A man collects his family's belongings from the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike the previous day in the southern village of Maarakeh, Lebanon on May 17, 2026 [Mustafa Jamalddine/AP Photo]By Elizabeth Melimopoulos and AFPPublished On 19 May 202619 May 2026
United States President Donald Trump said he postponed a planned attack on Iran after requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, adding that “serious negotiations are now taking place” behind the scenes.
The comments suggest renewed diplomatic efforts are under way amid weeks of escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Tehran’s participation in talks while rejecting suggestions that the country was backing down under pressure. “Dialogue does not mean surrender,” he said, adding that Iran had entered negotiations “with dignity, authority, and the preservation of the nation’s rights”.
Meanwhile, there is no letup in Israeli attacks on Lebanon as the death toll crossed 3,000, with at least seven people reported killed on Monday, according to local reports, despite a US-brokered extension of the “ceasefire”.
