The United States attacked Iran for the first time since the start of the ceasefire on Monday night, while ensuring that a peace agreement was still possible. Tehran, for its part, promised a “much harsher” response.
The essentials
- ​​The war in Iranwas marked by new American strikes this Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the first since the ceasefire came into force. The United States says it acted in “self-defense […] in order to protect [leurs] troops against the threats posed by Iranian forces”. The strikes targeted “missile launch sites and Iranian boats which were attempting to lay mines”, according to the command center. Iran promised a “much more severe” response in the event of a new attack.
- Donald Trump also tried to force the Gulf countries to normalize their relations with Israel by calling on them to sign the Abraham Accords in gratitude for “all the work accomplished by the United States” in the region. He suggested that the absence of a signature could deteriorate relations between these countries and Washington. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, however, oppose this option considering that Israel is as much a threat as Iran.
- The Strait of Hormuz is still blocked by Iran. The Iranian regime, however, claims to authorize the transit of certain ships on which it imposes fees for “navigation services” and has denied wanting to introduce a toll. The US Secretary of State argued Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz “must be reopened” and will reopen “one way or another” because “what is happening there is illegal.”
- Negotiations to end the war in Iran continue despite American strikes, according to the United States. The American Secretary of State considers an agreement still possible, but warns that “it will take a few days”. Donald Trump repeated that there will be either an “excellent and significant agreement, or “no agreement” at all, but also calmed things down by calling on negotiators not to “rush.” The current draft agreement provides for an extension of the ceasefire by 60 days, a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of sanctions against Iran but does not deal with the nuclear issue postponed until later. The text only includes a “commitment” from Tehran to give up its stock of enriched uranium pending an agreement dedicated to nuclear power.
- The war between Israel and Lebanon continues despite the ceasefire. The Jewish state also intensified the offensive in Lebanon on Tuesday evening. Israel had announced earlier in the day that it wanted to “crush” Hezbollah after Donald Trump, according to Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirmed Israel’s “right” to fight in Lebanon. At the same time, negotiations are underway between Israeli and Lebanese delegations in Washington.
And directly
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21:33 – IDF orders the evacuation of more than 50 villages in less than 3 hours in southern Lebanon
As reportedThe Orient-The Dayover the last three hours, the Israeli army has ordered the evacuation of around fifty villages and localities located in southern Lebanon. This Tuesday evening, Israeli strikes increased on site.
19:35 – Netanyahu says Israel is carrying out operations with “significant ground forces” in southern Lebanon
Earlier in the evening, the Israeli army, the Tsahal, confirmed having extended its ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, beyond the “yellow line” that it itself established to demarcate the area it claims to control. In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the IDF was carrying out operations with “significant ground forces” in southern Lebanon and that the Israeli army was taking control of so-called “strategic” areas.
16:48 – Partial restoration of internet access in Iran
Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref announced on Tuesday May 26 that “the first step towards free and regulated access to the internet has been taken.” This reopening in particular “meets the expectations of the population”, he also wrote. “Real-time data shows a partial restoration of internet connectivity in Iran (…) after 2,093 hours of almost total isolation from international networks,” NetBlocks confirmed on X.
16:18 – Israeli attack kills 11 in eastern Lebanon
An Israeli strike targeting the town of Machghara, in eastern Lebanon on Monday left at least eleven dead, including two children and a woman, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday. The ministry clarified that this was a preliminary assessment, adding that “the rubble clearance operations continue. According to the provisional report, fifteen people were injured, including a child. Israel justified its attack by saying it was targeting Hezbollah targets.
15:09 – Iran calls for asset freezes in 14-point plan
Iran says it is working to finalize a 14-point plan for an agreement to end the war with the United States. In this plan, the Iranian regime would request the release of 24 billion dollars (or a little less than 21 billion euros) distributed among various Iranian funds frozen abroad, reports the Tasnim news agency. Iran wants the release of “half of these assets at the time of the announcement” of the protocol OK, specifies the press agency.
14:52 – “Iran will not leave any act of aggression unanswered” promises the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Iranian Foreign Ministry believes that the United States committed a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire after the American strikes carried out on the night of Monday to Tuesday in southern Iran. “The perpetration of these aggressive acts, at the same time as the ongoing diplomatic process under Pakistani mediation, has once again revealed the bad faith and perfidy of the American regime in the eyes of the Iranian people,” the ministry wrote in a press release. “Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not let any act of aggression go unanswered and it will not hesitate for a moment to defend its sovereignty,” he adds.
14:21 – Donald Trump defends “peace through strength”
On Truth Social, Donald Trump published an image generated by artificial intelligence showing him in a posture reminiscent of that of Uncle Sam and proclaiming “peace through strength”. The image echoes the latest declarations and actions of the American authorities: the strikes launched on Iran to push Tehran to conclude an agreement, but also its message aimed at strongly encouraging the countries of the Middle East to sign the Abraham Accords to normalize their ties with Israel.
11:32 – Negotiations can “obtain total destruction” of Iranian nuclear power according to Israeli ambassador
The United States and Israel want to ensure that Iran “never possesses a nuclear weapon” and this is one of the crucial and delicate issues of the negotiations. This Tuesday, the Israeli ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, affirmed on BFMTV that the Iranians “do not have a nuclear arsenal, but a certain residual capacity [pour] resume the nuclear program”. And according to him, the situation is favorable because “for the first time, the negotiations are being done in such a way that we can exert pressure on the Iranians to obtain the total destruction of their nuclear program and not allow it to be resumed”.
11:18 – Trump’s blackmail to push Gulf countries to reach an understanding with Israel
In addition to the American attacks against Iran, Donald Trump reserved another surprise for the countries of the region. On Truth Social, he estimated that after “all the work accomplished by the United States to try to bring together” the Gulf countries, “it should be obligatory for all these countries, at least, simultaneously, to sign the Abraham Accords”, the text launched by him during his first mandate aimed at normalizing relations between Arab countries and Israel. The president added that refusing to sign them would reflect “bad intentions”. A form of disguised threat, to warn the region against the potential end of American aid and defense in this explosive context of war in the Middle East.
For the moment the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Bahrain have signed these agreements, while Egypt and Jordan have peace agreements with Israel, but the other countries of the Middle East are not inclined to get closer to the Jewish state perceived as as threatening and bellicose as Iran because of the wars it leads to Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, but also its actions in the West Bank, the extremist drift of the government of Benyamin Netanyahu and the firm opposition to the consideration of the Palestinian people. “If the Israeli plan to start a war between us and Iran had succeeded, the region would have been plunged into ruin and destruction,” declared Turki Al-Fayal, former head of Saudi intelligence in a column published on May 9 on Arab News.
11:04 – Israel promises to “intensify” its strikes against Lebanon
Israel, for its part, is increasing its strikes in the south and east of Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that his country will “intensify” the offensive to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the truce in force since April 17.
10:50 – An agreement is still possible according to the American Secretary of State
A peace agreement between the United States and Iran was to be “imminent” according to assertions by American authorities made over the weekend. Negotiations, however, suffered a slowdown on Monday after the declarations of Donald Trump who called for “not to rush” and surely a new blow after the American attacks. This Tuesday, American Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured, however, that an agreement with Iran is still possible despite the recent strikes. “There were some discussions in Qatar today, so we will see if we can make progress. I think the discussions revolve a lot around the precise wording of the initial text, so it will take a few days,” he said.
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Learn more
The start of the war in Iran, launched by the United States and Israel
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a joint military strike operation on Iran. On the Israeli side, the operation is called “Roaring Lion”, on the American side “Epic Fury”. The objectives range from the overthrow of the regime to the weakening of the Iranian nuclear program, including the destruction of the military capabilities of the Islamic Republic, judged as a threat, in particular by Israel.
In addition to targeting the Iranian arsenal, the Israeli-American coalition will lead a campaign to eliminate Iranian leaders. A significant number of political figures from the regime were killed in the first hours of the conflict, including the supreme guide Ali Khamenei. His son Mojtaba Khamenei, who took over on March 8, 2026, was also targeted and his state of health will quickly become the subject of speculation.
Iran’s response and the contagion in Lebanon and the Middle East
From February 28, 2026, Iran responded to strikes by the United States and Israel, by launching hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel and towards American military bases in the Gulf, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
On the night of March 1 to 2, in response to the death of Ali Khamenei, Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, launched salvos of rockets and drones from Lebanon towards northern Israel. The Israeli army called this offensive an “official declaration of war” and launched a vast bombing campaign in Lebanon.
On March 2, 2026, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, instantly blocking numerous cargo and oil ships, and suspending a significant portion of global oil traffic. The International Energy Agency called the shutdown “the largest supply disruption in history.”
