Rubio says 'significant progress' made in Iran talks

Trump on Saturday said an agreement had been "largely negotiated."

Last Updated: May 24, 2026, 12:43 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal.

Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations are concluded "one way or the other."

May 20, 2026, 7:01 AM EDT

Israel monitoring talks, 'prepared for all scenarios,' official says

An Israeli military official told ABC News on Wednesday that the country is "monitoring closely the talks between the U.S. and Iran."

The Israel Defense Forces, the official said, "is in constant contact with our U.S. counterparts. The IDF has various operational plans and we are prepared for all scenarios."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti

May 20, 2026, 6:56 AM EDT

Xi, Putin condemn 'treacherous' strikes, urge end to Iran war

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, with the two leaders releasing a joint statement urging an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran as a matter of "utmost urgency."

"The sides agree that military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran breach international law and fundamental norms of international relations and seriously undermine stability in the Middle East," the joint statement published on the Kremlin website said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on May 20, 2026.
Maxim Shemetov/Pool Reuters via

The statement stressed "the need for a return as soon as possible of the conflicting parties to dialogue and negotiations aimed to prevent the conflict zone from spreading and urged the international community to maintain an objective and impartial position, to assist de-escalation, and to defend the fundamental norms of international relations together."

The two leaders also condemned what they called "treacherous military strikes against other countries, the hypocritical use of negotiations as cover for preparing such strikes, the assassination of leaders of sovereign states, the destabilization of the domestic political situation in these states and the provocation of regime change, and the brazen kidnapping of national leaders for trial."

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti

May 20, 2026, 5:07 AM EDT

IRGC says war will 'extend beyond the region' if fighting resumes

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement published on Wednesday that the "regional war will this time extend beyond the region" if U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran resume.

"Although they attacked us with the full capabilities of two of the most expensive armies in the world, we did not deploy all the capacities of the Islamic Revolution against them," the IRGC said in its statement, which was published by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

"We are men of war. You will witness our strength on the battlefield, not in hollow statements or virtual pages," the IRGC added.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti

May 20, 2026, 4:39 AM EDT

Iran preparing 'more surprises' if war resumes, Araghchi says

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post to social media on Tuesday that Tehran is preparing new military capabilities in the event that war with the U.S. and Israel resumes.

"With lessons learned and knowledge we gained, return to war will feature many more surprises," Araghchi said, referring to the first round of fighting which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

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