95 resultsfor “Middle East tensions Israel Iran”
tensions by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their numerous actions in violating the ceasefire have added to suspicions about the motivation and seriousness of the American side in the path of diplomacy
tensions in the Gulf. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, accused Washington of pursuing a policy of “maximum pressure” and expecting Iran to submit to unilateral demands. Here is what we know: ## In Iran - ****US pauses
Tensions in the Gulf have spiralled this week after the United States and Iran both claimed to have fired on and damaged each other’s ships despite a ceasefire in the [US-Israel
tensions escalated in the Strait of Hormuz](/news/2026/4/22/iran-calls-us-ship-seizure-piracy-is-it). ### Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Ghalibaf, 64, has served as Iran’s parliamentary speaker since 2020. He was commander of the IRGC air force from
tensions in the Middle East have unsettled markets, dimming hopes for an end to the months-long war that has pushed commodities higher and stoked inflation worries. Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.9% while the tech
Middle East conflict](https://www.npr.org/series/1205445976/middle-east-crisis) ### [Trump says the U.S. will 'guide' stranded ships from the Strait of Hormuz](https://www.npr.org/2026/05/03/nx-s1-5809536/trump-strait-hormuz) It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking
tensions surged following the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran on February 28. Hezbollah entered the war by launching rockets, missiles and drones towards a missile defence site near Haifa in northern Israel
tensions over Iran war](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/13/nx-s1-5780996/pope-leo-begins-tour-across-africa-row-with-trump-iran-war) Vice President Vance, who is Catholic, also weighed in on the controversy on Tuesday night, [saying](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDxDdmuJ0Mg) the pope should "be careful when he talks about
tensions over the past two days. The first round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad on April 11 ended without a breakthrough. Since then, the US has imposed a naval blockade on all Iran-linked
tensions was Washington’s rejection of an Iranian [peace proposal](/news/2026/5/10/iran-sends-response-to-us-proposal-to-end-war-via-mediator-pakistan) delivered through Pakistan on Sunday. Iranian state media said Tehran’s terms included US war reparations, full Iranian sovereignty over the [Strait of Hormuz
Middle East. ## In depth: ‘Extreme, hateful, violent attitudes have become normalised’  Protesters yesterday gathered to heckle Keir Starmer near the site of the Golders
Middle East, as Iran accused the US of breaching the increasingly fragile ceasefire announced last month. In recent days there have been the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the contested strait
Israel, called Harbu Darbu (slang borrowed from Syrian Arabic which, in Hebrew, means to rain hell on an opponent). The Basij he is pretending to shoot is a paramilitary organisation that is known
tensions between the longtime adversaries. ## What has the US said? On Sunday, Trump announced that US negotiators would travel to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Monday for talks aimed at ending the US-Israel
Middle East. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images As the week draws to a close, Donald Trump has insisted once again [Iran](https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran) is “pretty close” to signing a peace agreement with the US, which