U.S. arms sales to Taiwan take years to process and are unrelated to the war with Iran, a source familiar with the matter ‌said, after a senior U.S. official suggested there was a pause due to ⁠the need to have enough arms for the conflict.

Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has been waiting for ‌the U.S. to approve an arms sale that Reuters has reported could be worth ‌up to $14 billion.

President Donald Trump sowed ‌uncertainty ⁠in Taipei by saying, after meeting China’s President ⁠Xi Jinping this month, that he was undecided on whether to approve the package.

– Reuters

Republicans struggled Thursday (May 21, 2026) to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.

The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Mr. Trump’s military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it.

A motorcade believed to be carrying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi upon his departure, as Pakistan prepares to host the U.S. and Iran for the second phase of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 26, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
| Photo Credit:
AKHTAR SOOMRO

Iran’s Foreign Minister headed to Russia on Sunday (April 26, 2026) as peace efforts between Tehran and Washington hung in the balance, following a flurry of regional diplomacy and the collapse of planned talks in Pakistan.

Abbas Araghchi visited Oman between trips to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad and is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin on Monday (April 27, 2026), according to the Iranian ambassador.

Also Read | Israel-Iran war updates on April 26, 2026

Iran, through ‌Pakistani mediators, gave the U.S. ⁠a new proposal ‌on the reopening ‌of ‌the ⁠Strait of Hormuz ⁠and the ending of ‌the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed ‌for a later stage, Axios ⁠reported on Sunday (April 26, 2026), ‌citing a U.S. official and two ‌sources with knowledge of the ⁠matter.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed the evolving regional situation.

“During their warm and cordial conversation that lasted fifty minutes, the two leaders had a detailed exchange of views on the current regional situation and ongoing efforts to promote peace and stability in the region,” the Prime Minister’s office said.

Also read: Shipping crisis exposes gaps in India’s maritime strategy

Attempts at ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran fell flat after Tehran’s top diplomat left Pakistan, and President Donald Trump’s envoys stayed away after he told them not to travel to Islamabad. Mr. Trump said there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing” but adding the war would not immediately resume.

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The U.S. naval forces intercepted an Iran-linked vessel in the Arabian Sea on Saturday (April 25, 2026), said the U.S. Central Command.

Taking to X, it said that the U.S. Department of Treasury has sanctioned M/V Sevan and 18 other “shadow fleet” vessels “for for activities related to transporting billions of dollars worth of Iranian energy, oil and gas products, including propane and butane, to foreign markets”.

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Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The success of peace talks between the United States and Iran depends on Washington avoiding “excessive demands” and “unlawful requests,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman said early on Sunday (April 12, 2026) after marathon talks in Islamabad.

“The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s legitimate rights and interests,” Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X.

He added that the two sides had discussed a range of issues including the strategic “Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, the lifting of sanctions, and the complete end of the war against Iran.”

– AFP

Iranian officials arrived in Pakistan for peace talks with the United States as Tehran insisted on a truce in Lebanon and unfreezing of its assets for the negotiations to go ahead.

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed meanwhile to have the Strait of Hormuz open “with or without” Iran’s cooperation and said his top priority at the Islamabad talks was to ensure the Islamic republic cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Mr. Trump has dispatched Vice President J.D. Vance to Pakistan to meet with the Iranians in a bid to reach a peace deal in the West Asia war following a two-week ceasefire that was agreed on Tuesday (April 7, 2026).

Mr. Vance warned Iran not to “play” Washington as he headed to Islamabad to represent the United States at the high-stakes meeting along with Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

– AFP

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said early ‌on Thursday it fired ⁠rockets at northern Israel in ‌its first attack against ‌the ‌country ⁠since ⁠the United States reached a two-week ceasefire ‌agreement with Iran.

Hezbollah said in a ‌statement that its attack came in response ⁠to what it ‌described as Israeli ceasefire violations, after Israel launched ‌its biggest attack on Lebanon in ⁠this war on Wednesday. 

-Reuters

People gather at the site of an airstrike, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, on March 12, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters