Iran is playing for time:
Tehran feels “its hand is strengthening” and “time is on its side” because of its influence over the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was reviewing Washington’s latest response to a proposed ceasefire framework after several rounds of message exchanges mediated by Pakistan.
- President Trump again vows to retrieve Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, however, an Iranian official tells Al Jazeera that Tehran will “downblend” the nuclear material itself.
- President Trump says the US military may have to strike Iran “even harder” but will wait and see if a peace deal is reached after earlier saying an agreement is in the “final stages”.
- US Marines boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after suspecting it violated a US blockade as it headed to an Iranian port, but the vessel was later released.
- Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is in Iran aiming “to facilitate the exchange of messages and provide additional explanations to clarify the texts sent between the parties”.
- Iran’s chief negotiator says the United States wants to restart the war and is carrying out “overt and clandestine movements” that signal a new attack.
We are not threatening anyone with nuclear weapons, but we do have them — Alexander Lukashenko
‘We are showing our hand, we are showing that we can use it’ pic.twitter.com/BvkYmiXIHA
— RT (@RT_com) May 21, 2026
Iran’s near-total internet shutdown enters 83rd day
The near-total internet blackout in Iran has now “entered its 83rd day with international networks largely barred for over 1968 hours”, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks.
No Deal Reached, Amid ‘Fabricated’ Mideast Media Reports; Trump Presses Nuclear Issue & Iran President Says ‘Won’t Back Down’
…on and on it goes…
Summary
- Al Arabiya issues dramatic retraction on prior ‘deal reached’ reporting.
- Iranian president vows to not back down, as Trump still vows to get nuclear material.
- AI Arabiya TV obtains what it describes as final draft of US-lran agreement,
- Reuters reported that Ayatollah ordered that stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% remain strictly inside Iranian territory. Some Iranian officials then denied report to Al Jazeera.
- WH says make a deal or else… “they can face a punishment from our military the likes of which has not been seen in modern history.”
- US Intelligence says Iran has reconstitute drone program, defense industrial base, “faster than expected” (CNN).
Iranian President: Won’t Back Down
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated, “We will not bow our heads, our ministers and experts are working day and night, without a single day off.” He added, per state sources: “We are willing to sacrifice as much as possible for the honor and pride of Iran, and we are not afraid of martyrdom.”
And just like that… Continue reading President Trump again vows to retrieve Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium























