The Daily Populous Tuesday May 26th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by bbc.co.uk and submitted by Possible_Cheek_4114

Earlier in May, a clash between Iran and US naval destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz - for which each side blamed the other - led Trump to insist a ceasefire was still in place.

At the weekend, Trump had suggested the sides were close to a deal, but later said he had instructed negotiators "not to rush into" one, while Rubio had said an agreement could possibly be reached on Monday.

But Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai responded: "It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion... But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent - no-one can make such a claim."

The memorandum of understanding being discussed reportedly involves a 60-day ceasefire extension, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a plan for further negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.

CBS, the BBC's US partner, has reported that American intelligence believes Iran's new supreme leader is holed up in an undisclosed location, making communication with his envoys difficult and therefore delaying the pace of talks with the US.

Mojtaba Khamenei is thought to have been injured in an Israeli strike that killed his father and predecessor on the first day of the war more than three months ago.

According to US media, the discussions will not immediately lead to a final settlement. Contentious issues will likely be negotiated later, including details of Iranian sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian funds, and US demands for Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated that at the start of the war, Iran had about 440kg (970 lbs) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity.

This is a short process away from being enriched to the weapons-grade 90%, which theoretically could allow it to create a nuclear bomb.

On Monday night, Trump said the enriched uranium would either be "immediately" turned over to the US, or "preferably, in conjunction and co-ordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place".

US and Iranian forces have observed a ceasefire since 8 April. Iran has maintained controls on Gulf shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the US Navy has sought to blockade Iran's ports.

The US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February, sparking conflict across the Middle East.

Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. The move sent oil prices soaring globally.

Zealousideal-Tour955 on May 26th, 2026 at 06:28 UTC »

Trump following his master Bibi's orders.

OrangeSpaceMan5 on May 26th, 2026 at 05:58 UTC »

Good to see negotiations are going well

my_juicy_nose on May 26th, 2026 at 05:50 UTC »

Wait, I thought they were 100% obliterated.