live Trump Says Iran Talks 'In Final Stages' But Threatens Renewed Attacks If No Deal

A Congressional Research Service report released on May 13 provides the first official US government accounting of aircraft losses during Operation Epic Fury, documenting 42 airframes lost or damaged since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.

The figures were compiled from Department of Defense statements, US Central Command (CENTCOM) releases, and publicly available reporting, and may be subject to revision as investigations continue.

The list includes four F-15Es, one F-35A, one A-10, seven KC-135 tankers, one E-3 AWACS, two MC-130Js, one HH-60W, 24 MQ-9 Reapers, and one MQ-4C Triton. The losses occurred through a mix of enemy action, friendly fire, and accidents -- among them three F-15Es lost on March 2 in friendly fire incidents over Kuwait and five KC-135s destroyed on the ground in an Iranian missile strike on a US airbase.

During a search-and-rescue operation for a downed F-15E on April 5, two MC-130Js were intentionally destroyed on the ground in Iran after becoming unable to depart; all aircrew were safely evacuated. One HH-60W also sustained damage from small-arms fire during the same operation.

The Department of Defense estimated the cost of aircraft losses at $2.6 billion, though acting Pentagon comptroller Jules W. Hurst declined to confirm replacement costs at the May 13 Senate hearing. The broader cost of operations, he said, has reached $29 billion, a figure that US media contend is still lower than outside projections.

Every morning, Faisal stands along a road on the outskirts of the Iranian capital, Tehran, waiting for a day job.

The 27-year-old migrant from neighboring Afghanistan used to find manual work on most days, earning up to 10 million rials ($7.50), most of which he sent to his wife and five children back home.

But the informal manual work Faisal relied on to eke out a living has dried up since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign of Iran on February 28. The 11-week war has devastated Iran's already-battered economy, left much of the country's infrastructure and industries in tatters, and seen prices for basic food items skyrocket.

The economic fallout from the conflict has hit the estimated 4 million Afghan refugees and migrants in Iran -- many of whom fled war, poverty, and persecution in Afghanistan -- especially hard. Many Afghans have no legal status and are deprived of basic rights in the Islamic republic.

To read the full report, click here.

US President Donald Trump says negotiations with Iran are approaching a conclusion, while warning of military action if Tehran fails to reach an agreement.

"We're in the final stages of Iran. We'll see what happens. Either have a deal or we're going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won't happen," Trump told reporters on May 20.

The comments came six weeks after Trump paused Operation Epic Fury for a cease-fire, with talks to end the war having shown little progress since.

Trump said this week he had come close to ordering a resumption of strikes but held off to allow more time for diplomacy -- including, he said on May 19, calling off attacks just one hour before they were to be launched, in response to appeals from Gulf Arab neighbors.

"We're going to give this one shot. I'm in no hurry," Trump said. "Ideally I'd like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way."

Iran, for its part, rejected Trump's characterization of the talks. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Tehran's top negotiator, said in an audio message posted to social media that "overt and covert moves by the enemy" indicated the United States was preparing new strikes. Separately, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a warning that any resumed attacks would trigger a response extending beyond the Middle East.

Iran submitted a new offer to Washington this week. Tehran's own descriptions of the proposal suggest it largely repeats terms Trump has previously rejected, among them demands for Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damages, sanctions relief, the release of frozen assets, and a US military withdrawal from the region.

Pakistan's Interior Minister was in Tehran on May 20 in the latest diplomatic push. Islamabad hosted the only formal round of peace talks held so far and has served as the primary conduit for messages between the two sides.

The world soccer governing body, FIFA, reportedly plans to again prohibit fans from displaying Iran's pre-revolutionary flag at the 2026 World Cup, renewing a controversy that shadowed the tournament in Qatar four years ago and drawing immediate backlash from the Iranian diaspora and opposition figures.

The ban was reported by The Athletic on May 19 after FIFA pointed to its stadium code of conduct, which bars "banners, flags, apparel, and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature" from venues. Unlike in Qatar, where enforcement was inconsistent, the 2026 ban is expected to be applied as a blanket policy.

The report said the Iranian soccer federation had submitted a list of demands to FIFA related to the team's participation, including "respect for the Iranian flag," and FIFA described recent talks with Iranian soccer officials as "excellent" and "constructive."

To read the full report, click here.

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and the top negotiator in its previous talks with Washington, claimed the United States is seeking to reignite the war against Iran.

Iranian media released an audio statement by Qalibaf on May 20 in which he says, referring to the cease-fire between Iran and the United States: "The enemy's overt and covert movements show that the enemy, in parallel with economic and political pressures, has not given up on its military goals and is seeking a new round of war and new adventures."

US President Donald Trump said on May 18 that the country's military was scheduled to carry out strikes against Iran the following, but he ordered the strikes canceled at the request of a number of regional countries and in order to reach an agreement to end the war with Iran.

Trump also warned on May 19 that Iran only has a few days to reach a deal with the United States, otherwise another "big blow" may be necessary.

Qalibaf, who headed Tehran's delegation in Islamabad talks aimed at ending the war held last month, said Iran's military forces have used their "best efforts to rebuild their military power" during the cease-fire and that if strikes resume "they will surprise the enemy and will definitely regret attacking Iran again."

He also called for "increasing economic resilience to disabuse the enemy of his miscalculations and discourage him from surrendering to Iran, so that the enemy will be forced to accept and yield to the legitimate demands of the Iranian people in negotiations."

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced on May 20 that 26 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours with "coordination and security provided" by the force.

"Over the past 24 hours, 26 ships, including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz with the coordination and security of the IRGC Navy," it said on X.

The IRGC did not specify to which countries the ships belonged.

Tehran has been disrupting ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and effectively blocking this strategic waterway since February 28, when the United States and Israel first launch strikes on Iran.

With the cease-fire in place and after a round of negotiations between Iranian and American representatives in Pakistan that failed to yield results, US President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of Iran, which is still ongoing.

Iranian officials reported that several Chinese ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz during the US president's visit to China last week. In recent days, it has also been reported that two Qatari tankers carrying liquefied natural gas have also passed through the waterway.

Iran's Industry, Mines, and Trade Ministry has for the first time permitted the import of some raw materials related to the petrochemical and polymer sectors through sailor and courier procedures.

Tasnim news agency, which is close to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said they are allowing the imports due to difficulties in supplying certain raw materials in recent months. The purpose, the IRGC said, is to "help continue the activities of downstream petrochemical and polymer industries."

US and Israeli strikes during the war, which started on February 28, inflicted significant damage on Iran's military and civilian infrastructure, such as steel mills and petrochemical centers. Targets included strategic energy facilities in the industrial complexes of the Mahshahr and Assaluyeh petrochemical special economic zones.

These attacks, which focused on disrupting utility supply infrastructure (water, electricity, steam, and oxygen), caused heavy damage to the production process of Iran's petrochemical industry.

This is the first time that raw materials related to the petrochemical and polymer industries have been specifically included in the list of goods that can be imported through the Kolbari and Malvani routes. Previous allowances have mainly concerned consumer goods, household appliances, clothing, food, electronics, and so-called border items.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is heading to Tehran for talks with senior Iranian officials, marking his second trip to Iran in less than a week.

"Mohsin Naqvi traveled to Tehran to meet officials from the Islamic republic," Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on May 20, citing diplomatic sources in Islamabad.

Pakistan has recently been playing a mediating role between Iran and the United States.

SEE ALSO:

Mediator Or Strategic Opportunist? Pakistan Faces Scrutiny Over Iran Role

Naqvi had earlier visited Tehran on May 16–17 as part of efforts to help facilitate dialogue between Tehran and Washington, according to Iranian media reports.

During that trip, he met with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has issued a statement saying that any resumption of US attacks on Iran will lead it to extend the war “beyond the region.”

The statement followed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump that indicated he was considering new attacks.

On May 19, he said they could come "Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, ‌maybe early next week."

Prior to the cease-fire announced on April 8, Iran responded to the US and Israeli campaign of strikes by launching drone and missile attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.

“Should aggression against Iran be repeated, the regional war that was promised will this time extend beyond the region, and our crushing blows in places you can scarcely imagine will reduce you to ashes,” the IRGC statement said.

It’s not clear exactly what kind of geographical expansion of the conflict the statement is threatening, but one option – much discussed earlier in the war – is using Tehran-backed Houthi proxy forces in Yemen to attack shipping in the Bab al-Mandab strait, further disrupting international trade.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of renewed military strikes on Iran despite the current cease-fire, prompting fresh scrutiny from analysts and policymakers over whether the truce can hold.

Senior Republicans, including Congressman Don Bacon and Senator Lindsey Graham, signaled support for keeping military options on the table, while the head of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, told lawmakers that US forces were prepared if ordered to act.

But analysts interviewed by RFE/RL said the core strategic dilemma facing Washington remains unchanged: how to pressure Iran without triggering a wider regional escalation that Persian Gulf governments increasingly fear neither they nor the United States could fully contain.

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