US-Iran war news LIVE updates: The war between the US, backed by Israel, and Iran began on February 28.US-Iran war news LIVE: A 72-hour diplomatic ultimatum has locked Washington and Tehran into a high-stakes standoff. US President Donald Trump gave Iranian negotiators a window of “two to three days” to finalise a peace treaty to end the war on the West Asian country. “We're going to end that war very quickly,” Trump said. “They want to make a deal so badly. You are going to see oil prices plummet. They're going to come down. There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down,” he added. US vice president JD Vance said both negotiating teams already made a “lot of progress” towards an agreement.Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the country had drawn lessons from previous confrontations and warned that “a return to war will feature many more surprises”. Israel-Lebanon updates Nine people were killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon amid a ceasefire, according to reports. Israeli bombardment in Lebanon have killed 3,042 people since March 2. Israel captures ship taking aid to Gaza The Israeli genocide in Gaza continues to rage on. On Tuesday, Israeli forces captured another vessel linked to the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla. This was the 61st boat stopped so far. The flotilla campaign, aimed at challenging restrictions around Gaza and delivering food, medication and necessities to the people at the war-torn strip. ...Read MoreIran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the country had drawn lessons from previous confrontations and warned that “a return to war will feature many more surprises”. Israel-Lebanon updates Nine people were killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon amid a ceasefire, according to reports. Israeli bombardment in Lebanon have killed 3,042 people since March 2. Israel captures ship taking aid to Gaza The Israeli genocide in Gaza continues to rage on. On Tuesday, Israeli forces captured another vessel linked to the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla. This was the 61st boat stopped so far. The flotilla campaign, aimed at challenging restrictions around Gaza and delivering food, medication and necessities to the people at the war-torn strip. Follow all the updates here:May 20, 2026 7:39:30 AM ISTUS Iran news LIVE: US President Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance offered fresh insights into Washington’s approach to the ongoing war on Iran.Trump said he had been close to authorising new strikes on Iran before delaying the operation at the request of Gulf nations. “I was an hour away; we were all set to go,” he told reporters. “It would’ve been happening right now.”He also said the pause in planned attacks would be temporary as negotiators work towards a possible peace deal. Trump added that he believes the US war on Iran is popular and said that even if it is not, preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is a worthwhile mission.Vance told reporters he was “not certain” about the prospects for a deal with Iran but that he felt good enough about the chances that he was continuing to work towards an agreement.The US vice president said he continued to see fractures within Iran’s leadership and that Tehran’s negotiating position remains unclear. May 20, 2026 7:28:42 AM ISTUS Iran news LIVE: All 77 ships taking part in the latest Gaza flotilla mission have now been captured by Israeli forces. The interceptions began on Monday and continued for more than a day. Israeli naval forces reportedly boarded the vessels and detained hundreds of international crew members.The flotilla wrote on X, “All boats have been intercepted. We are awaiting more information about their illegal abduction. For Palestine We Won’t Stop.”May 20, 2026 7:14:33 AM ISTUS Iran news LIVE: Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “closer and stronger strategic coordination” between Beijing and Moscow during a meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov last month.Xi said both countries must “firmly defend their legitimate interests and safeguard the unity of Global South countries”. While the official readout did not mention the US-Israeli war on Iran, the remarks appeared to allude to concerns surrounding the Strait of Hormuz crisis. Following the April 15 meeting, Lavrov said Russia could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as shipping disruptions continue in the strait.May 20, 2026 7:03:07 AM ISTUS Iran news LIVE: Russia says it is ready to “extend a helping hand” in negotiations between the US and Iran if requested, according to Deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov.Speaking to TASS, Ryabkov said Moscow is prepared to provide “all possible assistance” but “does not intend to impose” its services. He said that Russia remains “committed to finding solutions exclusively through political and diplomatic channels” and welcomed renewed dialogue between Washington and Tehran. He also praised the “active role of the Pakistani side in stabilising the situation”.May 20, 2026 6:34:28 AM ISTUS-Iran war news LIVE: Tensions with Iran will soon ease, US President Donald Trump has said. "We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly,” he told reporters. He also predicted a sharp fall in global oil prices: “You are going to see oil prices plummet. They're going to come down. There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down”.