US president Donald Trump has called off fresh strikes planned for Tuesday at the request of Gulf allies, as a peace deal gets “very close”. “I've put it off for a little while, hopefully maybe forever, but possibly for a little while, because we've had very big discussions with Iran, and we'll see what they amount to. I was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and some others,” he said in a post on Truth Social. “If we could put it off for two or three days, a short period of time, because they think that they are getting very close to making a deal,” Trump added. The president did not offer details about the planned attack but said but he instructed the US military “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”It comes after Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran is continuing to “pursue diplomacy with seriousness," but that the Islamic Republic "will not be subdued by contradictory behavior and threats from the opposing side.”US extends sanctions waiver on Russian oilUS treasury secretary Scott Bessent has announced another 30-day extension of a sanctions waiver allowing purchases of Russian seaborne oil to aid “energy-vulnerable” countries hit by the Iran war.Bessent said that the treasury was issuing the 30-day general license after a previous waiver lapsed on Saturday, reversing plans not to grant an extension.This will allow temporary access to Russian oil and petroleum products stranded on tankers without violating severe US sanctions on Russian oil majors, he said.The second waiver extension was requested by poor and vulnerable countries that cannot get Gulf oil shipments due to the US-Israeli war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the decision told Reuters.“This extension will provide additional flexibility, and we will work with these nations to provide specific licenses as needed,” Bessent said. “This general license will help stabilize the physical crude market and ensure oil reaches the most energy-vulnerable countries.” Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 06:45‘Are you people crazy?’: Trump blasts Iran for sending peace proposalDonald Trump has accused Iran of derailing efforts to end the war by sending a peace proposal with “no relationship” to the deal being discussed between the two countries.The US president said Tehran was “dying to sign a deal” even as both sides appeared to have reached an impasse on key issues, including the abandonment of Iran’s nuclear programme.“They scream all the time,” he told Fortune ahead of his trip to China last week. “I can tell you one thing – they’re dying to sign [a deal]. But they make a deal, and then they send you a paper that has no relationship to the deal you made. I say, ‘Are you people crazy?’”More here.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 06:30World ‘sleepwalking into food crisis’, warns CooperForeign secretary Yvette Cooper will warn that Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could result in tens of millions going hungry as she hosts a major aid summit today.In a speech in London, she is expected to say the world is “sleepwalking into a global food crisis” as the Hormuz blockade disrupts global supplies of fertiliser.The disruption comes at a crucial time for world agriculture, with Ms Cooper set to warn that fertiliser needs to begin moving through the strait within weeks to avert a crisis.Markets are already pricing in weaker harvests and the World Food Programme estimating 45 million people could fall into acute food insecurity if the conflict does not end by the middle of the year.Cooper is expected to say: “We cannot risk tens of millions of people going hungry because one country has hijacked an international shipping lane.“Iran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz while the agriculture clock is ticking shows why we need urgent global pressure to get the strait reopened, fertiliser and fuel moving and ease the cost of living pressures.” Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 06:20Iran launches new body to manage HormuzIran's top security body has announced the formation of a new body to manage the Strait of Hormuz.Iran's Supreme National Security Council on X claimed that it would provide "real-time updates on the #Hormuz_Strait operations and latest developments".Iran has largely blocked shipping through the vital strait since the US and Israel attacked Tehran on 28 February. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 8 April. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 06:11Israel built two covert military bases in Iraqi desert to support Iran strikes - reportIsrael built and operated two covert military bases in Iraq to support its strikes on Iran, according to a new report.Previous reports by the Wall Street Journal said that Israel had spent over a year building a makeshift base in Iraq’s western desert to aid its attacks on Iran in the 12-day war in June 2025.But senior Iraqi officials have now confirmed the existence of a second base, whose precise location is undisclosed but is also reported to be in the Iraqi desert.More here.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 05:55Iran MP warns of 'severe' response to new attacksThe spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has claimed that Iran would respond “more severely” to any new attack on the country.Ebrahim Rezaei added that Tehran was prepared for “all scenarios" after US president Donald Trump claimed he called off an attack on Iran following requests from his Gulf allies.“Any new aggression will bring greater humiliation for Trump, and the Strait of Hormuz will never return to its previous state. No power will be able to reopen it without our consent,” Rezaei said. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 05:45Is it safe to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi?After a reported drone strike near a nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), many holidaymakers still have concerns over travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.The temporary closure of Middle Eastern airspace in March grounded flights and severely disrupted travel to the UAE after a series of strikes across the country.Flights from the UAE to the UK are gradually resuming, meaning that Britons now have more commercial options to leave the country.More here.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 05:35Pakistan deploys jet squadron, thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia during Iran warPakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping up military cooperation with Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in the Iran war.The deployment was confirmed by three security officials and two government sources, all of whom described it as a substantial, combat-capable force intended to support Saudi Arabia's military if the kingdom comes under further attack.The full terms of the defence agreement, signed last year, are confidential, but both sides have said it requires Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to come to each other's defence in the event of an attack.Defence minister Khawaja Asif has previously implied that it places Saudi Arabia under Pakistan's nuclear umbrella.Sources told Reuters that Pakistan has deployed a full squadron of around 16 aircraft, mostly JF-17 fighters made jointly with China, which were sent to Saudi Arabia in early April. Two of the security officials said Pakistan had also sent two squadrons of drones. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 05:25Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish weapons in YemenSupporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish weapons and copies of the Quran as they rally in solidarity with Lebanon in Sanaa on May 18, 2026 (AFP/Getty)Supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish weapons and copies of the Quran as they rally in solidarity with Lebanon in Sanaa on May 18, 2026 (AFP/Getty)Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 05:10Iran warns it is ready to 'pull the trigger' should Trump attack againIran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, has warned that its armed forces were "ready to pull the trigger" in the event of any renewed US attack, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency."Any renewed aggression and invasion ... will be responded to quickly, decisively, powerfully, and extensively," the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, Ali Abdollahi, was quoted as saying.The statement comes after president Donald Trump said yesterday that he had paused a planned attack against Iran after Tehran sent a peace proposal to Washington, and that there was now a "very good chance" of reaching a deal limiting Iran's nuclear program.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 May 2026 04:50