- 5m ago(00:45 GMT)
US says no change in position on sanctions against UN’s Francesca Albanese
The US has denied that the cancellation of sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian Territories, constitutes a change government policy.
On Thursday, the US Department of State clarified that the administration of President Donald Trump only removed Albanese from a sanctions list due to a recent court ruling.
“The Government has appealed the court’s order,” the State Department added in its statement, before reaffirming its intention to return Albanese to the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) due to her work on Palestine.
You can read more here.
Francesca Albanese, a UN special rapporteur, attends a news conference in March, 2026 [File: Denis Balibouse/Reuters] - 20m ago(00:30 GMT)
Current talks between the US, Iran paving way for serious negotiations: Analyst
Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to US President Ronald Reagan, told Al Jazeera that what is taking place now between Iran and the US is not a peace agreement but instead a ceasefire leading to serious negotiations.
“The hope here is to get both parties to step away from the prospect of more war, and then to sit down and do the very hard work of the details of any kind of an agreement,” Bandown said.
“It sounds like progress, but of course, we’ve had both parties in the past suggesting progress as approaching,” he said.
Consequently, he cautioned: “So I’m kind of cautiously optimistic, but recognising there are still major hurdles to overcome.”
- 35m ago(00:15 GMT)
Israeli artillery hits areas in western Deraa, Syria
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports that Israeli forces have targeted an area between the villages of Maariya and Abdeen in the Yarmouk Basin, located in the western countryside of Syria’s Deraa province.
The Israeli artillery bombardment hit agricultural lands and forested areas on the western outskirts of the region, SANA reports.
There is currently no information regarding casualties, it added.
Advertisement - 43m ago(00:07 GMT)
WATCH: Aid flotilla activist recounts violent Israeli treatment in detention
Catriona Graham, a flotilla activist who was seen being shoved to the ground by Israeli forces in a video shared by Israel’s far-right minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has spoken to Al Jazeera after her release from Israeli detention.
Graham says that after she was kidnapped in international waters, it became clear Israeli forces were “extremely ready to escalate” their violence against the aid activists.
Al Jazeera spoke to Graham from Istanbul after her deportation.
- 47m ago(00:03 GMT)
A recap of recent developments
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says there are “some good signs” as mediated peace talks with Iran are progressing, but added that US President Donald Trump has made clear “other options” are available if a deal is not reached.
- Abducted Gaza aid flotilla activists deported from Israel have arrived in Istanbul and recounted experiencing physical abuse after being detained by Israeli forces in international waters.
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said 31 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz in a 24-hour period under the “coordination” of its forces.
- An Israeli attack on an ambulance centre in southern Lebanon killed four people after a day of attacks by Israel in the south of the country that left more than 20 dead.
- Hezbollah has described new US sanctions on nine individuals as a “badge of honour”.
The shoe of an Iranian student who was killed in the US-Israeli strike on the Minab school in February, as seen in Minab, Iran, on May 21, 2026 [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters] - 50m ago(00:00 GMT)
Welcome
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran, as well as Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
Stay with us for the latest news and analyses from across the Middle East and beyond.
You can find our updates from Thursday, May 21, here.
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of al-Ḥaniyya on Thursday [Kawant Haju/AFP]
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Iran war live: Signs of progress amid efforts to reach US-Iran peace deal
A new opinion poll in the US suggests that 60 percent of Americans now oppose President Donald Trump’s war on Iran.
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This video may contain light patterns or images that could trigger seizures or cause discomfort for people with visual sensitivities.
Al Jazeera Live
Published On 22 May 2026
- Iran’s ISNA news agency says mediated discussions between Tehran and Washington are ongoing, with the two sides exchanging messages and draft texts in an effort to establish a formal framework for an agreement to end the conflict.
- Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tehran reports that Pakistani officials are engaged in “intense mediation activity”, while a senior Iranian official said a deal was close, though a second Iranian source said it was too early to say whether a final agreement could be reached.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier on Thursday there were “some good signs” for a deal as US President Donald Trump warned of “very drastic” action if Iran does not give up its uranium stockpiles.
- Israel said it deported all foreign activists involved in the Gaza aid flotilla. The move follows a global outcry over the brutal treatment of the activists by Israeli forces and Israel’s ultra-nationalist Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
- Israel continued its deadly bombardment of southern Lebanon as the Lebanese Health Ministry expressed outrage after Israeli forces attacked a government hospital, injuring nine people, including several staff members.
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