Iran threatens 'new surprises' for Trump if attacked again as peace efforts stall

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Iran-US war latest: Tehran threatens ‘new surprises’ for Trump if attacked again as peace efforts stall

A drone strike has sparked a ⁠fire at an electrical generator at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi

Iran threatened on Monday it would respond with “full strength” to any attack, after Donald Trump warned “there won’t be anything left of them” if they fail to rush through a deal to end the war.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran is continuing to “pursue diplomacy with seriousness," but that the Islamic Republic "will not be subdued by contradictory behavior and threats from the opposing side.”

“We are fully prepared for every scenario,” he said, warning that, “in the event of any reckless action we will respond with full strength, and I assure you that our armed forces will definitely have new 'surprises' for the enemy.”

Donald Trump had urged on his Truth Social platform that the “clock is ticking” to end the war, as peace talks appear to have stalled.

Iran is understood to have relayed its latest peace offer to the United States via Pakistan, although a Pakistani source said both sides “keep changing their goalposts”.

In full: Trump blasts Iran for sending peace proposal with ‘no relationship to the deal we made’

Donald Trump has accused Iran of derailing efforts to end the war by sending a peace proposal with “no relationship” to the deal being discussed between the two countries.

The US President said Tehran was “dying to sign a deal” even as both sides appeared to have reached an impasse on key issues, including the abandonment of Iran’s nuclear programme.

“They scream all the time,” he told Fortune ahead of his trip to China last week. “I can tell you one thing - they’re dying to sign [a deal]. But they make a deal, and then they send you a paper that has no relationship to the deal you made. I say, ‘Are you people crazy?’”

Trump blasts Iran for sending peace offer with ‘no relationship to the deal we made’

Washington and Tehran again ramped up fiery rhetoric as talks reached an impasse

James Reynolds18 May 2026 14:05

Is it safe to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi?

After a reported drone strike near a nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), many holidaymakers still have concerns over travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The temporary closure of Middle Eastern airspace in March grounded flights and severely disrupted travel to the UAE after a series of strikes across the country.

Flights from the UAE to the UK are gradually resuming, meaning that Britons now have more commercial options to leave the country.

Is it safe to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Latest advice after nuclear plant struck

The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to the UAE

James Reynolds18 May 2026 13:30

Marjorie Taylor Greene warns of ‘revolution in America’ if Trump sends troops into Iran

Marjorie Taylor Greene has said there would be “political revolution in” the U.S. if President Trump deploys American soldiers in Iran.

It is unclear what exactly prompted the former Republican representative and one-time Trump ally to issue the warning, though reports indicate the US and Israel are preparing for renewed fighting amid the fragile month-old ceasefire.

“If you send in U.S. military troops into Iran, there is going to be a political revolution in America. WE. ARE. DONE. We said no more foreign wars and we meant it,” said Greene in a Sunday afternoon post on X. “The coalition will unite and be unstoppable. I’ll make sure of it.”

MTG warns of ‘revolution in America’ if Trump sends US troops into Iran

The former Trump ally has been a hardline opponent of the war against Iran, questioning the president’s “mental state” days after the opening salvos

James Reynolds18 May 2026 13:00

In pictures: Aftermath of Israeli strike on flats in Baalbek, Lebanon

James Reynolds18 May 2026 12:30

Trump’s ‘clock is ticking’ Iran warning sends oil prices soaring and global markets tumbling

Global markets experienced a turbulent start to the week, with Asian stocks largely retreating and oil prices surging, following a stark warning from Donald Trump to Tehran that "the clock is ticking" amid stalled negotiations over a permanent end to the conflict.

U.S. futures also saw declines, falling more than 0.6%.

The rise in oil prices was directly linked to Trump’s social media post, which declared: "the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!,"

Trump’s Iran warning sends oil prices soaring and global markets tumbling

Asian stocks are mostly lower and oil prices have jumped after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran that the “clock is ticking” as talks over a permanent end to the war stall

James Reynolds18 May 2026 12:00

Recap: Iran threatens UAE after reports of strike at nuclear plant

Iran has issued a fresh warning to the United Arab Emirates after a drone strike on an Emirati nuclear power plant stoked fears of re-escalation.

Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of the IRGC and secretary of Tehran’s expediency council, warned on Sunday that “the UAE should not become entangled in Israel’s plots and schemes” following reports of a strike at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi.

Rezaei insisted that Iran has not “closed the door to friendship” with the UAE, but they “should know that Iran’s patience has limits”, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.

Iran’s foreign ministry reiterated on Monday that Tehran has “no enmity” with any regional countries, after the UAE said it had the right to respond to the reported drone strike in Abu Dhabi.

As the region looked at risk of descending back into conflict, the ministry said that talks were still ongoing through mediator Pakistan, and that both sides have shared new comments on the latest Iranian proposal to end the war.

James Reynolds18 May 2026 11:30

Recap: Trump tells Iran 'the clock is ticking' to end the war

Donald Trump has warned Tehran that the “clock is ticking” and threatened consequences if its leaders do not act quickly.

"For ⁠Iran, the ‌Clock is Ticking, ‌and they better ‌get moving, FAST, ⁠or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME ‌IS OF ‌THE ESSENCE!,"

Trump warned that if Tehran failed to reach a peace agreement with the US, it would face "a very bad time”.

"If they don’t, they’re going to have a bad time. A very bad time. They had better make a deal," Trump told French media. He also shared an AI-generated graphic of him and a US Navy admiral in front of stormy waters, and the line: "It was calm before the storm."

James Reynolds18 May 2026 11:00

G7 is right forum to discuss ending Iran conflict, German minister says

The Group of Seven countries is the right forum for discussing how to bring a lasting end to the war in Iran, which along with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz poses a serious threat to the global economy, German finance minister Lars Klingbeil said on Monday.

Klingbeil will travel to Paris to join a meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bankers on Monday and Tuesday.

“Our path as Europeans remains clear: We rely on cooperation rather than confrontation,” he said. “We rely on partnerships, reliability, open trade, and the strength of the rule of law.”

The minister said recent crises had underlined the need for Germany and Europe to become more independent and resilient, particularly in raw materials, energy and supply chains.

James Reynolds18 May 2026 10:30

Recap: Pezeshkian invites Pakistan for talks in Tehran

Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Sunday.

Naqvi spent nearly three hours at the presidency and held a private meeting with Pezeshkian lasting around 90 minutes, a statement from Pakistan’s embassy said.

James Reynolds18 May 2026 10:00

Pakistan 'relays Iranian proposal to Washington'

Pakistan has shared with the US a revised proposal from Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East, a Pakistani source said on Monday.

"We don't have much time," the source told Reuters, when asked if it would take time to close gaps, adding that both countries "keep changing their goalposts".

James Reynolds18 May 2026 09:37