LAYLA HASSAN | BREAKING | MAY 26, 2026
Explosions were reported Monday in Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas — home to akey naval and commercial hub — as US Central Command confirmed its second wave of strikes on southern Iran in 24 hours, describing the operation as an act of self-defence following escalating attacks on US assets in the region.
US Strike Targeted a Revolutionary Guard naval facility near the port, according to two regional security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. Bandar Abbas sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, roughly 80 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most critical chokepoint for oil shipments.
The strikes came as Iran’s top negotiators were in Qatar for emergency ceasefire talks mediated by Oman and Switzerland. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was reportedly in Tehran during the strikes, ordered the restoration of internet services across Iran after months of blackouts — a move analysts read as a signal the government is preparing the domestic ground for a shifted landscape.
Lebanon Under Renewed Bombardment
Israel launched a wave of strikes across Lebanon Monday, hitting targets in the south and Nabatieh districts, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “smite” Hezbollah with “overwhelming” force. Lebanon marked Liberation Day observances under Israeli bombardment — the first such commemoration under renewed Israeli occupation. Civilians in border villages were given new displacement orders, and at least two aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike on a convoy near Tyre, UN officials confirmed.
Diplomatic Split Deepens
Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance was aligned with US efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, warning that a prolonged closure would constitute a global economic emergency. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from New Delhi where he attended a strategic dialogue, said the language of any Iran deal still needed “a few days” to finalize — and that the US and its allies were preparing a “Plan B” if diplomacy failed, without elaborating. Trump, in a post on his platform, said Iran’s enriched uranium “will be destroyed” and that the Iran war would end “very, very quickly.”
The UN Security Council convened in emergency session Monday and voted to condemn strikes attributed to Iran against a civilian nuclear power facility in the United Arab Emirates — the first time the Council has weighed in on the current escalation. Russia backed the condemnation; China abstained.
Regional Mediation Running Dry
Pakistani intermediaries who had been quietly facilitating back-channel talks between Washington and Tehran since the first strikes confirmed this week that their conduit had been suspended following the Bandar Abbas strikes. “The trust window is closing fast,” said one official familiar with the discussions. Omani and Swiss diplomats remained engaged, though sources described the talks as “largely procedural.”
The Abraham Accords dimension moved front and center Monday, as Trump announced he was “mandatorily requesting” that six Middle Eastern states normalize relations with Israel as part of any deal framework — a condition some regional analysts have called a deal-breaker for Tehran. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Egypt are the six signatories expected to deepen ties under the offer.
This is a breaking news story. Updates will be filed as events develop.
Layla Hassan, Media Hook
