LiveLive Updates May 22, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeMay 22, 2026Updates17 minutes ago'Slight progress' in U.S.-Iran talks, tolling system in Hormuz 'unacceptable,' Rubio says United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council in NATO foreign ministers format in Helsingborg, on Friday. Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/ REUTERSUnited States Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council in NATO foreign ministers format in Helsingborg, on Friday. Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/ REUTERSU.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that "slight progress" had been made in talks with Iran to end the war. Rubio's comments, ahead of a NATO session in Helsingborg, Sweden, followed an earlier meeting on Friday between Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency. "Iran is trying to create a tolling system in the strait, and no nation should accept it," he said, adding that Tehran has recently been discussing with Oman the creation of a mechanism to collect payments from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, despite warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has demanded that Iran not charge vessels for passage. On Thursday, Rubio said that control over the Strait of Hormuz and the issue of Iran's uranium enrichment remain among the main points of contention in talks between the two countries. However, he added that there were positive signs in the negotiations. An Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday that no agreement had yet been reached, but that the gaps between the sides had narrowed.Saudi report: U.S. and Iran expected to reach draft interim agreement to end war, pending final approval from both sides; nuclear issue excluded from draftSaudi news channel Al Arabiya reported that the draft agreement taking shape between the United States and Iran includes an immediate, comprehensive and unconditional cease-fire across all arenas, according to unnamed sources familiar with the matter. The agreement also reportedly includes a commitment not to target military, civilian or economic infrastructure, alongside a halt to military operations and an end to the "media war" between the sides, but fails to include any reference to the nuclear issue. According to the report, the draft agreement emphasizes respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, as well as non-interference in their internal affairs. It also includes a guarantee to preserve freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.The proposed agreement reportedly also includes establishing a joint mechanism for oversight and dispute resolution, as well as opening negotiations on the remaining disputed issues within 7 days of the agreement taking effect.According to the sources, the agreement also includes a gradual lifting of U.S. sanctions in exchange for Iran's commitment to comply with its terms, alongside an emphasis on adherence to international law and the UN Charter.The sources added that the agreement between the United States and Iran would take effect immediately after an official announcement by both sides.Israel's envoy to Warsaw reprimanded over treatment of Gaza-bound flotilla activists, Polish FM says Israel's envoy to Warsaw was summoned to the Polish Foreign Ministry on Friday, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the meeting was held in light of "the appalling circumstances of the detention and treatment of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, including Polish citizens." During the meeting, the Israeli envoy received "an official note demanding that the rights and dignity of those detained be respected and that they be treated in accordance with international standards." The ministry added that Poland had demanded an investigation into the circumstances of the incident, the condemnation of those responsible and an official apology from the Israeli authorities. It also said that Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski had decided to request an entry ban on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the territory of the Republic of Poland over his conduct.1 hour agoIsrael Prison Service says treatment of flotilla activists was 'according to procedure'Gaza-bound flotilla activists crouch on the floor with their hands tied in zip-bands, on Wednesday. Credit: Screenshot/Itamar Ben-Gvir on XGaza-bound flotilla activists crouch on the floor with their hands tied in zip-bands, on Wednesday. Credit: Screenshot/Itamar Ben-Gvir on XThe Israel Prison Service said on Wednesday its personnel acted "according to procedure" in a video shared by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showing activists from the Gaza-bound flotilla receiving aggressive, humiliating treatment by security personnel.Ben-Gvir's video, published on Wednesday, drew widespread international condemnation, and even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disavowed the actions, but the IPS stood behind its conduct. "Upon receiving the detainees, the prison guards were required to act to maintain order and security at the site. All actions were carried out in accordance with procedures and professional considerations," the prison service said.Read the full articleUKMTO says it received a report of an incident north of Yemen's SocotraUnited Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations has received a report of an incident 98 nautical miles north of Socotra in the Indian Ocean. The ship's security officer has confirmed that a small craft approached the vessel with five persons on board. The vessels' Armed Security Team fired warning shots at the small craft, which forced them to alter course. IDF: Two possible drone infiltrations on Lebanese borderSirens sounded twice in the northern Israeli community of Rosh Hanikra, on the Lebanese border, after two possible drone infiltrations were detected in the last hour, the IDF said."A suspicious aerial target was identified, with whom contact was lost prior to crossing into Israeli territory," the IDF said about both incidents. No injuries were reported.Report: Iran discussed partnering with Oman to toll ships in HormuzVessels sail through the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, on Wednesday. Credit: Stringer/ REUTERSVessels sail through the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, on Wednesday. Credit: Stringer/ REUTERSIran has suggested it may work with Oman, a U.S. ally in the Gulf, to toll vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, The New York Times reported on Thursday.Since the United States and Israel launched the war on Iran in late February, commercial traffic in the critical waterway has ground to a near halt, affecting the global economy and energy prices.U.S. President Donald Trump previously suggested his country may impose tolls in the Strait, or that the revenue could be shared. He later dismissed the idea. "We don't want tolls... It's an international waterway," Trump said on Thursday at the White House.In the NewsNYT, Kristoff Defend Column on Sexual Assault of Palestinians by IsraelisWhy Zionist Radicals Yearned to Be Hanged by the BritishA Mayor Took on the 'Mafia' Choking Israel's Arab Towns – and Nearly Died for It'In Germany I Became More Calculated. 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