Tumps says only 'days' left for a deal, Iran promises 'surprises' if war resumes

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Britain said on Wednesday it had secured a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council worth $5 billion a year in the long run, deepening economic ties with allies in a region dealing with the fallout from the Iran war.

The deal with the GCC, which consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, comes after U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran in February triggering Iranian attacks on other countries in the region, putting strain on energy and food supplies.

"At a time of increased instability, today's announcement sends a clear signal of confidence - giving UK exporters the certainty they need to plan ahead, Britain's Trade Minister Peter Kyle said.

Read the full story here.

Iran has jailed a former goalkeeper for the national men's football team after he published earlier this year a post deeply critical of then-supreme leader Ali Khamenei, his wife said.

The Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary confirmed that Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri was under arrest but said he had been detained after seeking to illegally cross the border.

Read the full story here.

Greece's foreign ministry on Wednesday condemned Israel's far-right national security minister for apparently mocking activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla detained by Israeli forces.

"The conduct of the Israeli Minister of National Security, which targeted citizens participating in the "Global Sumud Flotilla," is unacceptable and absolutely condemnable," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement called on Israel to "immediately release" detained Greek citizens and said a formal protest had been lodged at the instruction of Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis.

Greek activists who were part of the flotilla of around 50 vessels aiming to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza have said 19 Greeks were detained in the operation.

Germany's ambassador to Israel on Wednesday labelled as "wholly unacceptable" far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir's treatment of detained activists on an intercepted Gaza-bound flotilla.

"It is good to hear many Israeli voices -- including the foreign minister -- call out in all clarity Minister Ben Gvir's treatment of the detainees for what it is: wholly unacceptable and incompatible with the basic values of our countries," Steffen Seibert wrote on X.

Canada's foreign minister slammed Israel on Wednesday over "deeply troubling and absolutely unacceptable" footage of detained activists from an intercepted Gaza-bound flotilla.

"I have directed my officials to summon the Israeli ambassador regarding the mistreatment of civilians aboard the flotilla. What we've seen, including the video shared by Itamar Ben Gvir, is deeply troubling and absolutely unacceptable," Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand said, referring to Israel's far-right national security chief.

Belgium will summon the Israeli ambassador over a "deeply disturbing" video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Wednesday, calling for their immediate release.

Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir posted the video showing the activists kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground, sparking international condemnation.

It was published after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla's vessels at sea and began detaining hundreds of foreign activists at the southern port of Ashdod.

"Belgian citizens are among those detained. This situation is unacceptable. It violates the most basic standards of human dignity. All detainees must be treated with dignity and released without delay," Prevot wrote on X.

The Belgian minister said he asked the Israeli envoy to Belgium be summoned "to express our indignation and ask for explanations".

He also criticised the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in Gaza, which "demands the full attention of the international community".

During the war in Gaza, the Palestinian territory suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.

British foreign minister Yvette Cooper on Wednesday said she was "truly appalled" by a video posted by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted.

In a statement on X, Cooper said Britain was in contact with the families of several British nationals involved and was providing consular support.

"We have demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities and made clear their obligations to protect the rights of our citizens and all those involved," Cooper said.

Spain's top diplomat on Wednesday condemned "monstrous" Israeli treatment of activists arrested from a Gaza aid flotilla and seen in a video shared by Israel's far-right national security minister.

"That treatment is monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in Berlin in a recording shared with the media, adding that Israel's charge d'affaires in Madrid had been summoned in protest.

Israel's army chief Lieutenant Colonel Eyal Zamir on Wednesday said the military was at its highest alert level, as Tehran and Washington traded threats of war.

"At this moment, the IDF (military) is on the highest level of alert and prepared for any development," Zamir said at a meeting of all division commanders, according to a statement issued by the military.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had earlier warned that the war would expand beyond the region if the US and Israel resumed attacks, after President Donald Trump said he would strike again unless Tehran agreed a peace deal.

Turkey on Wednesday slammed the Israeli government after one of its ministers posted a video showing activists on an intercepted Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling and with their hands tied.

The foreign ministry in Ankara said far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir "has once again openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mentality of the Netanyahu government".

The Netherlands will summon Israel's ambassador to address the "unacceptable" treatment of detained Gaza flotilla activists after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared a video showing dozens being forced to kneel with their hands bound, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on Wednesday.

"The images shared by extremist Minister Ben-Gvir of detained flotilla activists are shocking and unacceptable," Berendsen said in a post on X.

"This treatment of detainees violates basic human dignity. I raised this directly with my Israeli colleague Gideon Saar and will summon the Israeli ambassador."

Global oil prices fell more than five percent on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said the US is in the "final stages" of negotiations aimed at ending the Middle East war.

Intertional benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, shed 5.2 percent to $105.47 a barrel.

The main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, tumbled 5.0 percent to $98.94 a barrel.

Iran said negotiations with the United States are continuing through Pakistani mediation, according to remarks by Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei published on Tuesday.

Speaking to Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, Baghaei said talks between Tehran and Washington “are continuing through Pakistani mediators”, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.

“Basically, what we want is not a demand but our rights,” he said.

Baghaei added that Iran’s calls for the lifting of US sanctions were “part of our rights”.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned footage shared by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showing detained international activists bound and forced to kneel after Israeli forces intercepted Gaza-bound aid flotillas.

“The images of the Israeli minister Ben Gvir are unacceptable. It is inadmissible that these demonstrators, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment that violates human dignity,” Meloni wrote on social media.

The condemnation came as Italy announced it was summoning the Israeli ambassador over the incident, amid growing international criticism of Israel’s treatment of activists detained while attempting to reach Gaza.

Hamas has condemned footage released by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showing detained activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla bound and allegedly subjected to abuse following their interception by Israeli forces.

In a statement, the Palestinian group said the images reflected what it described as the "moral depravity" of Israel's leadership and its treatment of pro-Palestinian activists attempting to break the blockade on Gaza.

"We, in the Hamas Movement affirm that the scenes of torture and humiliation orchestrated by the criminal, fascist Zionist minister, [Itamar] Ben-Gvir, during the arrest of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, are an expression of the moral depravity and sadism that govern the mentality of the leaders of the criminal enemy entity [Israel]," the group said in a statement.

The comments came after Israeli forces intercepted another Gaza-bound flotilla vessel carrying international activists attempting to reach the besieged enclave.

Following Italy, France has summoned the Israeli ambassador to explain the reasons behind the abduction of over 400 activists on a Gaza-bound flotilla.

The flotilla sought to break a decades-long illegal blockade on Gaza by Israel.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that numerous Lebanese were killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon.

According to the agency, the Israeli army launched strikes on a number of homes in the town of Al-Duwair in the Nabatieh District, southern Lebanon, resulting in five killed, while an airstrike targeting the town of Tebnine near the government hospital killed two and wounded one.

The agency also reported that another person was killed in a strike that targeted a motorcycle on the Northern Burj-Tyre road.

Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Wednesday said the United States was seeking to restart the war and still hoped the Islamic Republic would surrender.

"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 in an audio message carried by Iranian media.

"Close monitoring of the situation in the United States reinforces the possibility that they still hope for the surrender of the Iranian nation," he said.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned Wednesday that the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz could "trigger a severe global food price crisis" in the coming months.

To read more details about the dreadful shocks ahead for the region and beyond, check out the article below:

UAE ADNOC Chief Executive Sultan Al Jaber announced that plans for a new pipeline designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz are progressing, and that the project is 50 per cent complete.

The UAE's current operational pipeline is the Habshan–Fujairah oil pipeline, which runs from the Habshan oilfields in southwestern Abu Dhabi to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.

The pipeline currently transports up to 1.8 million barrels per day. But the Fujairah oil hub has been struck by several drone attacks since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran. 

The new pipeline should double the total export capacity when operational.

Gaza's health ministry said that at least one person has been killed and 16 others injured by Israeli attacks across the coastal territory over the past day.

The health ministry says 881 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the supposed ceasefire in October 2025.

At least 72,773 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.

At least 26 ships—including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels—have passed through the Strait of Hormuz with the IRGC's coordination in the last 24 hours, the IRGC said in a statement to the press.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed the need to support negotiations as "the only way" to end the wars in the Middle East. This came during Abdelatty's discussions with his UK counterpart, Yvette Cooper, in London, where they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and exchanged views on the latest developments in the region.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Abdelatty met Cooper on Tuesday evening during Cooper's visit to London, as part of periodic consultations between the two countries. During the meeting, Abdelatty expressed appreciation for the development of Egyptian-British relations, stressing Cairo's desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Italy's government said on Wednesday that Israel's treatment of Flotilla activists trying to take aid to Gaza was unacceptable and that it would summon the Israeli ambassador for an explanation.

A strongly worded statement by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy "demands an apology for the treatment" of the activists and the "total disrespect" for the Italian government's requests. 

Israel had abducted more than 400 activists from international waters who were attempting to break an illegal decades-long blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to the ISNA news agency on if Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit New York in the coming days and participate in a UN Security Council session, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, "in light of China's presidency of the Security Council and its plan to hold a special meeting of foreign ministers on issues related to international peace and security, Iran's foreign minister was also invited to participate in the meeting."

The UAE has reportedly sent a message to Iraq urging it to 'immediately' prevent attacks originating from within its borders.

UAE has been one of the main states routinely hit by retaliatory drones and rockets during the course of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Further attacks were reported quite recently, too, including a hit that sparked a fire near the Barakah nuclear plant. 

It is believed that many of these attacks are coming from the north, from Iraq. 

In a written statement, Mojtaba Khamenei, the current Iranian supreme leader, has commemorated the second anniversary of the death of former President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, saying the country is putting up a "unique historical resistance against two global terrorist armies" in Israel and the US, the Fars News Agency reports. 

Khamenei said the war was making the burden on officials "heavier than before", adding that he was grateful for the "unity of the nation".

The head of the Iranian Parliamentary Media Centre, Iman Shamsayee, denied reports that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf had stepped down as head of the Iranian delegation negotiating with the United States.

He added that these allegations were "baseless and a clear lie," according to the Iranian Fars Agency.

According to the Israeli press, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Port of Ashdod, where activists abducted from the Gaza flotilla by the Israeli navy were held.

In footage released by the minister, he walks among the abducted activists—who are bound and blindfolded on the floor—yelling: "Welcome to Israel, we are the hosts here."

"They came with so much pride, look how they look now. Not heroes, not anything, terror supporters. I call on Netanyahu—give them to me for a very long time in the terrorists' prisons," he added.
 

ככה אנחנו מקבלים את תומכי הטרור

Welcome to Israel 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/7Hf8cAg7fC

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 20, 2026

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, the towns of Kafr Ra, Hariss, Haddatha, Aita al-Jabal, Barashit, Shaqra, Safad al-Bateekh, al-Jamajima, Majdal Silm, Touline, and Qabr Shikha were subjected to concentrated and heavy artillery shelling since morning, originating from the positions of the Israeli army inside the occupied Palestinian territories (Israel), and a huge explosion was also heard at dawn near the town of Rashaf.

In addition, an Israeli strike targeted the vicinity of Tebnine Governmental Hospital in southern Lebanon.

In a preliminary vote, 110 of the parliament's 120 lawmakers voted in favour of the bill, with 0 voting against.

It will now proceed to a committee before three more parliamentary readings.

Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has departed for Tehran to meet with officials in the Islamic Republic.

According to the report, Naqvi is visiting Iran for the second time in less than a week.

The Jordanian Armed Forces announced that they had shot down an unidentified drone that entered Jordan's airspace this morning, according to the national news agency.

The army said it downed the drone in the Jerash Governorate in the north of Jordan, without any casualties, and there was minor material damage.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Wednesday that the war will extend beyond the region if the United States and Israel resume attacks on the Islamic Republic.

"If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region, and our devastating blows will crush you," the Guards said in a statement on their website Sepah News.

The warning comes after US President Donald Trump said Washington could strike Iran again if no deal on a lasting settlement is reached in the coming days.

The two sides have escalated their threats while swapping proposals to end the war, which broke out when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on 28 February. A ceasefire has been in place since 8 April.

"The American-Zionist enemy... must know that despite the offensive carried out against us using the full capabilities of the world's two most expensive armies, we have not deployed the full power of the Islamic revolution," the Guards said.

The nearly 40-day war killed top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Tehran across the region.

On Tuesday, Trump set a deadline of several days to resume strikes if no deal is reached. He had said a day earlier that Gulf Arab leaders asked him to hold off on an attack at the 11th hour.

"I'm saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time," he said.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that a "return to war will feature many more surprises".

Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as one of the defining features of the war, with Tehran using disruption in the vital maritime passageway as leverage in negotiations with the United States. 

Despite the ceasefire announced in April, most international shipping has remained heavily restricted, with tankers delayed, rerouted, or forced to coordinate movement with Iranian authorities.

The strait, through which around 20% of global oil and gas supplies pass, has become a major point of contention in talks between Washington and Tehran. President Donald Trump has threatened a naval blockade on ships entering and leaving the passage, accusing Iran of using the waterway for "extortion".

"Probably has more value to the Iranians at the negotiation table than nuclear and military programs, and its proxy networks," Reza H. Akbari, Middle East and North Africa Programme Manager at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, told The New Arab.

“They’re using this as a strategic weapon to mobilise the conflict to impose costs and create divisions between regional neighbours and globally, which gives Iran a significant advantage.”

Iran is also facing mounting economic pressure after months of war and strikes on key industries. Nearly 90 percent of the country’s crude exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical economic lifeline for Tehran.

Read more below:

Lebanese Minister of Health, Rakan Nasser Al-Din, called on the international community to "move decisively to ensure the protection of health workers and facilities in Lebanon, in accordance with international law, and to support the continuity of basic health services throughout Lebanon."

He stressed that Lebanon is "committed to steadfastness, but in light of the continuation of the Israeli war, steadfastness alone is not enough without international solidarity."

While delivering Lebanon's speech during the 79th World Health Assembly, the Minister of Health "strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon," declaring that it "resulted in about 3,000 martyrs and more than 9,000 wounded," noting that what is worrying is that about 20% of the victims are women and children.

"These are not battlefield numbers, but rather the human cost of attacks that targeted communities, homes and daily life, in a pattern that truly reflects an extremely dangerous reality," he said.

He stressed that the systematic targeting of the health sector is no less dangerous than before. Since March 2 of this year, 116 healthcare workers have been killed by Israel while carrying out their duty to save others, 16 hospitals have been damaged, 147 ambulances have been attacked, and 45 primary healthcare centres have been forced to close.

"These losses constitute a clear and unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law, which requires the protection of health workers and health infrastructure at all times. Even more disturbing is that many of these violations occurred during what was described as a "ceasefire," a ceasefire that existed in name only but which Israel repeatedly failed to adhere to," the minister concluded.

Israeli media is reporting significant concerns that the Israeli army is facing manpower shortages.

According to the press, the head of the Israeli army's Planning Division and Manpower Director, Brigadier General Shay Tayeb, said during a Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee discussion regarding the draft exemption law that "we need about 12,000 soldiers, including about 7,500 combat soldiers. The need is primarily operational. We currently have about 32,000 draft dodgers, and more than 50,000 with Order 12 - those who have gone through the entire process, and unfortunately, a large portion of them will become draft dodgers very soon if they do not cooperate."

"We will reach the area of 80,000-90,000 draft dodgers very soon. This is a normative, legal problem," he warned. 

Israel's parliament is expected to vote on Wednesday on a bill to dissolve itself, potentially bringing the next national election forward by a few weeks, which surveys predict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will lose.

Read more on the link below:

European shares edged lower on Wednesday as investors remained cautious with war-driven inflation fears pressurising bonds, while markets kept a close watch on US-Iran negotiations.

The pan-European STOXX 600 dipped 0.2% to 610.37 points, as of 0701 GMT. Other regional bourses were also lower, with Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 down 0.2% each.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the war would be over "very quickly", while Vice President JD Vance talked up progress in talks with Tehran about an agreement to end hostilities.

Brent crude was at about $110 a barrel, while bonds remained under pressure as money markets anticipate at least two rate hikes from the European Central Bank before the end of the year.

France has no certainty at this stage that mines have been laid in the Strait of Hormuz, Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin said on Wednesday after US media reports that at least 10 mines had been identified in the area.

"At this moment, I have no certainty on the subject, but in any case, we are preparing for the necessity to potentially remove mines," Vautrin told France Info radio.

Demining ships were being sent to the region as part of a potential future Franco-British-led mission, and France has one based in Djibouti, she said.

The Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority announced on Sunday the launch of an integrated logistics corridor linking ports in Sharjah with Omani ports, most notably Sohar Port, via the emirate’s land crossings. 

The move has highlighted the corridor's potential as a viable alternative to the Strait of Hormuz amid war-related disruptions and ongoing geopolitical tensions affecting Gulf trade.

Read more on the link below:

South ‌Korean President Lee ‌Jae Myung on Wednesday said ⁠Israel had abductions of ⁠South Korean nationals who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, calling the action "way out of line".

In a cabinet meeting, Lee said Israel had abducted the South Korean citizens for reasons not valid under international law, questioning whether such actions could be allowed to pass without protest.

Lee said he believed many ‌European ⁠countries were willing ‌to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under International ⁠Criminal Court warrants, but that Seoul must make its own ‌judgment on the matter.

Throughout the night, Israel continued to pound southern Lebanon, killing at least 19 people.

The Israeli shelling persisted in the morning, with Hezbollah now telling the media it had struck a gathering of Israeli soldiers in Lebanon with a barrage of rockets.

Israeli authorities said late Tuesday that 430 activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were forced into Israel, after their vessels were abducted in international waters the day before.

"Another PR flotilla has come to an end. All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels and are making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives," a spokesman from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The goal of the Global Sumud Flotilla is to break Israel's decades-long illegal blockade on the Gaza Strip.

A South Korean oil tanker is currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the country's top diplomat said on Wednesday, marking the first transit by a South Korean vessel through the waterway since the Us-Israeli war on Iran began.

"At this very moment, our oil tanker is passing through the Strait of Hormuz," Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul.

"It is the first South Korea-flagged ship to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war began," a foreign ministry official told AFP.

Ship-tracking site MarineTraffic showed the South Korea-flagged tanker Universal Winner on the eastern side of the Strait of Hormuz near the entrance to the Gulf of Oman, bound for the southeastern South Korean city of Ulsan after departing Kuwait's Mina Al Ahmadi port.

The passage comes weeks after a South Korean-operated vessel was hit by airborne objects near the Strait of Hormuz, heightening concerns in Seoul over the safety of South Korean shipping in the region.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Wednesday, emergency services said.

It hit the Battalgazi district of Malatya province at 9 a.m., and the depth was 7 kilometres (4.3 miles), according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency.

There were no immediate reports of damage, but TV images showed schools being evacuated and residents rushing outside.

Turkey sits atop major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.

In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighbouring Syria.

China and Russia's leaders lauded on Wednesday the progress in their strategic ties, as they met in Beijing for talks, where Moscow is expected to push forward with a gas supply agreement that has been under negotiation for more than a decade.

President Xi Jinping welcomed President Vladimir Putin with an honour guard and a gun salute at the Great Hall of the People, as children waved Chinese and Russian flags. 

Coming on the heels of US President Donald Trump's visit to the Chinese capital, the optics and outcomes of the summit between the Chinese and Russian leaders will be closely watched.

Xi said the countries should focus on a long-term strategy and promote a "more just and reasonable" global governance system, according to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

"The reason China-Russia relations have reached this level is because we have been able to deepen political mutual trust and strategic cooperation," Xi said at the start of his meeting with Putin.

Putin said their relations were helping to ensure global stability and stressed that Russia remained a reliable energy supplier amid disruption in the Middle East caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

"The comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China in the new era is an example of international relations in the modern world," Putin told Xi.

Putin also invited Xi to visit Russia next year.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that US President Donald Trump has sent him more cologne from Trump's own fragrance line.

Sharaa's X account posted an image of two bottles of Trump's "Victory" cologne, along with a note that reads: "Ahmed, They're all talking about the picture we took when I gave you this great cologne — In case you ran out!"

Some meetings leave an impression; ours apparently left a fragrance.
Thank you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump, for your generosity and for topping up this precious gift. May the spirit of that meeting continue to shape a stronger relationship between Syria and the United States. pic.twitter.com/4rVXeYt8zs

— أحمد الشرع (@AH_AlSharaa) May 19, 2026

According to the New York Times,  Israel developed a plan to install former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's new leader after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials at the start of the US-Israel war against the Islamic Republic.

Ahmadinejad was reportedly consulted about the plan but became wary after being wounded in an Israeli strike in Tehran meant to spring him from house arrest, and has not been seen publicly since.

The newspaper added that though Ahmadinejad has feuded with senior regime figures, he has backed Iran's nuclear program, stressing that "to say he was an unusual choice would be a vast understatement."