Saudi Arabia has declared the 1447 AH Hajj season a success, with officials praising the highly coordinated operation that enabled more than 1.7 million pilgrims to perform the annual pilgrimage in safety and comfort.

Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Mecca Region and Deputy Chairman of the Permanent Hajj and Umrah Committee, announced the successful completion of this year’s pilgrimage on Friday, saying the season was supported by an integrated system of security, organisation and services that allowed pilgrims to complete their rituals with ease and reassurance.

The announcement came after pilgrims completed the main rites of Hajj, including standing at Arafat, spending the night in Muzdalifah and performing the stoning ritual in Mina.

Prince Saud said the success of the season was made possible through the support and guidance of Saudi Arabia’s leadership, alongside extensive preparations, resources and continuous monitoring of all stages of planning and implementation.

He said the pilgrimage reflected the Kingdom’s commitment to serving the guests of God and ensuring they are able to perform their religious duties in a safe, organised and well-managed environment.

“The Hajj season reflected the image of a nation working with sincerity and dedication to serve the guests of God,” Prince Saud said, adding that the holy sites witnessed a high degree of organisation and harmony that demonstrated the coordination among the various government agencies and institutions involved in the pilgrimage operation.

He also said this year’s Hajj highlighted Saudi Arabia’s ability to manage large crowds efficiently while providing pilgrims with an environment characterised by security, reassurance and care befitting the significance of the holy sites and the pilgrimage itself.

He added that the success of Hajj should not be viewed as the conclusion of the effort, but rather the beginning of preparations for future seasons, as Saudi authorities continue to work on maintaining the Kingdom’s position as a leading destination for serving pilgrims and the wider Muslim world.

Gulf News

A proposed peace agreement between Iran and the US seemed to remain on the table on Tuesday despite US bombings of Iranian targets.

The Iranian foreign ministry denounced the US attack – aimed at missile launchers and efforts to lay fresh mines in the strait of Hormuz – as “an act of bad faith” and “a definitive violation of the ceasefire” and said it would not leave aggression unanswered. But it did not pull out of the talks that were continuing under the joint mediation of Pakistan and Qatar.

The Iranian military announced no specific reprisals, suggesting it did not want the attack – which killed four Iranian soldiers – to disrupt the delicate last steps towards an agreement that it intends to hail as one of the great milestones in Iran’s history of resistance. Brent oil futures climbed 4% after news of the renewed fighting.

In a sign that Donald Trump recognises the conflict has reached a decisive point, he had been due to convene a rare cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, but on Tuesday he said on Truth Social that this had been postponed due to bad weather.

As Trump continued to face questions about how a planned peace deal would achieve the objectives he set out at the start of the war, he appeared to copy and paste a rambling social media post from last week that claimed Democrats and the media would proclaim an Iranian victory even if Tehran “surrenders, admits their Navy is gone and resting at the bottom of the sea, and their Air Force is no longer with us, and if their entire Military walks out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting ‘I surrender, I surrender’ while wildly waving the representative White Flag”.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, remained in Doha for a second day on Tuesday trying to agree the means by which more than $12bn (£9bn) in frozen Iranian assets could be unlocked and sent to an Iranian account. He is also seeking sanctions relief for Iran’s oil and petrochemical exports for the 60-day period set aside to negotiate fresh constraints on Iran’s nuclear programme.

A separate 30-day timeframe has been allocated in the agreement for the US to lift the blockade of Iranian oil ports and for Iran to allow commercial shipping through the strait of Hormuz, restoring maritime traffic to levels from before Israel and the US started the war on 28 February.

The brief agreement, which would end the war but not delineate the peace, is fraught with political sensitivity as all sides know they must try to emerge with one they can exhibit to their respective constituencies as proof that the sacrifice was worthwhile.

Hardliners in Washington, Tehran and Jerusalem are all putting pressure on their negotiators not to make more concessions. Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission, insisted no agreement should relinquish Iranian control of the strait.

But Ghalibaf, overwhelmingly re-elected as speaker this week, can for the moment marginalise this opposition. Reports said he was focused on the method of accessing frozen Iranian assets, described as the last serious dispute between Tehran and Washington.

Owing to the accumulated lack of trust, no further negotiations over the future of the strait or the nuclear programme can take place without the prior transfer of frozen Iranian funds, his allies said.

The consultations in Qatar have resulted in progress towards resolving the issue of frozen Iranian assets, but one Iranian MP, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, claimed a plan for $12bn to be transferred from Qatar to a Russian account before being sent to Iran had been thwarted by the US at the last minute.

He warned that if the war restarted, Iran knew the whereabouts of the hotels in Doha and Dubai used by Trump’s lead negotiators, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and “next time they would be hit”.

Apart from the issue of Iran’s frozen assets, Tehran is trying to strengthen the section committing Israel to a ceasefire in Lebanon. With Israel admitting it was launching operations north of the yellow line to hit Hezbollah’s missiles, the war appeared to be escalating, not winding down.

On Tuesday evening the Israeli military issued two new evacuation warnings for residents of 19 villages across southern Lebanon, as it expanded its ground operations deeper inside Lebanese territory.

A few hours later, the Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes in recent hours had killed 31 people and wounded 40.

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father after he was killed by US-Israeli strikes on the opening day of the war, claimed the tide of history was moving in Iran’s favour and called for unity among Muslim countries, in a statement that marked the start of the hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

Khamenei, who has not been seen in public or issued any recorded audio since his elevation in March, projected confidence as he predicted the elimination of Israel by 2040.

He said: “What is certain is that the hands of time will not turn backwards and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases. The United States not only will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region but, day by day, it is growing more distant from its former status.”

He added: “The shaken Zionist regime and the cancerous tumour of Israel are approaching the final stages of their wretched existence.” His remarks put into perspective Trump’s much-derided claim that Arab states, as well as Turkey and Iran, should normalise relations with Israel.

The Guardian

US President Donald Trump defended Iran negotiations Sunday, saying critics “don’t know deal details” and declaring: “I don’t make bad deals.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned a nuclear agreement cannot be achieved “in 72 hours on the back of a napkin.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and Trump agree any final agreement must eliminate Iran’s “nuclear threat entirely.” Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem expressed hope for a deal that could include Lebanon, while Iranian media warned talks could still collapse. Follow our live coverage for the latest updates.

01:21 AM, 25 May 2026

Relationship with Iran ‘more professional, productive’ — Trump

US President Donald J. Trump defended ongoing negotiations with Iran, calling it more professional and productive — sharply contrasting them with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

He also insisted the current talks are proceeding deliberately with the US maintaining leverage through a naval blockade. 

11:10 PM, 24 May 2026

Rubio accuses Hezbollah of trying to ‘drag Lebanon back into chaos’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Hezbollah in a statement Sunday of trying to plunge Lebanon “back into chaos.”

Rubio denounced what he called Hezbollah’s “reckless call to overthrow Lebanon’s democratically elected government” and said the pro-Iran armed group was “actively trying to drag Lebanon back into chaos and destruction.”

10:40 PM, 24 May 2026

Lebanon says Israeli strikes kill 2 including paramedic

Lebanon’s health ministry said two people including a paramedic from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee were killed Sunday in Israeli strikes on the south that also wounded six other rescuers.

“Successive Israeli enemy strikes on the town of Arab Salim in the Nabatieh district killed two people including a paramedic from the Health Committee and wounded 10, including two Committee paramedics and four others from the Risala association,” a ministry statement said, condemning an “ongoing series of attacks on the health and emergency sector in south Lebanon”.

The Risala Scouts association rescuers are affiliated with the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement.

10:30 PM, 24 May 2026

Trump defends Iran talks, says critics ‘don’t know deal details’

US President Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social that any potential deal with Iran would be ‘good and proper,’ contrasting it with what he described as the Obama-era agreement, which he said gave Iran ‘massive amounts of cash’ and a ‘clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon.’

Trump said the current negotiations are ‘the exact opposite,’ adding that the agreement is not yet fully negotiated and warning critics not to speculate on details that have not been finalised.

He also said past leaders “should have solved this problem many years ago,” adding: ‘I don’t make bad deals.’

10:15 PM, 24 May 2026

Iran nuclear deal can’t be done ‘in 72 hours,’ Rubio tells NYT

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told The New York Times on Sunday that an agreement with Iran had garnered regional support but a nuclear deal couldn’t be achieved “in 72 hours on the back of a napkin.”

His comments came after US President Donald Trump told his negotiators “not to rush into a deal” with Iran to end the three-month war.

“So right now, we have seven or eight countries in the region that are endorsing this approach, and we’re prepared to move forward on this approach,” he said.

09:15 PM, 24 May 2026

US media reports no US-Iran agreement expected today

CNN is reporting that no US–Iran deal is expected to be signed today, citing a senior administration official who said key details of a potential deal are still being negotiated.

Another official told the network that Iran has committed to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and disposing of its stockpile of enriched uranium, although final terms have yet to be confirmed.

09:01 PM, 24 May 2026

Hezbollah chief says hopes for Iran-US deal and that it includes Lebanon

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem expressed hope on Sunday for an agreement between his group’s backer Iran and the United States and that Lebanon would be part of its terms.

“God willing, this agreement will be finalised and there are signs of its completion, and accordingly that we too will be among those included in this agreement – an agreement of a full cessation of hostilities,” he said in a televised address.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that “a memorandum of understanding (MOU) would first be announced, stressing an end to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon”, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US President Donald Trump had reaffirmed his support for Israel’s right to defend itself against threats, including from Hezbollah.

08:52 PM, 24 May 2026

Hezbollah chief urges Lebanon govt to abandon direct talks with Israel

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Sunday again urged Lebanese authorities to abandon direct talks with Israel, ahead of a fourth round of such discussions in Washington early next month.

“Direct negotiations are completely unacceptable and are a pure gain for Israel,” he said. Addressing Lebanese authorities, he added: “Abandon the direct negotiations and do not give to America so that it gives to Israel… don’t be with them and stab us in the back.”

10:02 PM, 24 May 2026

US-Iran deal could still collapse amid ‘obstruction’ claims

The United States is obstructing certain clauses of a potential agreement, including provisions related to the release of Iran’s frozen assets according to Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim.

The report said this means there is still a possibility the agreement could be “cancelled,” as negotiations remain ongoing and key issues remain unresolved.

08:19 PM, 24 May 2026

Hezbollah chief says group’s disarmament unacceptable

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Sunday that his group’s disarmament was unacceptable and amounted to “annihilation”, as Lebanon prepares for a new round of direct talks with Israel in Washington early next month.

“Disarmament means stripping Lebanon of its defensive capability and the capability of the resistance (Hezbollah) and this people, paving the way for annihilation,” he said in a televised address, adding: “Disarmament is annihilation and we cannot accept it.”

A state monopoly on weapons demanded by Lebanese authorities “at this stage is aimed at targeting the resistance and is an Israeli project”, he added.

07:42 PM, 24 May 2026

Netanyahu says Trump agrees Israel has right to defence

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump had reaffirmed his support for Israel’s right to defend itself against threats on all fronts, including from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“President Trump reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself against threats on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a statement following a conversation between the two leaders on Saturday night.

07:28 PM, 24 May 2026

Oman, Iran discuss navigation security and US-Iran talks

Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi has received a verbal message from Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi during a meeting with visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi and a diplomatic delegation in Muscat.

According to details, the message was delivered within the framework of ongoing consultations between the two neighbouring countries and focused on developments in Iranian-US talks mediated by Pakistan, as well as efforts to support their success.

The Foreign Minister receives a verbal message from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The message, delivered by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran for Legal and International Affairs, touched upon the ongoing Iranian-US talks mediated by Pakistan… pic.twitter.com/dmhqagEUq9

— Oman News Agency (@ONA_eng) May 24, 2026

Discussions also covered the resumption of safe and sustainable freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides stressing the importance of strengthening maritime security and protecting trade and supply chains in line with international law.

07:25 PM, 24 May 2026

Israel PM says he and Trump agreed any final Iran deal must end ‘nuclear threat entirely’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he and US President Donald Trump had agreed that any final deal with Iran must fully end the Islamic republic’s “nuclear threat”.

“President Trump and I agreed that any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear threat entirely. This means dismantling Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities and removing enriched nuclear material from its territory,” Netanyahu said in a statement, referring to a conversation between the two leaders on Saturday night.

I spoke last night with President @realDonaldTrump about the memorandum of understanding to reopen the Straits of Hormuz and the upcoming negotiations toward a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.

06:35 PM, 24 May 2026

Trump says US will not ‘rush into a deal’ with Iran

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had told US negotiators “not to rush into a deal” with Iran, amid anticipation that an agreement to end the war in the Middle East was close.

“The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

“The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”

GN