Iran, US, Lebanon and Israel in focus as diplomatic and military tensions rise

Published May 25, 2026, 07:22 GMT Last updated 23 minutes ago Reading time: 6 minutes

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are in Doha to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister to discuss the possibility of reaching a US-Iranian agreement to end the war.

Official Iranian media also reported on Monday that the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Abdolnaser Hemmati, traveled to Qatar, following talks he held with a Qatari delegation in Tehran regarding frozen Iranian funds. Iran is pressuring in negotiations for the release of its frozen funds.

An official source told Reuters, who is privy to the visit, that the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran is part of a delegation in Doha to discuss the possibility of releasing frozen Iranian funds as part of a potential final agreement between the United States and Iran.

Spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Baqaei, had stated on Monday that conclusions had been reached on many topics discussed in a potential memorandum of understanding with the United States, but this does not mean that Tehran is close to signing an agreement.

Ismail Baqaei said that there is currently no plan to send a delegation to Pakistan.

He added that Iran is negotiating to end the war and is not currently discussing nuclear issues, and reiterated that changes in the positions of American officials create problems for any agreement.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the potential memorandum of understanding does not include any specific details regarding the management of the strait.

He clarified that the management of the strait belongs to the coastal states, referring to Oman and Iran.

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Hussein Noushabadi, Director General of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Iranian Students' News Agency on Monday that Iran will discuss its nuclear program and highly enriched uranium with the United States if Washington fulfills its commitments in a potential memorandum of understanding being negotiated.

Tehran denied on Monday imposing transit fees for ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Tehran imposes fees for "maritime services" on ships crossing the strait.

Spokesperson for the ministry, Ismail Baqaei, said at a weekly press conference that "the services provided, which are maritime services in addition to the necessary measures to protect the environment of the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf, and the Sea of Oman, require the collection of certain fees," but he clarified that Iran "does not seek to collect transit fees."

An agreement to end the war with Iran could be reached "today"

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that an agreement to end the war with Iran could be reached "today," adding that Israel has the right to defend itself against any attack.

Rubio pointed out in New Delhi to the potential agreement, saying: "We thought we might receive some news last night, and perhaps today, but it should not be over-interpreted."

Rubio stressed that the United States will choose either to reach a good agreement with Iran or to deal with it "in another way," and that the United States will give diplomacy every possible chance to succeed before resorting to "alternatives."

He explained that "we have what I believe is a very solid agreement on the table regarding their ability to open the straits, and this agreement has significant support in the Gulf; every country we have negotiated with realizes that it is not only reasonable but the right thing for the world to achieve."

Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon is a "non-negotiable" demand

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In Lebanon, President Michel Aoun confirmed on Monday that Israel's withdrawal from the south of the country is a "non-negotiable" national demand, which the state will work to achieve through negotiations, hosted by Washington in early next month, as part of a new round.

In a statement coinciding with the 26th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, after nearly two decades of occupation, Aoun said that "the anniversary of liberation comes this year while Lebanon is groaning under the burden of a painful reality. Israeli aggressions have not stopped, and dear southern villages continue to groan under the burden of a renewed occupation."

He added, "Lebanon will not accept this reality and will not reconcile with it, and the path to full Israeli withdrawal will remain a constant national demand that cannot be compromised, which the Lebanese state is working to achieve through the option of negotiation."

The Lebanese President clarified that negotiation "will not be a concession or surrender, but rather an affirmation of Lebanon's exclusive right to protect its land and sovereignty and to extend its authority through its army and legitimate security forces, and thanks to the solidarity of its people and their support for its state, which has made fateful decisions in this direction that express a very important national will to restore full sovereignty."

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also said via his account on the X platform: "Let us make this year's anniversary of the Resistance and Liberation Day a day of solidarity with the families of martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, the displaced, and our steadfast people in the South and the front villages. As for the celebration, we will not regain it until after Israel's complete withdrawal from our land and the return of our people to it in safety and dignity."

The war extended to Lebanon starting March 2nd, following Hezbollah's launch of rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Israel responded with intense airstrikes and an invasion of border areas in southern Lebanon.

Aoun's statements come a day after criticism from Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem to the authorities, saying, "If this government is incapable of ensuring sovereignty, then it should leave," accusing the United States of "managing the joints of the state and controlling its policies."

Qassem reiterated his rejection of direct negotiations with Israel and the surrender of his weapons, which he considered as "genocide," addressing the authorities: "Do not be with them and stab us in the back."

The United States condemned what it described as "Hezbollah's reckless call to overthrow the democratically elected Lebanese government."

The US State Department said in a statement: "Hezbollah has ignored repeated calls from the legitimate Lebanese government to stop its attacks and respect the ceasefire. Instead of responding to those calls, Hezbollah continued to fire at Israeli positions."

Washington also affirmed its "firm" support for the Lebanese government, which "is working to restore its authority and build a better future for its people," and that the continuation of Hezbollah's threats "to commit acts of violence and overthrow the government" will not be allowed.

The statement added, "The era of holding an entire nation hostage by a terrorist group is coming to an end."

Militarily, the Israeli army announced on Monday the death of one of its soldiers in southern Lebanon on Sunday, bringing the number of its dead there since the outbreak of the war with Hezbollah on March 2nd to 23.

The army said in a statement that the 19-year-old soldier "fell in battle in southern Lebanon," without providing details.

Another soldier was seriously injured in the same incident, according to a separate post by the army on its Telegram account.

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