranian sources say
Iran has restarted some of its drone production during ceasefire: Report
Pakistan steps up diplomatic bid to get US-Iran peace talks on track
UAE official slams Iran's Hormuz control plan as 'pipe dream'
US military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker suspected of trying to breach blockade
Gen. Ahmad Vahidi: major player in talks with US over war
US voices hope on Iran deal progress before Pakistan army chief visit
US military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker suspected of trying to breach blockade
Netanyahu-Trump talks add diplomatic dimension as Israel bogs down in Lebanon conflict
Israel begins deporting hundreds of flotilla activists
Netanyahu's alliance with religious parties puts his reelection at risk
Report: Israel fumes as Iran, US to formally end war, hold 30 days of talks
Al Arabiya condemns Iranian media for attributing fabricated reports to network

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on 21-22 May/2026
The Palestinian Authority's 'Reform' Fraud/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/May 21, 2026
What Tehran May Be Overlooking/Suleiman Jawda/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 21/2026
Iran’s Iraqi front/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 21/2026
Sudan… After Three Years of War/Dr. Jebril El-Abidi/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 21/2026
Diplomacy and the military option/Zaid AlKami/Al Arabiya English/ 22 May ,2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets for May 21/2026

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on 21-22 May/2026
Deifying Politicians Corrupts Them and Turns Their Followers into Sheep and Slaves
Elias Bejjani/May 22/ 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/05/154670/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7YiqrDWGDs
One of the most dangerous, disastrous, and destructive misfortunes facing a large part of our "forgiving" Lebanese people—as the late Philemon Wehbe called them in a Rahbani play—is that some people sanctify politicians and clergymen. They treat them as followers, henchmen, slaves, and tools. This submissiveness does not serve the leaders; instead, it corrupts their minds, fills them with illusions of grandeur, and infects them with a pathological arrogance that detaches them from their community and their humanity.
As a result of this unhealthy, unfaithful, and deeply humiliating deification, these leaders turn into greedy, insatiable, and tyrannical creatures. In their actions, they surpass the cruelty of wild predators. Here, the Holy Bible’s warning against trusting humans and raising them to the status of gods rings true: "Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish." (Psalm 146:3-4).
An objective review of all Lebanese politicians and leaders—the owners of family and commercial "party corporations," both Muslim and Christian—reveals a clear fact to anyone who still has their sanity, critical thinking, and a living conscience. These leaders—and by that, I mean "all of them means all of them"—are eternal on their feudal thrones. They never think of leaving them unless they are forced to by death. Then their sons, daughters, or family members inherit the leadership of these shops that are falsely called political parties, without any exception.
Worst of all, most of these leaders, especially the Maronites among them, have been sanctified and deified in total violation of all Christian values and principles. In a supreme heresy, these corrupt individuals are portrayed as if they were righteous saints. Praise poems are sung for them, and foolish chants like "With our soul and blood, we sacrifice ourselves for you" are shouted. This empty talk perfectly summarizes this state of voluntary slavery. These people have forgotten the clear divine teaching: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord." (Jeremiah 17:5).
We boast—or rather, the majority boasts with disgusting arrogance and foolish pride—that we are among the smartest, most civilized, and cultured people in the world. We blindly repeat empty slogans like: "We gave the alphabet to the world, and Hannibal, Cadmus, and Gibran came from our blood." Meanwhile, in reality, we practice the exact opposite with a deadly selfishness and a shameful short-sightedness. In the twenty-first century, we accept living submissively among piles of garbage, unable even to clean our own country!
At the same time, we see large groups praising and glorifying the Iranian occupier that is devouring our country and stealing our sovereignty. They sanctify its invading weapons and mini-states, letting it destroy the entity and message of Lebanon over skulls that are empty of everything except hypocrisy, pretense, and submissiveness. Where do these people stand regarding the truth and freedom given to us by the Creator? Jesus Christ warned us clearly:"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32) . How can anyone who accepts the slavery of men ever taste freedom or truth?.
Because he who stays silent about his illness will be killed by it, we ask: How can we correct the actions and alliances of any politician or clergyman if we have already raised them to the level of gods and accepted the roles of henchmen and sheep for ourselves?!
Indeed, our homeland, Lebanon, is in existential danger that threatens its entity, identity, and message. It is our sacred duty to resist and push back the wild beasts, whether they are local or foreign. But to be able to face them, we must first free ourselves from the disease of dependency and blind followership, and stop trying to be overly clever while hiding behind hypocrisy.
The most important thing today is to repent, make amends for the sin of sanctifying humans and deifying politicians and clergymen, and bring forward humble, faithful, and non-narcissistic leaders. True leadership in Christian thought is service and sacrifice, not arrogance and enslavement, in line with what Jesus Christ said:
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant." (Matthew 20:25-26).
Only then can the journey of a thousand miles toward salvation begin... Otherwise, it is a hopeless case.

US sanctions Hezbollah MPs, Amal and security officials, and Iran's envoy to Lebanon
Naharnet/May 21, 2026
The United States on Thursday sanctioned Hezbollah MPs Hassan Fadlallah, Hussein al-Hajj Hassan and Ibrahim al-Moussawi; Hezbollah official and ex-minister Mohammad Fneish, Amal Movement security officials Ahmad Baalbaki and Ali Safawi, Lebanese Army intelligence officer Samer Hamadi and General Security officer Khattar Nassereddine, and Iranian Ambassador-designate to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Sheibani, accusing them of enabling Hezbollah. "By supporting the terrorist group, these individuals further the Iranian regime's malicious agenda in Lebanon and actively obstruct the path to peace and recovery for the Lebanese people," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. "Hezbollah's continued commitment to terrorism and refusal to disarm prevent the Government of Lebanon from delivering the peace, stability, and prosperity that its people deserve. Today's designations target individuals who are impeding Hezbollah's disarmament, including members of parliament, an Iranian diplomat violating Lebanon's sovereignty, and Lebanese security officials who have abused their roles to benefit a terrorist organization," the statement said. It stressed that "a stable, secure, and independent Lebanon requires the full disarmament of Hezbollah and the restoration of the Lebanese government's exclusive authority over security matters throughout the country."

US sanctions nine individuals in Lebanon over alleged role in preserving Hezbollah influence
LBCI/May 21, 2026
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday sanctioned nine individuals for "obstructing the peace process in Lebanon and impeding the disarmament of" Hezbollah.
According to a statement, these officials include individuals “embedded across Lebanon’s parliament, military, and security sectors,” where they aim to preserve the group’s “influence over key Lebanese state institutions.”
The “Treasury will continue to take action against officials who have infiltrated the Lebanese government and are enabling Hizballah to wage its senseless campaign of violence against the Lebanese people and obstruct lasting peace,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. The sanctioned individuals include: Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb Fanich, Hassan Nizammeddine Fadlallah, Ibrahim al-Moussawi, Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, Ahmad Asaad Baalbaki, Ali Ahmad Safawi, Khattar Nasser Eldin, and Samir Hamadi.Israeli army reports raids on alleged Hezbollah sites in south Lebanon, says weapons found. “As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC,” the statement also noted.

USA Treasury/Office of the Spokesperson/U.S. Sanctioning Hizballah’s Enablers in Lebanon
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0505
https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260521
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0505
U.S. Sanctioning Hizballah’s Enablers in Lebanon
Press Statement
Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, Spokesperson
May 21, 2026
Today, the United States sanctioned nine individuals who enable Hizballah to undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty. By supporting the terrorist group, these individuals further the Iranian regime’s malicious agenda in Lebanon and actively obstruct the path to peace and recovery for the Lebanese people. Hizballah’s continued commitment to terrorism and refusal to disarm prevent the Government of Lebanon from delivering the peace, stability, and prosperity that its people deserve. Today’s designations target individuals who are impeding Hizballah’s disarmament, including members of parliament, an Iranian diplomat violating Lebanon’s sovereignty, and Lebanese security officials who have abused their roles to benefit a terrorist organization. The United States remains committed to supporting the Lebanese people and their legitimate government institutions. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Hizballah. More information is available on the RFJ website. This is only the beginning. Anyone still shielding or collaborating with this terrorist organization, or otherwise undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty, should understand that they will be held accountable. A stable, secure, and independent Lebanon requires the full disarmament of Hizballah and the restoration of the Lebanese government’s exclusive authority over security matters throughout the country. The United States stands ready to help the people and the Government of Lebanon in charting a path to a better, more peaceful, and more prosperous future.Today’s action is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended. The U.S. Department of State designated Hizballah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 31, 2001, and as a Foreign Terrorist Organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act on October 8, 1997. More information on today’s designations can be found in Treasury’s Press Release.
https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/05/u-s-sanctioning-hizballahs-enablers-in-lebanon/

USDA treasurey: Counter Terrorism Designations
Release Date 05/21/2026
Treasury Targets Hizballah-Aligned Officials Obstructing Peace and Disarmament
Recent Actions Body
Specially Designated Nationals List Updates
The following individuals have been added to OFAC's SDN List:
AL-MOUSSAWI, Ibrahim (Arabic: ابراهيم الموسوي) (a.k.a. AL-MOUSAOUI, Ibrahim; a.k.a. MOUSAWI, Ibrahim), Lebanon; DOB 05 Nov 1965; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886; National ID No. 000019172428 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
BAALBAKI, Ahmad Asaad (Arabic: احمد اسعد بعلبكي) (a.k.a. BALABAKI, Ahmad Asad), Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 02 Apr 1961; POB Beirut, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886; National ID No. 000034246532 (Lebanon); Identification Number 311125 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
FADLALLAH, Hassan Nizammeddine (a.k.a. FADLALLAH, Hassan (Arabic: حسن فضل الله)), Ainata, Lebanon; DOB 02 Oct 1967; POB Ainata, Bint Jbeil, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886; National ID No. 000032614265 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
FANICH, Abdel-Mottaleb Mohamed (Arabic: محمد عبد المطلب فنيش) (a.k.a. FNEISH, Mohammad), Lebanon; DOB 10 Feb 1953; POB Maaroub, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886 (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
HAMADI, Samir 'Adnan (Arabic: سامر عدنان حمادي) (a.k.a. HAMADI, Samer), Mount Lebanon, Lebanon; DOB 17 Feb 1982; alt. DOB 03 Mar 1982; POB Bourj El Brajne, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886; Passport LR0499320 (Lebanon) expires 29 Jul 2022; Identification Number 4267356 (Lebanon); Birth Certificate Number 533 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
HASSAN, Hussein Al-Hajj (a.k.a. HASSAN, Hussein Al-Haj; a.k.a. HASSAN, Hussein Ali Al-Hajj (Arabic: حسين على الحاج حسن)), Nabi Chit, Beqaa, Lebanon; DOB 17 Oct 1960; POB Nabi Sheet, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886 (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
NASSER ELDIN, Khattar, Khattar Nasser El Din Building, Kalamoun Old Road, Tripoli, Lebanon; DOB 07 Apr 1973; POB Tripoli, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886; Passport RL2508250 (Lebanon) expires 16 Jul 2019 (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
SAFAWI, Ali Ahmad (a.k.a. SAFAWI, Abu Ahmad; a.k.a. SAFAWI, Ahmad (Arabic: احمد صفاوي)), Nabatieh, Lebanon; DOB 29 Sep 1981; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886; National ID No. 000013508041 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
SHEIBANI, Mohammad Reza Raouf (Arabic: محمد رضا رؤف شيباني) (a.k.a. SHEIBANI, Mohammad Reza; a.k.a. SHEIBANI, Mohammed Reza Ra'of), Lebanon; Iran; DOB 12 Dec 1961; nationality Iran; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886; Additional Program Tags - [IRGC] (individual) [IRAN] [SDGT] [IFSR] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).
The following changes have been made to OFAC's SDN List:
BIN MUHAMMAD, Ayadi Chafiq (a.k.a. AIADI, Ben Muhammad; a.k.a. AIADY, Ben Muhammad; a.k.a. AYADI CHAFIK, Ben Muhammad; a.k.a. AYADI SHAFIQ, Ben Muhammad), Helene Meyer Ring 10-1415-80809, Munich, Germany; 129 Park Road, NW8, London, United Kingdom; 28 Chaussee de Lille, Mouscron, Belgium; Darvingasse 1/2/58-60, Vienna, Austria; Tunisia; DOB 21 Jan 1963; POB Safais (Sfax), Tunisia; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886 (individual) [SDGT]. -to- BIN MUHAMMAD, Ayadi Chafiq (a.k.a. AIADI, Ben Muhammad; a.k.a. AIADY, Ben Muhammad; a.k.a. AYADI CHAFIK, Ben Muhammad; a.k.a. AYADI SHAFIQ, Ben Muhammad), Helene Meyer Ring 10-1415-80809, Munich, Germany; 129 Park Road, NW8, London, United Kingdom; 28 Chaussee de Lille, Mouscron, Belgium; Darvingasse 1/2/58-60, Vienna, Austria; Tunisia; DOB 21 Jan 1963; POB Safais (Sfax), Tunisia; nationality Tunisia; alt. nationality Ireland; Gender Male; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886 (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: AL QA'IDA).
LAJNAT AL DAAWA AL ISLAMIYYA (a.k.a. ISLAMIC CALL COMMITTEE; a.k.a. LAJNA ALDAWA ALISALMIAH; a.k.a. LAJNA ALDAWA ALISLAMIA; a.k.a. LAJNA ALDAWA ALISLAMIYA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL DAAWA AL ISLAMIYA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL DAWA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL DAWA AL ISLAMIA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL D'AWA AL ISLAMIAK; a.k.a. LAJNAT ALDAWA AL ISLAMIAH; a.k.a. LAJNAT ALDAWA ALISLAMIA), Kuwait; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886 [SDGT]. -to- LAJNAT AL DAAWA AL ISLAMIYYA (a.k.a. ISLAMIC CALL COMMITTEE; a.k.a. LAJNA ALDAWA ALISALMIAH; a.k.a. LAJNA ALDAWA ALISLAMIA; a.k.a. LAJNA ALDAWA ALISLAMIYA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL DAAWA AL ISLAMIYA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL DAWA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL DAWA AL ISLAMIA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL D'AWA AL ISLAMIAK; a.k.a. LAJNAT ALDAWA AL ISLAMIAH; a.k.a. LAJNAT ALDAWA ALISLAMIA), Kuwait; Secondary sanctions risk: section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886; Organization Established Date 1986; Target Type Charity or Nonprofit Organization [SDGT] (Linked To: AL QA'IDA).

Clashes ongoing near Haddatha amid relative calm
Naharnet/21 May/2026
Israeli strikes targeted Thursday Touline, al-Ghandouriyeh, Yater, Srifa, al-Mansouri, and the Toura-Jannata road, while artillery shelled Qabrikha, Baraashit, and Kfardounine in south Lebanon and troops detonated houses in the border town of Khiam.
A drone later targeted a motorbike in Froun, killing one person. Hezbollah said it targeted, with salvos of rockets and attack drones, Israeli troops and equipment in the southern border towns of Debel, Rshaf, Deir Seryan, al-Qawzah, al-Bayyada and around Haddatha. Clashes were ongoing since Tuesday near Haddatha as Israeli troops were trying to advance to the village from Rshaf, amid Israeli intensive shelling and strikes and a fierce resistance from Hezbollah's fighters. Seven Israeli soldiers were injured in a drone attack Wednesday in south Lebanon, one of them seriously.

Diverging narratives surround Lebanon’s handling of Hezbollah-linked financial activity
LBCI/21 May/2026
Washington’s dissatisfaction with Lebanon is not limited to the Lebanese authorities. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), donor countries, and Gulf states also share concerns. The issue is not new, but it is back in focus amid a new development involving the government and Hezbollah’s financing, bringing renewed attention to what happened on April 30. The story begins with the war, or rather, the two wars being waged against Hezbollah. The first is a military campaign being carried out directly by Israel, with U.S. backing, aimed at weakening the group’s capabilities. The second is a financial campaign being led directly by the United States, with the goal of cutting off Hezbollah’s funding. As part of that financial campaign, the U.S. Treasury Department has stepped back in. It asked Lebanon’s central bank to ban Hezbollah’s financial activities, implicitly meaning the suspension of operations by the Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association and Joud Foundation, a move that would help address Lebanon’s status on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list and prevent it from slipping onto the blacklist.
The message was received, but as is often the case in Lebanon, there were two interpretations: one by the central bank and another by the government. Sources at the central bank indicate that a committee has been formed, comprising Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, and central bank Governor Karim Souaid. The committee drafted a decision banning the operations of any association or company engaged in what is known as “para-banking” activities without a license. The draft did not specifically mention either the Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association or the Joud Foundation. According to those sources, Souaid brought the draft to the government on April 30 for discussion, but the session ended without any debate.bThat is the account provided by central bank sources. Government sources, however, offer a different version. They say Souaid did not present a decision, but rather a report outlining the risks of allowing such associations to continue operating, and that he did not request discussion of the matter. Between the two accounts, the outcome is the same. Once again, no decisive action was taken. And, as usual, the truth remains elusive, because in Lebanon, no one seems able to find it.

What will Lebanon-Israel military talks discuss?
Naharnet /21 May/2026
The Lebanese military delegation to the May 29 talks with Israel at the Pentagon is expected to be formed within the next two days, although its composition will remain confidential for now, sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper.Regarding the Shiite officer, the sources noted that the military establishment is handling this matter, and that the criteria for selecting members of the military delegation are not subject to the same standards governing the formation of diplomatic or political delegations. The sources anticipate that the delegation will depart for Washington before Eid al-Adha. On the de-escalation front, President Joseph Aoun initiated contacts with the American side on Wednesday and is still awaiting a response. Sources meanwhile told al-Binaa newspaper that the military negotiations scheduled for May 29 aim to establish a joint military committee comprised of the Lebanese and Israeli armies for direct security and military coordination "against Hezbollah." "Israel is expected to provide Lebanon with maps and targets of Hezbollah centers, tunnels and weapons depots in the North Litani area and the Bekaa Valley, enabling the Lebanese army to dismantle them. The sources reveal that the security negotiations in May and the political negotiations in June aim to develop practical security, military, political and technical mechanisms for implementing the provisions of the U.S. State Department document," al-Binaa said. "These include ending the state of hostility with Israel, preserving Israel's right to self-defense, and partnering with the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah," the daily said. While reports indicate that the Lebanese government is pressuring the Lebanese Army Command to send technical officers to the negotiating delegation participating in the Washington military talks, al-Binaa has learned that "the Lebanese Army Command rejects any direct coordination with the Israeli army against Hezbollah or any other internal faction."According to al-Binaa, the head of the negotiating delegation, former Ambassador Simon Karam, briefed President Aoun and PM Nawaf Salam on the details of the Washington negotiations and held consultations with them to coordinate meetings in Washington later this month.

Lebanon, Israel may agree to 'declaration of intent': What does it involve?
Naharnet/21 May/2026
A draft agreement, resembling a "declaration of intent" between Lebanon and Israel, is circulating in political and diplomatic circles, an informed diplomatic source said.This agreement, sponsored directly by the United States and spearheaded by the administration of President Donald Trump, is intended to pave the way for a comprehensive agreement that would end the ongoing conflict between the two sides, the source told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Thursday. According to the source, the draft agreement is based on the principle that both the Lebanese and Israeli governments are committed to working towards a comprehensive understanding that establishes stable and peaceful relations. This would be done in parallel with the reaffirmation of full Lebanese sovereignty over all Lebanese territory, within an approach that considers any future settlement to be one that guarantees the right of both Lebanon and Israel to live in security and peace within internationally recognized borders. The source added that the proposed text includes a clause affirming Israel's full respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, along with a clear commitment to withdraw from all Lebanese territory and abandon any expansionist projects or ambitions. In contrast, the Lebanese side, according to the draft, emphasizes the Lebanese state's commitment to restoring and exercising its full authority over its territory and enshrining the state's monopoly on weapons and the use of force. The Lebanese Armed Forces alone would assume security and military responsibilities, without any military or security role for any non-state armed groups on Lebanese soil, the source said. The source noted that one of the most prominent points in the draft pertains to the arrangements on the ground in the south. The draft stipulates that the Israeli army hand over the Lebanese territories still occupied to the Lebanese Army, which would assume full security responsibility concurrently with the launch of a large-scale reconstruction process. This process would allow for the return of displaced Lebanese to their villages and southern regions within a safe environment fully under the authority of the Lebanese state. The implementation mechanisms and timelines for this process would be agreed upon under American auspices. In the same context, the source explained that "the United States and its international partners will support a comprehensive program to train and equip the Lebanese Army." According to the same source, the document also includes a broad economic and financial component. It stipulates that the United States will convene international partners to support the Lebanese government in reconstruction projects, infrastructure repair, and economic recovery. This support will encompass investment programs, humanitarian aid, and economic recovery plans, enabling Lebanon to recover from the repercussions of years of war and accumulated crises. The source confirmed that the draft explicitly calls for direct negotiations between the Lebanese and Israeli governments, mediated and facilitated by the United States. These negotiations are to continue "in good faith" until a comprehensive peace agreement is reached, guaranteeing security, stability and prosperity for both parties, the source said.

Hezbollah says Lebanese left with no choice but to resist occupation
Naharnet/21 May/2026
Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc urged on Thursday Arab and foreign embassies to inform their governments of the daily Israeli aggressions, over the course of fifteen months, since a truce was reached in November 2024.
"That agreement obligated both sides to cease all forms of hostilities and mandated the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the territories it occupied in southern Lebanon. While Lebanon has strictly adhered to this agreement, the Israeli side has continued its daily aggressions," the letter said. Hezbollah argues that political and diplomatic means have failed to halt the Israeli aggressions as the Lebanese government has been unable to compel Israel and the sponsors of the agreement to implement it and the committee tasked with enforcing the agreement (the mechanism) has "deliberately" failed to fulfill its role. "Our people are left with no choice but to resort to their human right to legitimate self-defense to defend their existence, their sovereignty and independence, and their land and resources — as guaranteed by the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Taif Agreement," Hezbollah said, adding that "no one can strip this human right from a people facing slaughter while their land remains under occupation."The statement cited Israeli violations including the destruction and bulldozing of border towns and villages, the expulsion of civilians and preventing them from returning to their homes, the targeting of paramedics, journalists, Lebanese army soldiers and UNIFIL peacekeepers, and the "Black Wednesday" strikes on Beirut -- which Hezbollah described as a massacre against civilians.On April 8, after the Pakistani Prime Minister announced a ceasefire covering Lebanon, the Israeli army struck over 100 targets simultaneously in just 10 minutes across Lebanon, without any prior warning or evacuation orders, including in Beirut, Dahieh, the south and the east. The strikes killed more than 350 people and wounded more than 1,200, including dozens of women and over a hundred children. In its statement, Hezbollah accused Israel of committing war crimes and pursuing expansionist settlement goals and demanded compelling Israel to implement the ceasefire. "Our demand as Lebanese, committed to their country's sovereignty, independence, and freedom, is the cessation of all forms of aggression by air, land, and sea, and the halting of hostilities, including the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon's internationally recognized borders, the release of detainees from Israeli prisons, the return of residents to their villages, and the reconstruction of those villages."

Israeli strike damages hospital in south Lebanon
Agence France Presse/21 May/2026
Lebanon said an Israeli strike on Thursday damaged a hospital in the country's south, where Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire despite a ceasefire. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli aircraft "launched two strikes on the town of Tibnin near the public hospital, where significant damage was recorded".The health ministry circulated a video showing part of the hospital with shattered glass on the floor, blown-out ceiling panels and window panes, and other damage to what appeared to be offices. According to the ministry, 16 hospitals have been damaged since the war erupted on March 2, while 116 emergency and health workers have been killed. The NNA also reported Israeli airstrikes on other south Lebanon locations on Thursday, while an AFP photographer saw smoke rising after a raid on the village of Hanniyeh.
Hezbollah claimed a series of attacks including with rockets and drones on Israeli troops in south Lebanon, saying they came in retaliation for Israeli ceasefire violations. Since the truce began on April 17, Israel has continued to launch strikes, carry out demolitions and issue evacuation orders in south Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, which has also kept up attacks. Last week the truce was extended for 45 days following a third round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington, discussions which the Iran-backed Hezbollah staunchly opposes. Under the terms of the ceasefire published by Washington, Israel reserves the right to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks". Lebanon's health ministry said Thursday that Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people in Lebanon since March 2.
The ministry said Wednesday that a strike on the town of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr this week killed 14 people, including three women and four children, one of them Syrian, updating a preliminary toll of 10 dead. Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader in U.S.-Israeli strikes. The group also said it was retaliating to 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks and violations in Lebanon. Israeli responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion in the country's south, where its troops are operating inside an Israeli-declared "yellow line" running around 10 kilometers (six miles) inside Lebanon along the border.

Bassil tells Hezbollah to stop 'insisting that its arms can't be touched'
Naharnet/21 May/2026
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has said that Lebanon should devise a national security strategy document and Hezbollah's weapons "should be part of it." "Hezbollah must accept that we should live in peace when the conditions are secured for protecting Lebanon, achieving a ceasefire, Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory, the return of captives, the return of diplaced Lebanese to their homes, and the state obtaining reparations and other issues," Bassil said in an interview with al-Mayadeen television. He warned that Hezbollah cannot be disarmed by force, "neither from inside the country nor from outside, because that would either lead to full destruction of Lebanon or to a civil war."He added that "at the same time, Hezbollah cannot continue to stubbornly insist that these weapons cannot be touched," noting that "the solution should be through an inter-Lebanese, realistic and reasonable agreement that the foreign forces can agree to."Asked what he would like to tell the families of "Hezbollah's martyrs," Bassil said: "Our hearts are with you, with every martyr, and with every home destroyed, but our minds are with Lebanon. We want your hearts to be with us and your minds with Lebanon so that we can unite in heart and mind and together save Lebanon."

Displaced Lebanese grandmother feeds thousands of compatriots who fled war
Associated Press/21 May/2026
Even months after she was displaced by war, Soubhiye Zeiter starts every morning the same way: with a large cup of coffee and a few quiet moments beside a small table decorated with flowers outside her tent in Beirut. But once the coffee is poured, the quiet disappears quickly. By early morning, dozens of people are already lined up outside Zeiter's small bakery stand in a tented settlement in the heart of the Lebanese capital, waiting for her mana'eesh. Children weave among customers, volunteers rush trays of dough in and out of ovens, and Zeiter, 63, greets nearly everyone who walks by, often calling people over to sit and have some coffee. Known to many as Om Mohammad — an Arabic nickname that means Mohammad's mother — the grandmother fled her home in the Beirut southern suburbs with 15 members of her family at the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. She was living just south of the capital when the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning to the sprawling neighborhoods ahead of an intense aerial bombardment. The ongoing war displaced over one million people in the tiny country during months of cross-border fighting. Many families fled villages in southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, seeking shelter in schools, public buildings and tented settlements in Beirut and across the country.
From feeding her family to feeding the community
When Zeiter first arrived to the tented settlement between the Mediterranean Sea and the capital's high-end downtown district, she went to an area nearby where aid was being distributed. But after being told that she would have to stand in line for hours and still might not receive anything, she decided to make food to feed her family and those in need instead. She began using her own saj — a traditional round metal griddle used across Lebanon — baking around 200 mana'eesh a day and handing them out for free. As word spread, more people began showing up every morning, some donating ingredients. Soon the lines stretched longer than she could manage alone. Now, her small corner of the camp looks more like a neighborhood bakery. People who heard about what she was doing donated a larger gas-powered oven that hums from early morning until late at night. Dough is rolled through a sheeter. Volunteers package bread as quickly as it comes out hot. The smell of thyme and baked dough drifts among rows of blue tents. "We can't keep up," Zeiter said, laughing as people continued arriving at the stand. "We bake 3,000 to 3,500 mana'eesh daily and people still come and ask for more." What started as one woman cooking for displaced children has turned into a community effort supported almost entirely through donations. She's become a bit of a cult hero in her community, with even the Beirut governor visiting to have coffee with her one afternoon while touring the premises. "People started donating gas, some donated flour or za'atar, some brought oil, cheese, sometimes people brought meat, some brought yeast," she said. "Whatever I need for this bakery, people are helping me out."
Everything is free, and she isn't trying to earn money
For Zeiter, the bakery is about more than food. She says she wants the tent settlement to feel less like a place of loss and more like the neighborhoods people were forced to leave behind. Throughout the day, she waves over passersby, insists people sit together, and tries to create the kind of atmosphere she remembers from home. "We're all displaced. If I lost my home or got displaced that doesn't mean that I have to lose my morale," she said, wishing people even when scarred by war to love and care for each other. "Displacement shouldn't change us."Even with the success of her community initiative, the sounds of drones whizzing in the capital and the news of ongoing Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon are grim reminders that life has changed. She tries to do things that she did during better times, playing with her grandchildren and her small white dog, Bella. Most importantly, she insists on brewing an extra pot of coffee — because she hates drinking coffee alone — so she can invite anyone who passes by her tent and wants to sit for a few minutes. The flowers matter too. "What I love the most, in order to bring back memories, is to have flowers on the table or next to me when I drink coffee," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "I feel like it makes up for things a little."

Inside Lebanon's proposed amnesty law: More than 3,400 prisoners could benefit
LBCI/21 May/2026
Lebanon's prisons currently hold 8,587 inmates, with around 3,422 detainees expected to benefit from a proposed general amnesty law if it is approved in the form discussed Tuesday during a joint parliamentary committee session.
Under the draft law, the overwhelming majority of eligible prisoners would be released immediately upon the law's publication in the official gazette. Among those covered by the proposed amnesty are Islamist detainees and convicts, whose total number stands at 132, including 101 Lebanese nationals and 31 Palestinians. According to the proposal, 90 Islamist prisoners would be freed immediately, while 42 others would remain in prison to complete reduced sentences ranging from two to 10 years. The latter group includes prominent figures such as Ahmad al-Assir, Naim Abbas, and Abou Taqiyeh. The proposed law would also apply to 1,802 detainees and convicts in drug-related cases, with the vast majority expected to be released once the law takes effect. A similar mechanism would apply to prisoners convicted of misdemeanors and felonies. That category includes 1,488 detainees, most of whom would also be released immediately. However, officials say it remains impossible to determine the final number of prisoners who would be freed right away because the final formula for reducing sentences has not yet been settled. In drug, misdemeanor, and felony cases, many inmates face multiple convictions, meaning the judiciary alone would be responsible, after the law's adoption, for calculating the reduced sentences on a case-by-case basis.
Under the proposed framework, sentences would be reduced as follows: death sentences would become 21 years of effective imprisonment, life sentences would be reduced to 12 years and seven months, while all other prison terms would be cut by one-third. Despite the broad outline of the proposal, the draft law still requires further discussion and political consensus before it can be approved, amid ongoing objections from several parties.

General Security denies claims of Lebanese passports issued to foreign nationals
LBCI/21 May/2026
The Lebanese General Security said that some media outlets and social media platforms have circulated claims alleging that non-Lebanese nationals have obtained Lebanese passports. In a statement, the agency said the issuance process for Lebanese passports, particularly those currently in use, is subject to strict and precise procedures based on the highest security and technical standards, including biometric systems and advanced technologies. It added that past cases of forgery that were uncovered showed, according to investigations conducted by the agency, that individuals had obtained passports using false personal information based on forged supporting documents. It said that once these violations were confirmed, all passports issued with incorrect data were immediately flagged, necessary measures were taken to prevent their use or circulation, and those involved were arrested and referred to the competent judiciary, which issued rulings against them. The agency stressed that it treats all reports and information received with the utmost seriousness and immediately launches investigations, which are still ongoing. It said that so far, no evidence has been found of Lebanese passports being issued to foreign nationals. It added that if any passports issued through fraudulent means are discovered, legal measures will be taken against all those proven to be involved. It also urged media outlets and the public to exercise the highest level of accuracy and responsibility when reporting or sharing information, and to avoid spreading rumors or unverified claims that could mislead public opinion, cause confusion, and undermine trust in official and security institutions.

Lebanese army says sectarian claims about Pentagon delegation ‘have no basis’
LBCI/21 May/2026
The Lebanese Army Command has rejected reports circulating in media outlets and on social media regarding the sectarian composition of a Lebanese military delegation set to participate in talks at the Pentagon on May 29, 2026. In a statement, the army said the claims concerning the sectarian distribution of officers within the delegation “have no connection to the principles of the military institution.” The command stressed that the delegation, in all its composition, remains committed to national principles, adding that the officers assigned to the mission represent the country and are bound by the army’s doctrine. It further said members of the military institution implement leadership decisions based on their commitment to national duty.

A Truce Worse than War
Samir Atallah/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 21/2026
The war and the ceasefire in South Lebanon are different. The former is less violent: less combat, less occupation of villages, less destruction of cities, fewer massacres, less displacement of children and women. The war is less deceitful and less vile than the ceasefire; it leaves fewer victims and its assaults are more merciful.
Whenever an extension of the ceasefire is announced, we tremble with fear. Why? What exactly is wrong with war? At least war does not pretend to show magnanimity to the people it kills. It does not kill them in the name of a ceasefire and a cessation of hostilities, with the extension of the truce also extending its horrors and obscenity.
Ariel Sharon’s invasion was more “civilized.” The ceasefire has amounted to nothing but crossing the armistice line, further occupation, and a daily multiplication of casualties. It pains us that Ariel Sharon should become a point of comparison, but this is the reality that Benjamin Netanyahu’s ceasefires have created. After the Second World War, Europeans declared the day of the armistice a national occasion of thanksgiving: the day the killing ended and cemeteries stopped spreading across the plains. In Lebanon, the ceasefire announces murderous criminality. Four southern towns were reduced to rubble during the ceasefire. Ten percent of Lebanon’s land was occupied during the ceasefire. A million people were displaced into tents during the ceasefire. And it continues to kill, displace, and threaten.
Where is the American sponsor and guarantor? Where is its explanation of the terms of the ceasefire, its conditions, or even its most basic premises? In what cave is the United Nations sleeping? Does it not fear that it could suffocate from swallowing its tongue? Since the very first announcement of the ceasefire, Israel has not left a single weapon unused in its assault on the South. And we should not forget that this war is being waged openly and officially by America alongside Israel. At the very least, it should play an impartial role in this campaign where Lebanon occupies the position of the perennial weak party, threatened from all four sides.
The smallest danger facing this little country is disappearance, collapse, and civil war. Amid the total absence of national bonds, Lebanon’s state, its president, and its leaders are labeled with the most vile epithets- the mildest among them being Zionism and treason, along with everything punishable by death. Nothing still has meaning or holds truth any longer. The most brazen manifestation of this void is the ceasefire itself.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on 21-22 May/2026
Trump vows US will retrieve uranium from Iran
LBCI/21 May/2026
President Donald Trump vowed on Thursday that the United States will eventually recover ‌Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium despite comments from Iran that it will not hand over the material. "We will get it. We don't need it, we don't ⁠want it. We'll probably destroy it after we get it, but we're not going to let them have it," Trump told reporters at the White House. Reuters

Rubio hopes Pakistani talks with Iran will advance peace deal
Al Arabiya English/21 May ,2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope Thursday that a visit by Pakistan’s army chief to Iran will advance diplomacy on ending the war, saying there has been progress. “I believe the Pakistanis will be traveling to Tehran today. So hopefully that’ll advance this further,” Rubio told reporters. Rubio also renewed criticism of NATO for not supporting the US war with Iran, as he headed to alliance talks in Sweden. “There are many countries in NATO that agree with us that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon, that Iran is a threat to the world,” Rubio told reporters in Miami before leaving for the talks among NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden. President Donald Trump “said, fine, I’m going to do something about it,” Rubio said. “He’s not asking them to commit troops. He’s not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything,” he said. “We were very upset about that.” The United States and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28. Trump did not consult NATO ahead of time and key European allies have voiced skepticism over the need for war, with US and Israeli claims of an imminent Iranian nuclear threat highly disputed and Tehran’s retaliation sending global oil prices soaring.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez denounced the war as illegal and refused to let US jets use bases in his country. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran was “humiliating” the United States in negotiations, infuriating Trump whose administration quickly announced that the United States was pulling 5,000 troops from bases in Germany. “I’ve been a strong supporter of NATO my entire career,” said Rubio, a former senator. But he continued: “I know why NATO is good for Europe, but why is NATO good for America? Because it gives us bases in the region that allow us to project power during a contingency in the Middle East or somewhere else.”“So when that is the key rationale for why you’re in NATO, and then you have countries like Spain denying us the use of these bases, well then, why are you in NATO? That’s a very fair question,” he said. He added that other countries were more helpful, previously singling out Portugal for praise. With AFP

IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi emerges as key power broker as Iran-US talks hang in
Al Arabiya English/21 May ,2026
As negotiations with the United States hang in the balance, a hard-line Iranian general linked to notorious attacks at home and abroad over the past decades is believed to have seized a place near the center of power. Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has become a major player in formulating Tehran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible end to the war with the United States, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ali Khamenei.
Like everything in Iran since the war began, who ultimately controls decision-making remains uncertain. As people within the upper ranks of Iran’s theocracy vie for power, they can gain or lose favor quickly. Vahidi himself hasn’t been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the war began. On Thursday, Iranian media carried contradictory reports on Vahidi meeting with Pakistan’s interior minister in Tehran, who carried a message regarding negotiations with the US and met with other top Iranian officials.
A longtime veteran of the ruling system, Vahidi helped shape Iran’s support of militant groups across the region, is accused of a role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina, and in 2022, led domestic security forces in a bloody crackdown on protesters.Elevated to IRGC commander-in-chief this year after his predecessor was killed early in the war, he leads the most powerful force in Iran, with its arsenal of ballistic missiles and its fleet of small boats threatening Gulf shipping. “Vahidi and members of his inner circle have likely consolidated control over not only Iran’s military response in the conflict but also Iran’s negotiations policy,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said. Iran’s war strategy has been to keep a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, blocking oil and gas exports and causing a global energy crisis. At the same time, it has struck hard against oil facilities, hotels and infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations.
In negotiations, it has held out against US demands that it surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, betting that it can outlast the US in the ongoing standoff and that President Donald Trump will be reluctant to resume outright war that could bring greater damage to America’s allies in the region. That likely reflects Vahidi’s confrontational style. “He comes from that mindset of unending revolution, unending resistance,” said Kenneth Katzman, a senior fellow at the The Soufan Group, a New York-based think tank. Vahidi believes “the US needs to be challenged at every turn,” said Katzman, a senior Iran expert who advised the US Congress for over 30 years.
Vahidi boasted in January that Iran’s defense power has developed to make it a “high risk for any military action by an enemy.”
Vahidi now a focal point in talks
Pakistan hosted talks in April between an Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and an American one, headed by US Vice President JD Vance. But it ended without any deal. US weighs targeting Iranian IRGC commander, shipping threats if ceasefire collapses
Middle East
US weighs targeting Iranian IRGC commander, shipping threats if ceasefire collapses
Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned home to face criticism from inside the theocracy suggesting they were too willing to make concessions. Ghalibaf had to insist publicly that the talks had the support of the supreme leader.
Since then, Vahidi has become the main point of contact for those negotiating with Iran, said a regional official with direct knowledge of the mediation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy.
The extreme seclusion and unknown condition of the supreme leader have fueled speculation about jockeying among leaders for access to Khamenei and influence over him. In early May, President Masoud Pezeshkian, who many see as sidelined from influence by the IRGC, went out of his way to say he “got to see our dear leader” and spoke to him for around two hours. But Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said it’s likely the new supreme leader “is in lockstep with a more hard-line IRGC – similar to his father, but in a more emboldened and uncompromising form.”Analyst Kamran Bokhari wrote that figures like Vahidi “are not just managing war – they are actively reshaping succession, consolidating authority around a weakened supreme leader, and effectively ‘capturing’ the state through crisis governance.”
Vahidi forged by years leading Quds Force
Born Ahmad Shahcheraghi in Iran’s southern city of Shiraz in 1958, Vahidi like many young men after the 1979 revolution joined the IRGC and fought against the invasion by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein that sparked a bloody, eight-year war.
Vahidi entered the Guard’s nascent intelligence arm and soon was overseeing operations outside Iran. He gained the favor of powerful patrons, including Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a later president. Rafsanjani said in his autobiography that Vahidi was involved in the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal, in which the Reagan administration sold weapons to Tehran in an effort to free hostages held by Iranian-backed militants in Lebanon. The US later used the money from those sales to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua. Rafsanjani later intervened to protect Vahidi when then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini sought to prosecute members of the IRGC who failed to stop an incursion by armed fighters from an Iranian exile group in the late 1980s during the war.
Around this time, Vahidi took over the newly formed Quds, or Jerusalem, Force. Over decades, the Quds Force helped create a network of proxy militant groups and allied governments around the Middle East. The Quds Force under Vahidi helped mastermind the 1994 bombing targeting Argentina’s largest Jewish community center, killing 85 people and wounding 300 others, prosecutors say. Iran has denied involvement.
American investigators also believe that under Vahidi, Iran organized the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 US service members and wounding hundreds. Tehran has denied being involved in that attack as well. Vahidi left the Quds Force in 1998. In 2010, while he was defense minister, the United States imposed sanctions on him over alleged involvement in Iran’s nuclear program and its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. More recently, as interior minister, Vahidi oversaw police units involved in a bloody, monthslong crackdown on protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for not properly wearing the mandated headscarf to the liking of authorities. An Iranian newspaper later published a classified document that showed Vahidi’s interior ministry ordered security agencies to monitor and photograph women not wearing the hijab, something he had denied was taking place. At around that time, Vahidi said in public comments that calls to remove the hijab were a “colonial plan” by Iran’s enemies trying to undermine the Islamic Republic. “The hijab has been a big barrier against the progress of effete Western culture,” he said.
Vahidi’s role makes reaching an accord with Iran that much more difficult for the US – as does the continued obscurity over Iran’s leadership. Trump wants a single interlocutor in Iran for negotiations, but “the whole system has changed,” said Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran expert at the Middle East Institute.“It is not a one-man show. Vahidi is one alongside others,” Azizi said. “Some we know and some we don’t know.”
With the Associated Press

Supreme leader says enriched uranium must stay in Iran, Iranian sources say
Reuters/21 May ,2026
Iran’s supreme leader has issued a directive that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran’s stance on one of the main US demands at peace talks.Mojtaba Khamenei’s order could further frustrate US President Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran. Israeli officials have told Reuters that Trump has assured Israel that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, needed to make an atomic weapon, will be sent out of Iran and that any peace deal must include a clause on this.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not consider the war over until enriched uranium is removed from Iran, Tehran ends its support for proxy militias, and its ballistic missile capabilities are eliminated. “The supreme leader’s directive, and the consensus within the establishment, is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country,” said one of the two Iranian sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Iran’s top officials, the sources said, believe that sending the material abroad would leave the country more vulnerable to future attacks by the United States and Israel. Khamenei has the last say on the most important state matters. The White House and Iran’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Deep suspicion among top Iranian officials
A shaky ceasefire is in place in the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, after which Iran fired at Gulf states hosting US military bases and fighting broke out between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. But there has been no big breakthrough in peace efforts, with a US blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil supply route, complicating negotiations mediated by Pakistan. The two senior Iranian sources said there was deep suspicion in Iran that the pause in hostilities was a tactical deception by Washington to create a sense of security before it renews airstrikes. Iran’s top peace negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said on Wednesday that “obvious and hidden moves by the enemy” showed the Americans were preparing new attacks. Trump said on Wednesday the US was ready to proceed with further attacks on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to “get the right answers.”
The two sides have started to narrow some gaps, the sources said, but deeper splits remain over Tehran’s nuclear program - including the fate of its enriched uranium stockpiles and Tehran’s demand for recognition of its right to enrichment.
Iran hardens stance on enriched uranium stockpile
Iranian officials have repeatedly said Tehran’s priority is to secure a permanent end to the war and credible guarantees that the US and Israel will not launch further attacks.
Only after such assurances are in place, they said, would Iran be prepared to engage in detailed negotiations over its nuclear program. Tehran has long denied seeking a nuclear bomb. Israel is widely believed to have an atomic arsenal but has never confirmed or denied it has nuclear weapons, maintaining a so-called policy of ambiguity on the issue for decades. Before the war, Iran signaled willingness to ship out half of its stockpile of uranium which has been enriched to 60 percent, a level far higher than what is needed for civilian uses. But sources said that position changed after repeated threats from Trump to strike Iran. Israeli officials have told Reuters it is still unclear whether Trump will decide to attack and whether he would give Israel a green light to resume operations. Tehran has vowed a crushing response if attacked.However, the source said there were “feasible formulas” to resolve the matter. “There are solutions like diluting the stockpile under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” one of the Iranian sources said.
The IAEA estimates that Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent when Israel and the U.S. attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. How much of that has survived is unclear. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in March that what remained of that stock was “mainly” stored in a tunnel complex in its Isfahan nuclear facility, and that his agency believed slightly more than 200 kg of it was there. The IAEA also believes some is at the sprawling nuclear complex at Natanz, where Iran had two enrichment plants.
Iran says some highly enriched uranium is needed for medical purposes and for a research reactor in Tehran which runs on relatively small amounts of uranium enriched to around 20 percent.

Iran has restarted some of its drone production during ceasefire: Report
Al Arabiya English/21 May ,2026
Iran has already restarted some of its drone production during the six-week ceasefire that began in early April, CNN reported on Thursday, citing two sources familiar with US intelligence assessments.US intelligence indicated that Iran’s military is rebuilding much faster than initially estimated, the report added, citing four sources. The rebuilding of Iran’s military capabilities reportedly means that it “remains a significant threat to regional allies should Trump restart the bombing campaign, according to the four sources familiar with the intelligence. One of the sources, a US official, told CNN that some US intelligence estimates indicate Iran could fully reconstitute its drone attack capability in as soon as six months. According to the report multiple factors contributed to Iran’s ability to rebuild faster than expected including support it received from Russia and China. “For example, China has continued to provide Iran with components during the conflict that can be used to build missiles,” CNN reported, adding that “though that has likely been curtailed by the ongoing US blockade.”US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States was ready to proceed with further attacks on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to “get the right answers.”

Pakistan steps up diplomatic bid to get US-Iran peace talks on track
Reuters/21 May ,2026
Pakistan stepped up diplomatic efforts on Thursday to hasten US and Iran peace talks, as Tehran said it was reviewing Washington’s latest responses and President Donald Trump suggested he could wait a few days for “the right answers” from Tehran but was also willing to resume attacks on the country.
Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire took effect, talks to end the war have made little progress, while soaring oil prices have raised concern over inflation and the impact on the global economy. Trump also faces domestic pressure ahead of November’s midterm elections, with his approval rating dropping close to its lowest since he returned to the White House on the surge in fuel prices. Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir will decide on Thursday whether to travel to Tehran as part of the mediation effort, three sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.
They sought anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran on Wednesday. “We’re speaking to all the various groups in Iran to streamline communication and so things pick up pace,” said one of the sources.
“Trump’s patience running thin is a concern, but we’re working on the pace at which messages are relayed from each side.”Earlier, Iran’s ISNA news agency said Munir would travel to Tehran on Thursday for consultations. “Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Trump said, “It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly.” Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. “We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned against renewed attacks. “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” it said in a statement.
Iran submitted its latest offer to the US this week.
Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms Trump previously rejected, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of US troops.
The Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas before the war, has been all but closed since it began, causing the most serious disruption to global energy supplies in history.
On Wednesday, Iran released a map showing a “controlled maritime zone” at the strait and said transit would require authorization from an authority set up to control the area.
It said it aimed to reopen the strait to friendly countries that abide by its terms. That could potentially include fees for access, which Washington says would be unacceptable.
Two Chinese supertankers carrying a total of about 4 million barrels of oil exited the strait on Wednesday, while a South Korean tanker with 2 million barrels of crude loaded in Kuwait was also crossing the strait in cooperation with Iran.
Shipping monitor Lloyd’s List said at least 54 ships had transited the strait last week, about double the previous week. Iran said 26 ships had crossed in the past 24 hours, still only a fraction of the 125 to 140 daily passages before the war.
US-Israeli bombing killed thousands of people in Iran before the ceasefire.
Israel has also killed thousands more and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes in Lebanon, which it invaded in pursuit of the Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group.
Iranian strikes on Israel and neighboring Gulf states have killed dozens of people.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said their war aims were to curb Iran’s support for regional militias, dismantle its nuclear program, destroy its missile capabilities and make it easier for Iranians to topple their rulers. But Iran has so far retained its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, and its ability to threaten neighbors with missiles, drones and proxy militias. It has already restarted some drone production during the ceasefire, CNN said on Thursday, citing two sources familiar with US intelligence assessments. Iran’s clerical rulers, who put down a mass uprising at the start of the year, have faced no sign of organized opposition since the war began.

UAE official slams Iran's Hormuz control plan as 'pipe dream'
Agence France Presse/21 May ,2026
A top UAE official denounced Iran's claim of control over Emirati waters in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz as a "pipe dream" Thursday, following an announcement by an Iranian body overseeing the strait. "The regime is trying to establish a new reality born from a clear military defeat, but attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or infringe on the UAE's maritime sovereignty are nothing but pipe dreams," said the United Arab Emirates' presidential advisor Anwar Gargash in a post on X.

US military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker suspected of trying to breach blockade
Associated Press/21 May ,2026
The U.S. military said Wednesday that it boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to violate the American blockade, the latest action by the Trump administration to try to push Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
But President Donald Trump is facing his own pressure at home for shipping to resume through the vital corridor off Iran's coast. Fellow Republicans in Congress are battling political headwinds ahead of November's midterm elections as gasoline prices skyrocket and global energy markets churn. Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday advanced legislation seeking to force Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, with a growing number of Republicans defying the president in the 50-47 vote. U.S. Central Command said on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an Iranian port. It's at least the fifth commercial vessel to be boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April, several days into a ceasefire, to pressure Tehran into opening the strait and accepting a deal to end the war. The military boarded the tanker after Trump said Monday he had called off renewed military strikes on Iran in an effort to make progress in negotiations to end the war. Trump said he had planned "a very major attack" for Tuesday but put it off, saying America's allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal. Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off. Before the U.S. blockade, Tehran had allowed some ships perceived as friendly to pass while charging considerable fees, leading to accusations it is holding the global economy hostage. The U.S. military recently said that 1,550 vessels, from 87 countries, are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Nearly three months since the war began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, Iran maintains a chokehold on the strait, while the U.S. military has enforced its blockade on Iran's ports as well as Iranian-linked ships that are far away from the Middle East.
Last month, U.S. forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. A couple days later, the U.S. seized another tanker associated with smuggling Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
In early May, Trump said the U.S. military would begin to "guide" stranded ships from the Iran-gripped strait. The next day, he announced that the effort to protect ships was paused to see if an agreement could be reached. Days later, U.S. forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers after exchanging fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said the tankers were trying to breach the blockade. The day before, the military said it thwarted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities in response.

Gen. Ahmad Vahidi: major player in talks with US over war
Associated Press/21 May ,2026
As negotiations with the United States hang in the balance, a hard-line Iranian general linked to notorious attacks at home and abroad over the past decades is believed to have seized a place near the center of power.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has become a major player in formulating Iran's tough stance in negotiating a possible end to the war with the United States, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khameini, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Like everything in Iran since the war began, who ultimately controls decision-making remains uncertain. As people within the upper ranks of Iran's theocracy vie for power, they can gain or lose favor quickly. Vahidi himself wasn't seen publicly for months after Feb. 8, weeks before the war began, until Thursday, when Iranian newspapers carried images of the general meeting with Pakistan's interior minister in Tehran, who carried a message regarding negotiations with the U.S.
A longtime veteran of the ruling system, Vahidi helped shape Iran's support of militant groups across the region, is accused of a role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina, and in 2022 led domestic security forces in a bloody crackdown on protesters. Elevated to Guard commander this year after his predecessor was killed early in the war, he leads the most powerful force in Iran, with its arsenal of ballistic missiles and its fleet of small boats threatening Persian Gulf shipping. "Vahidi and members of his inner circle have likely consolidated control over not only Iran's military response in the conflict but also Iran's negotiations policy," the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said. Iran's war strategy has been to keep a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, blocking oil and gas exports and causing a global energy crisis. At the same time, it has struck hard against oil facilities, hotels and infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations.
In negotiations, it has held out against U.S. demands that it surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, betting that it can outlast the U.S. in the ongoing standoff and that President Donald Trump will be reluctant to resume outright war that could bring greater damage to America's Gulf allies.
That likely reflects Vahidi's confrontational style. "He comes from that mindset of unending revolution, unending resistance," said Kenneth Katzman, a senior fellow at the The Soufan Group, a New York-based think tank. Vahidi believes "the U.S. needs to be challenged at every turn," said Katzman, a senior Iran expert who advised the U.S. Congress for over 30 years. Vahidi boasted in January that Iran's defense power has developed to make it a "high risk for any military action by an enemy."
Vahidi now a focal point in talks
Pakistan hosted talks in April between an Iranian delegation led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and an American one headed by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. But it ended without any deal. Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned home to face criticism from inside the theocracy suggesting they were too willing to make concessions. Qalibaf had to insist publicly that the talks had the support of the supreme leader. Since then, Vahidi has become the main point of contact for those negotiating with Iran, said a regional official with direct knowledge of the mediation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy.
The extreme seclusion and unknown condition of the supreme leader have fueled speculation about jockeying among leaders for access to Khamenei and influence over him. In early May, President Masoud Pezeshkian, who many see as sidelined from influence by the Guard, went out of his way to say he "got to see our dear leader" and spoke to him for around two hours.
But Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said it's likely the new supreme leader "is in lockstep with a more hard-line (Guard) — similar to his father, but in a more emboldened and uncompromising form."
Analyst Kamran Bokhari wrote that figures like Vahidi "are not just managing war — they are actively reshaping succession, consolidating authority around a weakened supreme leader, and effectively 'capturing' the state through crisis governance."
Vahidi forged by years leading Quds Force
Born Ahmad Shahcheraghi in Iran's southern city of Shiraz in 1958, Vahidi like many young men after the 1979 revolution joined the Revolutionary Guard and fought against the invasion by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein that sparked a bloody, eight-year war.
Vahidi entered the Guard's nascent intelligence arm and soon was overseeing operations outside Iran. He gained the favor of powerful patrons, including Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a later president. Rafsanjani said in his autobiography that Vahidi was involved in the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal, in which the Reagan administration sold weapons to Tehran in an effort to free hostages held by Iranian-backed militants in Lebanon. The U.S. later used the money from those sales to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua. Rafsanjani later intervened to protect Vahidi when then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sought to prosecute members of the Guard who failed to stop an incursion by armed fighters from an Iranian exile group in the late 1980s during the war. Around this time, Vahidi took over the newly formed Quds, or Jerusalem, Force. Over decades, the Quds Force helped create a network of proxy militant groups and allied governments around the Middle East. The Quds Force under Vahidi helped mastermind the 1994 bombing targeting Argentina's largest Jewish community center, killing 85 people and wounding 300 others, prosecutors say. Iran has denied involvement.
American investigators also believe that under Vahidi, Iran organized the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 U.S. service members and wounding hundreds. Tehran has denied being involved in that attack as well.
Vahidi left the Quds Force in 1998. In 2010, while he was defense minister, the United States imposed sanctions on him over alleged involvement in Iran's nuclear program and its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. More recently, as interior minister, Vahidi oversaw police units involved in a bloody, monthslong crackdown on protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for not properly wearing the mandated headscarf to the liking of authorities.
An Iranian newspaper later published a classified document that showed Vahidi's Interior Ministry ordered security agencies to monitor and photograph women not wearing the hijab, something he had denied was taking place. At around that time, Vahidi said in public comments that calls to remove the hijab were a "colonial plan" by Iran's enemies trying to undermine the Islamic Republic. "The hijab has been a big barrier against the progress of effete Western culture," he said. Vahidi's role makes reaching an accord with Iran that much more difficult for the U.S. — as does the continued obscurity over Iran's leadership. Trump wants a single interlocutor in Iran for negotiations, but "the whole system has changed," said Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran expert at the Middle East Institute.
"It is not a one-man show. Vahidi is one alongside others," Azizi said. "Some we know and some we don't know."

US voices hope on Iran deal progress before Pakistan army chief visit
Agence France Presse/21 May ,2026
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope on Thursday of progress on ending the war with Iran, with mediator Pakistan's army chief due to arrive in the Islamic republic for talks. The expected visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan's foreign relations, comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed strikes. "I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today. So hopefully that'll advance this further," Rubio told reporters on Thursday. A ceasefire on April 8 halted the war launched weeks earlier by the U.S. and Israel, but negotiation efforts have so far failed to yield a lasting peace agreement. A war of words has taken the place of open conflict but the impasse continues to weigh on the world economy, leaving everyone from investors to farmers in a painful state of uncertainty. On Thursday, Iran's ISNA news agency said Munir's visit was aimed at continuing "talks and consultations" with Iranian authorities, without providing details. Other Iranian media carried the same report. Pakistan hosted in April the only direct negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials to take place since February 28, the day the war began.
Munir was at the centre of the action during that round of talks, greeting both delegations on their arrival and displaying remarkable bonhomie with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
But the talks ultimately failed, with Iran accusing the US of making "excessive demands".
Since then, the two sides have exchanged multiple proposals, with the threat of renewed war looming all along. "It's right on the borderline, believe me," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "If we don't get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We're all ready to go." He said a deal could come "very quickly" or "in a few days", but warned Tehran would have to provide "100 percent good answers". Rubio also criticised NATO allies for their refusal to help Trump's war against Iran. "He's not asking them to commit troops. He's not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything," he said. "We were very upset about that."
'Forceful response' -
Tehran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday accused Washington of seeking to restart the war, warning of a "forceful response" if Iran were to be attacked. "The enemy's movements, both overt and clandestine, show that despite economic and political pressure, it has not abandoned its military objectives and is seeking to start a new war," Ghalibaf said. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the Islamic republic was examining points received from Washington, while repeating Tehran's demands for the release of its assets frozen abroad and an end to a U.S. naval blockade. Trump is under political pressure at home as energy costs rise.
The ceasefire halted the fighting but has not reopened the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.
The future of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in the negotiations, with fears growing that the global economy will feel more pain as pre-war oil stockpiles run down.
Iran imposed the blockade of Hormuz as part of its retaliation in the war, allowing only a trickle of vessels through in recent weeks while introducing a toll system. Iran's new body overseeing Hormuz said its claimed area of control extends to Emirati waters, drawing a sharp rebuke from Abu Dhabi. Relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates have been severely strained since the war, after Tehran launched missile and drone strikes against Gulf countries in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks. Hormuz carries around a third of global fertilizer shipments, raising concerns of higher food prices and shortages if the closure drags on. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said the closure could trigger "a severe global food price crisis" and a "systemic agrifood shock".

US military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker suspected of trying to breach blockade
Associated Press/21 May ,2026
The U.S. military said Wednesday that it boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to violate the American blockade, the latest action by the Trump administration to try to push Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
But President Donald Trump is facing his own pressure at home for shipping to resume through the vital corridor off Iran's coast. Fellow Republicans in Congress are battling political headwinds ahead of November's midterm elections as gasoline prices skyrocket and global energy markets churn. Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday advanced legislation seeking to force Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, with a growing number of Republicans defying the president in the 50-47 vote. U.S. Central Command said on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an Iranian port. It's at least the fifth commercial vessel to be boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April, several days into a ceasefire, to pressure Tehran into opening the strait and accepting a deal to end the war. The military boarded the tanker after Trump said Monday he had called off renewed military strikes on Iran in an effort to make progress in negotiations to end the war. Trump said he had planned "a very major attack" for Tuesday but put it off, saying America's allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal. Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off. Before the U.S. blockade, Tehran had allowed some ships perceived as friendly to pass while charging considerable fees, leading to accusations it is holding the global economy hostage. The U.S. military recently said that 1,550 vessels, from 87 countries, are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf. Nearly three months since the war began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, Iran maintains a chokehold on the strait, while the U.S. military has enforced its blockade on Iran's ports as well as Iranian-linked ships that are far away from the Middle East. Last month, U.S. forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. A couple days later, the U.S. seized another tanker associated with smuggling Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In early May, Trump said the U.S. military would begin to "guide" stranded ships from the Iran-gripped strait. The next day, he announced that the effort to protect ships was paused to see if an agreement could be reached. Days later, U.S. forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers after exchanging fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said the tankers were trying to breach the blockade. The day before, the military said it thwarted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities in response.

Netanyahu-Trump talks add diplomatic dimension as Israel bogs down in Lebanon conflict
LBCI/21 May ,2026
Israel is becoming bogged down in a war of attrition and returning to the Lebanese quagmire, while operating under U.S. restrictions that prevent it from expanding operations toward Beirut. This is the initial assessment reached by the security establishment regarding developments on the Lebanese front, following the killing and wounding of more than 50 soldiers there within a month. Faced with these challenges, officers said forces deployed in southern Lebanon are resorting to what they describe as “venting anger,” involving widespread destruction of Lebanese villages north of the Litani River, even when there is no operational objective or military benefit. Meanwhile, the army has also designated the Bekaa region as a target area. Intense debate over the war in Lebanon reached its peak on Wednesday after it emerged that mesh screens placed on military vehicles and on the windows of Lebanese homes where soldiers were taking cover had failed to protect them from Hezbollah drones. While operations continue in several areas of southern Lebanon, with the army redeploying three divisions, security officials and experts have warned of implications from developments in the Iran file for the Lebanese front, following what was described as a difficult conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, during which Netanyahu sought to push Washington to resume strikes on Iran.

Israel begins deporting hundreds of flotilla activists
Associated Press/21 May ,2026
Israel has released hundreds of activists who attempted to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and are in the process of deporting them, according to a legal organization working with the flotilla. The Israel-based legal advocacy group, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah, said Thursday that most of the international activists are in transit to a civilian airport near the southern Israeli city of Eilat for deportation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he instructed that the activists be deported "as soon as possible," after sharply rebuking Israel's national security minister for a provocative video showing the minister taunting detained flotilla activists who were handcuffed and kneeling. Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop "provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters," the way National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the activists was "not in line with Israel's values and norms." Ben-Gvir released videos Wednesday showing him walking among some of the approximately 430 detainees. In one, activists with their hands tied behind their backs are kneeling, their heads touching the floor inside what appears to be a makeshift detention area on the deck of a ship. The flotilla, made up of more than 50 boats, departed for Gaza last week from Turkey, near Cyprus. Organizers said they want to draw renewed attention to the conditions for nearly 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israel has called the flotilla "a PR stunt at the service of Hamas" with no real intent to deliver aid to Gaza. The boats carry a tiny, symbolic amount of aid.
Israeli forces began stopping the boats around 268 kilometers (167 miles) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla's website. Israel also stopped 20 boats from the flotilla on April 30 near Crete. This week, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against several European activists aboard the flotilla, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called "pro-terror." Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli authorities intensified it after the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment. Israel says it's intended to prevent Hamas from arming itself. Egypt, which has the only border crossing with Gaza not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement in and out. Israel's retaliatory offensive following the Oct. 7 attacks that started the war has killed more than 72,700 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, part of Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't give a breakdown between civilians and combatants. It is staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.

Netanyahu's alliance with religious parties puts his reelection at risk
Associated Press/21 May ,2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained in power for most of the past 17 years due in part to a tight alliance with ultra-Orthodox religious parties.
But that alliance is tearing apart his governing coalition and proving to be another major liability for the long-serving Israeli leader as the country heads to elections later this year. The Oct. 7, 2023, attack — and the inconclusive wars that have followed — are also weighing on him. After 2 1/2 years of active fighting in multiple countries, much of it involving reservists, many Israelis are tired of a longstanding system that has allowed ultra-Orthodox men to skip military service. That anger has spread to Netanyahu's own base.The ultra-Orthodox are meanwhile furious at his failure to legalize their exemptions. They withdrew their support for the coalition two weeks ago, leading to an initial vote to dissolve parliament, known as the Knesset, on Wednesday. That set in motion a process that could move elections up from October to September.
Here's a closer look.
The clock is ticking
Netanyahu is still trying to pass a bill that would legalize the exemptions and fulfill a promise to his religious partners, but that appears to be a long shot given the strident opposition of many within his own coalition. Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who served for three years in a combat unit and is a vocal supporter of Netanyahu, said she was among at least seven members of the coalition who will not support the draft bill, rendering it impassable. "The ultra-Orthodox are trying to extort us. It's immoral. It's not fair," said Haskel, who wore her military uniform at the dissolution vote on Wednesday to highlight her opposition and highlight her own service. Two major ultra-Orthodox parties deserted Netanyahu earlier this month after he told them he did not expect to be able to pass the exemptions bill. That left his coalition without a parliamentary majority, and is one of the main reasons for the bill to dissolve the Knesset. "He made a promise to his most loyal allies in the coalition, and he could not deliver, he kept postponing," said Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. Yitzhak Pindrus, a lawmaker from one of the factions, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it has no plans to return to the coalition. "We need the draft bill," he said.
The ultra-Orthodox can make or break Netanyahu's coalition
Israel's political landscape is highly fragmented, and no one party has ever won a majority in the 120-member Knesset.Instead, parties must build alliances to cobble together a majority, which often involves bargaining that gives smaller parties outsized influence.The ultra-Orthodox currently have 18 seats in the Knesset, a similar number to previous years, but have long been indispensable to Netanyahu. In exchange for his support for government subsidies and the draft exemptions, they have stood by him through regional crises and longstanding corruption allegations.
Netanyahu has long relied on "automatic support" from the ultra-Orthodox, said Gilad Malach, an expert on the ultra-Orthodox at the Israel Democracy Institute, a research group in Jerusalem. That support helped Netanyahu remain in power through the worst attack in Israel's history. The coalition, which also includes ultra-nationalist parties, "was much more stable than I ever imagined," said Rosner. "Maybe it's because they realized in a new election, they're going to get defeated, and that's why they stuck together."
Imploding the coalition from within
If Netanyahu somehow passes some form of the draft exemption bill, it could dramatically alter the electoral map. It would push large sectors of the population, who have previously supported Netanyahu but are buckling under hundreds of days of reserve duty, to vote for rival parties that promise equal service, Malach said.
Netanyahu appears to stand little chance of remaining prime minister after October's elections without ultra-Orthodox support. And he is probably their only hope of a bill that would avoid mandatory enlistment coming up for discussion in the next government.
But sticking with the ultra-Orthodox risks harming Netanyahu's standing with the broader public, leaving him in a bind as the country heads toward elections.
Why the ultra-Orthodox reject military service
Most Jewish men are required to serve nearly three years of military service, followed by years of reserve duty. Jewish women serve two mandatory years.
Each year, roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the conscription age of 18, but less than 10% enlist, according to a parliamentary committee. Faced with a severe shortages of soldiers, the military is looking to extend the period of mandatory service. The ultra-Orthodox, who make up roughly 13% of Israeli society and are the fastest growing sector, have traditionally received exemptions if they are studying full-time in religious seminaries. The exemptions date back to the birth of the state in 1948, when a small number of students sought to revive the Jewish scholarship system after it was decimated by the Holocaust. Those exemptions — and the government stipends many seminary students receive up to the age of 26 — have infuriated many Israelis. Israel is currently maintaining a simultaneous military presence in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, in addition to fighting a war with Iran, which has stretched its robust military to the breaking point.
The Supreme Court said the exemptions were illegal in 2017, but repeated extensions and government delay tactics have left them in place. Among Israel's Jewish majority, mandatory military service is largely seen as a melting pot and rite of passage. Many in the insular ultra-Orthodox community fear that military service would expose young people to secular influences.

Report: Israel fumes as Iran, US to formally end war, hold 30 days of talks
Naharnet/21 May ,2026
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a new effort to reach a deal with Iran in a difficult call on Tuesday, three sources told U.S. news portal Axios, with one source saying Netanyahu's "hair was on fire" after the call. A revised peace memo was drafted by Qatar and Pakistan with input from the other regional mediators to try to bridge the gaps between the U.S. and Iran, the sources said. It comes with Trump vacillating over ordering a massive strike on Iran and holding out for a deal. Netanyahu is highly skeptical about the negotiations and wants to resume the war to further degrade Iran's military capabilities and weaken the regime by destroying its critical infrastructure. Trump continues to say he thinks a deal can be reached, but that he's ready to resume the war if it isn't.
"The only question is do we go and finish it up or are they gonna be signing a document. Let's see what happens," he said on Wednesday at the Coast Guard Academy.
Trump also said Netanyahu "will do whatever I want him to do" on Iran, though he also said they had a good relationship. The two leaders have had temporary disagreements on Iran before but have remained closely coordinated throughout the war.
Iran has confirmed it's reviewing an updated proposal.
Pakistan, Qatar and the other mediators — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt — have been working over the last several days to refine the proposal to bridge the gaps, the three sources told Axios.
According to two Arab officials and an Israeli source, Qatar recently presented the U.S. and Iran with a new draft. A fourth source said there is no separate Qatari draft, but that Qatar is just trying to bridge the gaps from the previous Pakistani proposal.
One Arab official said the Qataris sent a delegation to Tehran earlier this week for talks with the Iranians about the latest draft.
Iran's foreign ministry said Wednesday that negotiations were ongoing "based on Iran's 14-point proposal," and that Pakistan's interior minister was in Tehran to help the mediation. That's the second visit by the interior minister in less than a week.
The goal of the new effort is to get more tangible commitments from the Iranians over steps regarding their nuclear program, and more specifics from the U.S. as to how frozen Iranian funds will be gradually released, an Arab official said.
All three sources stressed it's unclear whether the Iranians will agree to the new draft or to shift their positions significantly.
"As stated previously, Qatar has been and continues to support the Pakistan led mediation efforts, we have been consistently advocating for de-escalation for the sake of the region and its people," a Qatari diplomat said.
On Tuesday evening, Trump held a lengthy and "difficult" call with Netanyahu.
Trump told Netanyahu that the mediators were working on a "letter of intent" that both the U.S. and Iran would sign to formally end the war and launch a 30-day period of negotiations on issues like Iran's nuclear program and opening of the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. source briefed on the call said.
Two Israeli sources said the two leaders were in disagreement about the way forward, while the U.S. source briefed on the call said "Bibi's hair was on fire after the call."
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said that in order for talks to succeed, the U.S would have to end its "piracy" against Iranian ships and agree to release frozen funds, while Israel would have to end its war in Lebanon.
An Israeli source told Axios that Netanyahu wants to come to Washington in the coming weeks for a meeting with Trump.

Al Arabiya condemns Iranian media for attributing fabricated reports to network
Al Arabiya English/ 22 May ,2026
Al Arabiya Network on Thursday denied reports circulated by Iranian media and attributed to the channel claiming that an agreement had been reached in the US-Iran negotiations, stressing that the information being circulated was false and fabricated.
The network said some Iranian media outlets had attributed reports to Al Arabiya without verifying their authenticity or even confirming that they existed on the network’s official platforms, describing this as a serious journalistic error.
Al Arabiya added that it had never published any reports claiming that a nuclear agreement had been reached or that outstanding issues in the negotiations between Washington and Tehran had been resolved, calling on media outlets to adhere to professional standards and verify information before republishing it.
This comes amid a flood of leaks and conflicting reports surrounding the US-Iran talks, which are being mediated by Pakistan. Observers say the sensitivity of Iran’s nuclear file has turned it into an arena for information warfare and political leaks, particularly given the number of parties involved in the negotiations and the conflicting regional and international interests at play. Deliberate leaks and the circulation of unverified information have also repeatedly accompanied rounds of negotiations, often with the aim of influencing the course of the talks or testing political and market reactions.

The Latest LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on 21-22 May/2026
The Palestinian Authority's 'Reform' Fraud
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/May 21, 2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22537/palestinian-authority-reform-fraud
As usual... there was no timetable, no enforcement mechanism, and no concrete political roadmap. Once again, reform appeared to function more as a slogan aimed at reassuring Western governments than as a serious political process.
Would elections solve the problem? Many Western officials continue insisting that elections are the answer to the Palestinian crisis. Recent Palestinian history, however, suggests otherwise. The last parliamentary elections, held in 2006, brought Hamas to power. One year later, Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip after executing opponents, throwing Fatah rivals off rooftops, and establishing an Islamist dictatorship that remains in place to this day.
In several polls, Hamas leaders have enjoyed greater popularity than Abbas and Fatah.
[T]he Palestinian national movement historically presented itself as a collective "liberation struggle" rather than a family-based political enterprise. The rise of Yasser Abbas, therefore, symbolizes for many Palestinians not renewal, but the deepening personal entrenchment of power.
The Palestinian Authority continues every year to pay hundreds of millions of dollars, now disguised as "social welfare," to Palestinians and their families involved in terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.
The Fatah election of Barghouti and Zubeidi sends a dangerous message: that inside Fatah, terrorism and "armed struggle" continue to confer political legitimacy.
The Palestinian movement, rather than distancing itself from violence, continues to celebrate and glorify individuals associated with attacks against Israeli civilians. It is a reality that should finally put a stop to all idiotic Western claims that Fatah represents a "moderate" alternative to Hamas.
The latest elections inside Fatah, in fact, suggest that the ideological differences between Hamas and Fatah are largely tactical rather than fundamental. Hamas openly calls for Israel's destruction through jihad and terrorism. Fatah, meanwhile, speaks to Western audiences about diplomacy and peace while internally glorifying terrorists, honoring "martyrs," rewarding militants, and continuing to promote the concepts of "resistance" and "armed struggle" as legitimate tools. The difference between the two movements often concerns strategy and international presentation, not the ultimate goal.
The resulting structure combines aging political veterans, security officials, Abbas loyalists, wealthy insiders, and figures associated with militancy. This is not reform. It is carefully controlled continuity. Some Palestinians had hoped the conference would introduce young leaders, new political ideas, and genuine institutional restructuring. Instead, results reflect the survival goals of a political system determined to preserve itself. Regrettably, the latest Fatah conference demonstrated the exact opposite of meaningful reform. For the US and Europe, which continue to discuss plans to "revitalize" the Palestinian Authority, the latest developments should serve as another harsh prod out of a deep sleep – or more likely a secret long-term wish in much of Europe to have the Arabs "exterminate" Israel so that they will not have to. Europe would then have Israel out of the way without getting its own hands dirty.
A leadership that recycles aging elites, promotes family influence, rewards extremism and corruption, and suppresses democratic renewal is clearly not preparing its people for reform, accountability, democracy or peace.
The latest Fatah elections did not mark the beginning of a new political era. They only exposed the deepening decay at the heart of the Palestinian leadership and a continuation of the grinding, punishing life for the Palestinian people held hostage there.
The Palestinian Authority still pays monthly stipends to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel for their involvement in terror attacks. Mahmoud Abbas frequently refers to these prisoners as national heroes who made significant sacrifices for the Palestinian cause. "[I]f we have only a single penny left," he said in February 2025, "it will go to the prisoners and the martyrs. I will not allow a reduction in our commitments to them."
For years, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has promised the US, Europe, and Arab donors that he is committed to reforming Palestinian institutions, fighting corruption, introducing transparency, and preparing the ground for a new generation of Palestinian leadership. The recent elections for his ruling Fatah faction, however, prove otherwise.
Instead of meaningful reform, Fatah has once again chosen stagnation, recycled leadership, security domination, and the glorification of terrorism. Most troubling of all, the election of Abbas's son, Yasser Abbas, to Fatah's Central Committee has revived growing fears that the Palestinian leadership is moving toward a system of dynastic succession and family rule.
The results of Fatah's eighth general conference, held in Ramallah in mid-May, exposed the widening gap between Abbas's reform rhetoric and the political reality inside the Palestinian political system.
Speaking after casting his vote, Abbas attempted to present the conference as part of a broader effort to "renew institutions" and prepare for future parliamentary and presidential elections. He repeated familiar promises regarding constitutional reform and political restructuring while portraying the gathering as proof of Fatah's historical legitimacy during one of the most dangerous periods facing the Palestinian cause. "This year is the year of democracy," Abbas said.
"Today is the Eighth Conference of Fatah, and we are preparing for the elections of the general and presidential elections, staring with the drafting of the constitution, the political parties law, and the general elections law."
As usual, however, there was no timetable, no enforcement mechanism, and no concrete political roadmap. Once again, reform appeared to function more as a slogan aimed at reassuring Western governments than as a serious political process.
The Fatah conference simply appeared as an early battle over the post-Abbas era.
At the age of 90, Abbas has now led the Palestinian Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and Fatah for more than two decades. His presidential term officially expired in 2009; nonetheless, in the absence of presidential and parliamentary elections, he continues ruling by decree. Against this backdrop, the election of his son Yasser Abbas to Fatah's highest decision-making body was seen by many Palestinians as politically significant far beyond a routine internal reshuffle.
Although Yasser Abbas, 64, has never traditionally been among the most prominent Fatah figures, in recent years his political profile has steadily expanded.
Five years ago, his father appointed him as a "special representative," enabling him to become involved in political, diplomatic, and economic affairs. At the same time, he has maintained extensive business interests in telecommunications, energy, and investment sectors in the West Bank, increasing his influence inside Palestinian political and economic circles. His rise reinforces growing perceptions that Mahmoud Abbas is attempting to preserve family influence within the Palestinian political system.
These concerns are particularly acute because Palestinians have not held presidential or parliamentary elections for more than 20 years.
Would elections solve the problem? Many Western officials continue insisting that elections are the answer to the Palestinian crisis. Recent Palestinian history, however, suggests otherwise. The last parliamentary elections, held in 2006, brought Hamas to power. One year later, Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip after executing opponents, throwing Fatah rivals off rooftops, and establishing an Islamist dictatorship that remains in place to this day.
Public opinion polls in recent years have repeatedly shown strong Palestinian support for Hamas, especially after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of Israel. In several polls, Hamas leaders have enjoyed greater popularity than Abbas and Fatah.
This raises an uncomfortable but necessary question: If elections were held today, would they produce democratic reform – or another Hamas victory? The problem facing Palestinians is therefore much deeper than the absence of elections. It is a crisis of extremism, corruption and failed leadership.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority continues facing accusations of financial and administrative corruption, concentration of power, and political paralysis. Many Palestinians now openly fear that succession inside Fatah is being managed behind closed doors rather than through democratic competition.
Comparisons with hereditary Arab political systems continue to grow. Such comparisons carry particular sensitivity in the Palestinian arena because the Palestinian national movement historically presented itself as a collective "liberation struggle" rather than a family-based political enterprise. The rise of Yasser Abbas, therefore, symbolizes for many Palestinians not renewal, but the deepening personal entrenchment of power.
Equally troubling is the continued glorification of violence and terrorism inside Fatah.
For years, Fatah officials have repeatedly honored their terrorists as "heroes," "martyrs," and "fighters." The Palestinian Authority continues every year to pay hundreds of millions of dollars, now disguised as "social welfare," to Palestinians and their families involved in terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.
Among the many terrorists still celebrated, for instance, is Dalal al-Mughrabi, a Palestinian woman from Lebanon who led the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre, in which 38 Israelis were murdered, including 13 children. Fatah and the Palestinian Authority regularly host memorial ceremonies on the anniversary of her death and praise her courage and dedication to the Palestinian cause. Public squares and sports tournaments are named after her, and in schools she is portrayed to students as a person to be emulated. The Palestinian Authority, as mentioned, still pays monthly stipends to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel for their involvement in terror attacks. Mahmoud Abbas frequently refers to these prisoners as national heroes who made significant sacrifices for the Palestinian cause. "[If] we have only a single penny left," he said in February 2025, "it will go to the prisoners and the martyrs. I will not allow a reduction in our commitments to them."In the recent Fatah elections, another terrorist hero, Marwan Barghouti -- currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for involvement in terror attacks that murdered Israeli civilians -- received the highest number of votes.
Zakaria Zubeidi, the former commander of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank city of Jenin – and who organized numerous terror attacks against Israelis -- also won a seat on the Central Committee. Zubeidi became internationally known after escaping from an Israeli prison in 2021 before being recaptured. The election of Barghouti and Zubeidi to the Fatah Central Committee sends a dangerous message: that inside Fatah, terrorism and "armed struggle" continue to confer political legitimacy. The Palestinian movement, rather than distancing itself from violence, continues to celebrate and glorify individuals associated with attacks against Israeli civilians. It is a reality that should finally put a stop to all idiotic Western claims that Fatah represents a "moderate" alternative to Hamas.
The latest elections inside Fatah, in fact, suggest that the ideological differences between Hamas and Fatah are largely tactical rather than fundamental. Hamas openly calls for Israel's destruction through jihad and terrorism. Fatah, meanwhile, speaks to Western audiences about diplomacy and peace while internally glorifying terrorists, honoring "martyrs," rewarding militants, and continuing to promote the concepts of "resistance" and "armed struggle" as legitimate tools. The difference between the two movements often concerns strategy and international presentation, not the ultimate goal.
The Fatah election results also highlighted the continued dominance of the Palestinian security establishment. Senior officials including Hussein al-Sheikh, Mahmoud al-Aloul, Jibril Rajoub, Tawfik Tirawi, and intelligence chief Majed Faraj either retained or strengthened their positions within the movement's leadership. The resulting structure combines aging political veterans, security officials, Abbas loyalists, wealthy insiders, and figures associated with militancy. This is not reform. It is carefully controlled continuity. Some Palestinians had hoped the conference would introduce young leaders, new political ideas, and genuine institutional restructuring. Instead, results reflect the survival goals of a political system determined to preserve itself. Increasing American, European, and Arab pressure for reform is closely linked to discussions about the future of the Gaza Strip after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of Israel.
The Trump administration and other international actors view reform of the Palestinian Authority as a prerequisite for restoring political legitimacy and enabling it to play any future governing role in the Gaza Strip. Regrettably, the latest Fatah conference demonstrated the exact opposite of meaningful reform.
The dominance of longstanding elites, the rise of Mahmoud Abbas's son, the empowerment of security officials, and the election of convicted terrorists all reinforce skepticism regarding whether any genuine political change is even remotely possible within the current Palestinian system.
For the US and Europe, which continue to discuss plans to "revitalize" the Palestinian Authority, the latest developments should serve as another harsh prod out of a deep sleep – or more likely a secret long-term wish in much of Europe to have the Arabs "exterminate" Israel so that they will not have to. Europe would then have Israel out of the way without getting its own hands dirty. A leadership that recycles aging elites, promotes family influence, rewards extremism and corruption, and suppresses democratic renewal is clearly not preparing its people for reform, accountability, democracy or peace.
The latest Fatah elections did not mark the beginning of a new political era. They only exposed the deepening decay at the heart of the Palestinian leadership and a continuation of the grinding, punishing life for the Palestinian people held hostage there.
**Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
**Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.

What Tehran May Be Overlooking
Suleiman Jawda/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 21/2026
The government in Tehran must surely find itself deeply embarrassed as it reads, along with the rest of us, that US President Donald Trump postponed a return to striking Iran in response to requests from several Gulf leaders.
President Trump himself may find that he is in a predicament no less embarrassing than that of the Iranian government if he reflects on the fact that Gulf leaders advised him to postpone a return to war and pursue diplomacy and peace instead.
The Supreme Leader's government will feel embarrassed because, this time, it will see in practical terms that the Gulf states had opposed the war from the outset. They had advised the US administration to leave room for diplomacy and had quietly urged the White House to recognize that war in the Gulf was neither a solution nor could it ever be one, and that diplomacy and politics must remain the priority.
They acted accordingly and said so publicly. The problem was that they could neither compel Trump to adopt their view nor prevent him from lending his ears to the hardline government in Tel Aviv, which continuously pushed him toward war rather than peace.
It is no secret that the war's end on the eighth of last month, after forty days of fighting, did not please Israel's hardline government and was not to its liking. Nor is it a secret that, since the forty-day war came to an end, it has been blowing on the embers in the hope that they might reignite. This was evident throughout the period between the ceasefire and the moment the American president announced his response to the Gulf leaders' request.
Day after day, we read statements from the Israeli defense minister saying that his country was simply waiting for a green light from Washington to resume the war against Iran. That alone should have been enough for Iran to observe and compare positions. It should have been enough for Tehran to distinguish between six states on the western shore of the Gulf, which view it as a bridge for communication with their Iranian neighbor on the eastern shore, and Israel, on the Mediterranean coast, which never misses an opportunity to incite and lure the United States into declaring war on the Iranians.
When President Trump decided to launch what he called the "Freedom Project" to forcibly open the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, Saudi Arabia refused to allow its territory to be used for the operation. Its refusal prevented the project from going ahead. This was announced by others rather than by Riyadh itself, even though it could have publicized the matter and used it to its advantage. Instead, it believed that its position would reach the world, that Iran would learn of it as well, and that it would represent another step along a path that Riyadh had embarked upon in its region and continues to pursue.
For all these reasons, and they are only part of a larger picture, the government in Tehran will find itself embarrassed. It may well wish it had apologized for hostile acts that at times struck Saudi territory and at other times targeted the territories of other Gulf states. Were it not for the stubborn pride that so often prevents such admissions, it might have rushed to apologize and acknowledged that it had failed to distinguish between neighboring countries that regard good neighborly relations as a sacred obligation and another state that occupies Palestinian land and sees no shame in targeting the territory of others. As for President Trump's own embarrassment, he will only feel it if he reflects on his actions since lending his ears to the hardline prime minister in Tel Aviv, or to those around him who share the Israeli government's inclinations.
It is true that the United States gained certain advantages from this war, but it could have achieved such gains without resorting to one. It could have used the many levers at its disposal to bring Iran to sign a binding agreement, rather than resorting to a war that was unnecessary, futile and unlikely to yield any meaningful return. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must surely be among the most distressed, seeing the American decision-maker lend one ear to the Gulf leaders, and perhaps both ears, after experiencing the consequences of listening only to Israel.
The Israeli government will certainly not despair. It will continue seeking to monopolize the American president's thinking, hoping to convince him that a return to war would benefit his country. At the same time, Trump's shifting positions make it necessary to remain cautious lest he surprise the region by reversing the response he announced to Gulf mediation. Iran, however, can prevent both him and the Israeli government from moving in that direction. That will only happen if Tehran stops provoking hostility with the Gulf and continually finding new ways to stir controversy over the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is not an Iranian strait, nor is it a passage through Iranian territory. It is a waterway with two shores, one of which is bordered by Oman, one of the six Gulf states.
These are political and geographical realities that Tehran seems to lose sight of in its pursuit of victory. Victory cannot come at the expense of neighboring states, because that is, in truth, aggression. If Iran does indeed find itself embarrassed in the way described here, and it surely must, then the least it could do is take steps toward rebuilding trust after the Gulf states had extended goodwill in all sincerity, only for the Iranian government to turn that goodwill into a target for its aim.

Iran’s Iraqi front
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 21/2026
Iran has used Iraq to carry out attacks on Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. It has also targeted areas near UAE nuclear facilities. Iraq, as an Iranian front, is a growing threat that is becoming an international issue and warning of a new regional reality that will require collective action to confront. Turkey’s arrest and handover of Mohammed Baqir al-Saadi, the Iranian commander of the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, who was transferred to a prison in New York, pushed the Iraqi government out of its silence as it tried to distance itself from what Iran is doing on Iraqi soil, without mentioning Tehran by name.This places Baghdad at the center of the crisis and puts threatened countries in the region in confrontation with Iran’s Iraq. The scope of the crisis includes the Gulf states, as well as Syria, Jordan and Israel, all of which now face a new reality created by Iran, just as it did in the Strait of Hormuz.
From a strategic perspective, the picture is becoming clearer. Tehran does not view Iraqi militias as temporary pressure tools for this war, but rather as part of its long-term security doctrine, which is based on projecting offensive depth beyond its borders.
Since the Iran-Iraq War, Iran has decided to move confrontation away from its own territory by creating local forces that are ideologically, financially and militarily tied to it. These forces then become advanced lines of attack and centers of political influence at the same time.
Iran is also destroying everything Iraqis have built, and are trying to build, including civilian governing institutions, public services, the private sector, and regional and international relations. This makes the Iraqi people, across all their communities, a natural ally against Iran’s overreach, not an adversary to be targeted with boycotts and sanctions.
The Iraqi case is that of a hybrid state, similar to Lebanon: the militia attacks, and the government disavows responsibility. The danger of the militias does not lie only in their possession of weapons, but in their transformation into a parallel structure to the state, with financial resources, political influence and partial legitimacy. Naturally, they have also gained the ability to shape or obstruct Iraq’s sovereign decision-making.
The Iraqi front has now been opened, with Iran activating its Iraqi militias to circumvent the truce. Washington has responded with two blades: one aimed at the Iraqi militias by pursuing their leaders, who believe they are untouchable, and another aimed at drying up their financial resources.
Mohammed Baqir al-Saadi, who was arrested, is one of the most important Iraqi figures and is accused of orchestrating terrorist operations across continents. He heads Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, one of Iran’s models for regional penetration: a local armed force loyal to Tehran. It resembles Hezbollah in Lebanon, but differs in that it took shape over a shorter period and funds itself through the state.
Iran’s penetration advanced on the back of Iraq’s fragile “institutional democratic” system, which enabled Tehran to secure a majority share of decision-making.
The other side of this new development is that Tehran’s activation of its Iraqi militias during the truce suggests it is determined to open a military front against its hostile surroundings, even if a peace agreement is reached to end the war with the United States and Israel. Tehran wants to return to the weapon of proxies, while raising the role of Iraq’s militias to compensate for its three major losses: the Assad regime, the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the collapse of Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
The post-war phase will be no less dangerous if US military operations stop, whether because of commitments under a possible agreement to end the war, or because the US administration wants to reduce its military activity in the region after securing a solution on nuclear enrichment that does not include an agreement on proxy weapons. The current war, involving Iran, the United States and Israel, has proven what was already expected: Lebanese and Iraqi militias are part of Iran’s transnational military system and deserve to be treated in the same way as nuclear enrichment.
Tehran has long been used to circumventing direct understandings by shifting escalation to proxy arenas. This makes the militia file an integral part of the regional security equation, not a separate issue.

Sudan… After Three Years of War
Dr. Jebril El-Abidi/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 21/2026
After three years of war, killing, displacement within Sudan, and exile beyond its borders, violence continues to rage across large parts of Darfur, the Kordofan region, and Blue Nile State. There is no near hope for the war to end. On the contrary, Sudan forced recruitment has become rampant, as have arbitrary arrests, massacres, sexual violence, exploitation, and abuse in the conflict zones, amid mutual accusations between the two warring sides- though most of these accusations are directed at the Rapid Support Forces and the territories under their control. Serving the interests of Sudan and its people requires Sudanese leaders to recognize that domination by force will not bring the stability sought by either political factions or the people. It will only end with the exclusion of the defeated side and its political exclusion.
It is natural for the Sudanese army to exercise control over the entirety of its national territory, but it is equally necessary for this army to represent the state in all its components. This issue could be addressed by integrating everyone willing to voluntarily leave the Rapid Support Forces into the Sudanese army, alongside efforts to restructure the army around a national doctrine that excludes no Sudanese component, provided that integration occurs on an individual basis. Otherwise, battalions within the army whose outward appearance is national military service could emerge, with their true loyalties remaining with commanders, tribes, or regions.
The staggering cost of war in Sudan began to accumulate in April 2023, and it has resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of millions, while millions more remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The scale of the suffering underscores the absolute necessity of stopping the machinery of war that has crushed all Sudanese people without exception. What remained of Sudan after the South’s secession is in turmoil: the price of a loaf of bread has become ten times higher because of shortages in flour and liquidity, to say nothing of the prevalence of looting, killing, rape, fear, and now thirst in a land through which two branches of the Nile flow: the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The brutal war in Sudan has displaced most of its children. According to a United Nations report, more than 58,000 children have arrived alone in neighboring countries after being separated from their families during their flight from the country. The report also contains horrifying figures: more than 21 million Sudanese are currently facing acute food insecurity, among them 6.3 million living under dire conditions. These terrifying numbers demand urgent efforts to stop the war.
To end the war, the Sudanese parties must sit down for negotiations instead of calling for the annihilation of one side or the other. There is no other path to a realistic solution to the crisis. Reintegrating members of the Rapid Support Forces into the Sudanese army would be one way to quell the chaos of arms and rebellion against the state. However, this cannot be achieved through the logic of one side annihilating the other in order to survive; it requires accepting negotiation and dialogue.
The Sudanese must choose the peace of the courageous. For this reason, returning to a peaceful and negotiated solution is essential to closing the chapter of war.
The humanitarian situation in Sudan cannot withstand further delays, as it is deteriorating rapidly. The country faces severe humanitarian crises involving food shortages and shelter for the displaced and homeless. The war also has repercussions for neighboring countries, which calls for regional and international action to put an end to it. Sudan will not be governed through domination, but through participation.
Today Sudan faces grave threats to the cohesion of its state, including fragmentation and disintegration, especially given the fertile ground for both. Among the factors feeding into this threat are the country’s numerous and heterogeneous ethnic groups, which threaten the cohesion of what remains of Sudan and may divide what is already divided. Some may even call for the return of the Darfur Sultanate, with its gold and oil, leaving poverty to the North. For this reason, sitting down to negotiate without seeking domination remains the solution: voluntary disarmament of the Rapid Support Forces and the integration of its forces into the Sudanese army on an individual basis, reparations for damages, and rebuilding what the war has destroyed.

Diplomacy and the military option
Zaid AlKami/Al Arabiya English/ 22 May ,2026
In US President Donald Trump’s announcement last Tuesday that he had halted the resumption of strikes on Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, the current phase appears to be an attempt to give diplomacy enough time to work. One of history’s lessons is that most battles are not settled by force alone. They almost always end with diplomacy and negotiations at the table.
That is why, in recent wars over the past 60 years, experience has shown that military force can exhaust an opponent, and may even change realities on the ground, but it cannot always impose political will. Trump’s announcement that he was halting the resumption of strikes on Iran therefore does not seem like hesitation to wage war as much as it appears to be an opening for mediators to reach a solution.
Wars are usually not just military operations. They open the door to possibilities whose outcomes cannot be controlled. That is why the decision to start a war is not the same as the decision to end one. What is harder than launching missiles is controlling their political, economic and security consequences. This is why Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Doha were operating in the most sensitive space: preventing an explosion before it happens, rather than simply trying to contain it after it erupts.
The visit by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Iran for the third time in one week is also evidence that highly sensitive negotiations are taking place. Despite the obstacles, they are continuing. US Vice President JD Vance’s statement that talks with Iran are making good progress, while also stressing Washington’s readiness to resume military operations if negotiations fail, reveals the nature of the current phase: military pressure on one side, and an open political door on the other.
Trump therefore understands that, despite his sometimes-sharp language, the region is not an arena that can be managed through the logic of “a quick strike, then withdrawal.” Halting the resumption of strikes does not appear to be a retreat as much as an acknowledgment that diplomacy must be given a chance before missiles return again.Amid this international movement, what has happened reveals the extent of the shift in the Saudi and Gulf role. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states are no longer merely arenas that absorb the consequences of international conflicts. They have become political actors trying to prevent those conflicts from exploding. Saudi Arabia, in particular, understands that regional stability is not only necessary and vital for the world, but also a strategic necessity tied to the economy, energy, development and the future of the entire region.
That is why betting on mediation was neither weakness nor complacency. It was a deep reading of the lessons of history, and a recognition that long wars drain everyone. Even the winner emerges burdened by losses. But the countries that manage to keep channels of dialogue open are often the ones that succeed in protecting their long-term interests. The world today is not in a phase that allows for open-ended wars without limits. The global economy and energy markets are more sensitive than ever, and any spark in the Gulf can send shockwaves to major capitals before it reaches the edges of the region. That is why diplomacy today appears to be more than just a political option. It is a tool to protect the world from a new wave of chaos.

Selected Face Book & X tweets for May 21/2026
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Arabs just don't abandon the tested-and-failed model of destroying Israel as a plan out of their misery.
Top pic shows Hezbollah tent city erected in downtown Beirut for its supporters who fled war in south Lebanon. Bottom pic shows an UNRWA camp for Palestinians who fled the 1948/49 Arab war on Israel.
If the Palestinian history is any guide, Lebanese tent city will become a permanent shanty town, known as Mukhayyam (Arabic for camp). Residents will suffer unemployment, poverty, and wait for the annihilation of Israel after which they think they will go back to their once splendid lives.
It's the same model. No reason to believe it will yield different results for the Lebanese than the Palestinians. Unless the Lebanese government manages to disband Hezbollah and ratify peace with Israel, Lebanon will follow in the footsteps of the Palestinian Authority that failed to disband Hamas and sign peace.