Rubio hails ‘good signs’ in peace talks as Tehran says gaps are narrowingYour support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has hailed “good signs” emerging from peace talks between Washington and Tehran, as the search for an elusive deal continues.
“There’s some good signs,” Mr Rubio told reporters. “I don’t want to be overly optimistic… So, let’s see what happens over the next few days.”
A senior Iranian source said no deal has been reached but the gaps in positions between the two sides has narrowed.
Iran’s uranium enrichment and Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz remain among the sticking points, the source told Reuters news agency.
Mr Rubio warned that Iran’s desire to impose a toll on ships passing through the strait was acting as a blockade to a potential peace agreement.
“No one in the world is in favour of the tolling system. It can’t happen. It would be unacceptable,” he said.
“It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it’s a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it’s completely illegal.”
Meanwhile, fresh US intelligence has found that Iran is rebuilding its military industrial base much faster than expected, US sources told CNN.
US military says forces remain at ‘peak readiness’ in Middle East
The US Central Command has shared visuals of fighter jets launching from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
It said the carrier strike group remains at “peak readiness” as Washington enforces its blockade against Iranian ports amid escalating tensions with Tehran.
Shweta Sharma22 May 2026 05:45
Israel’s military says it killed two people in Lebanon
The Israeli military said it killed two people in southern Lebanon in an air strike after detecting what it described as “suspicious movement” near the border with Israel.
In a post on X, the army said the individuals were identified several hundred metres from the border and claimed they were armed.
The strike comes amid continued Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, where at least 20 people were reported killed on Thursday.
Shweta Sharma22 May 2026 05:26
Oil prices rise over Iran deal deadlock
Oil prices rose amid growing scepticism over a breakthrough in US-Iran talks, with the two sides remaining deadlocked over Tehran’s uranium stockpile and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude climbed $2.38, or 2.3 per cent, to $104.96 a barrel by 00.34 GMT on Friday, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained $1.73, or 1.8 per cent, to $98.08 a barrel.
The gains came after both benchmarks fell about 2 per cent on Thursday, hitting their lowest levels in nearly two weeks.
Shweta Sharma22 May 2026 04:55
Top US navy official confirms $14bn arms sale to Taiwan paused due to Iran war
Acting US navy secretary Hung Cao has said that the US is pausing the $14bn arms sale to Taiwan due to the war in Iran.
Speaking during a Senate Appropriations Defence Subcommittee hearing, Cao said that the US had “plenty” of missiles and interceptors, but the sales are being paused.
“Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury — which we have plenty,” Cao said in response to a question by senator Mitch McConnell.
US acting secretary of the navy Hung Cao speaks during a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing regarding the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Future Years Defense Program, on Capitol Hill in Washington (Reuters)
“We’re just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.”
When asked if he expects the sale to be approved at some point, Cao said the decision would depend on defence secretary Pete Hegseth and the secretary of state Marco Rubio.
“Yeah, that’s what’s really distressing,” McConnell replied.
Cao’s remarks were in contradiction to president Trump’s reason for a possible pause after he said that he may hold off the sales of arms to Taiwan as a “negotiating chip” with China.
“I haven’t approved it yet. We’re going to see what happens,” Trump told Fox News. “I may do it; I may not do it.”
Shweta Sharma22 May 2026 04:45
Republicans scrap vote on Iran war resolution
Republicans on Thursday struggled to secure enough votes to block legislation that would force president Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, prompting House leaders to delay a planned vote until June.
The Democratic-led war powers resolution aimed to curb Trump’s military campaign, which began more than two months ago without congressional approval.
But Republican leaders pulled the vote after concerns emerged that they lacked the numbers to defeat the measure.
“We had the votes without question and they knew it, and as a result they’re playing a political game,” Democratic representative Gregory Meeks, who sponsored the bill, said.
The delay underscored growing unease within Congress over Trump’s handling of the conflict, with some rank-and-file Republicans increasingly willing to break with the president.
Senate Republicans are also scrambling to shore up support ahead of a separate war powers vote after four GOP senators backed the measure earlier this week.
Shweta Sharma22 May 2026 04:26
‘It would be unnacceptable’: Rubio on Iranian proposals for a toll system in Strait of Hormuz
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Iranian attempts to collect tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz were blocking a potential peace deal.
“No one in the world is in favor of the tolling system. It can’t happen. It would be unacceptable. It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it’s a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it’s completely illegal,” Rubio told reporters.
He also told reporters there had been some progress in talks with Tehran to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, but that Washington was dealing with “a system that itself is a little fractured.”
“There’s some good signs,” the secretary of state said. “I don’t want to be overly optimistic… So, let’s see what happens over the next few days.”
Shweta Sharma22 May 2026 04:10
Briefing: What is the latest on the US-Israel war on Iran
• US-Iran talks showed “some good signs,” according to secretary of state Marco Rubio, but major disagreements remain over Tehran’s uranium stockpile and control of the Strait of Hormuz. “There’s some good signs,” Rubio said. “I don’t want to be overly optimistic … So, let’s see what happens over the next few days.”
• President Donald Trump said the US would eventually seize and likely destroy Iran’s highly enriched uranium, insisting Washington will not allow Tehran to retain it. “We want it open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls,” he said. “It’s an international waterway.”
• Iranian officials said that no deal has been reached yet, though negotiation gaps have narrowed.
• Trump also warned he is prepared to resume strikes on Iran if talks fail, while criticising any attempt by Tehran to impose fees on the strategic global shipping route.
Shweta Sharma22 May 2026 04:03