Iran's Revolutionary Guards Warn Of Expanded War If Attacks Resume
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.
Pakistani Interior Minister Heads To Tehran Again Amid Iran–US Mediation Efforts
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.
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.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Warn Of Expanded War If Attacks Resume
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.
As Trump Threatens More Strikes, Analysts See No Easy Exit On Iran
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.
Read more here
Iran’s Economy Is Collapsing, Says US Ambassador To UN
Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the Iranian government’s financial resources are “running out” and that the country’s economy is “in a state of collapse.”
He added, however, that the Islamic republic, “instead of turning to a new and peaceful approach, has carried out repeated and brazen attacks against civilian electricity infrastructure and continues to cling to a strategy of acquiring nuclear weapons that could plunge the world into darkness.”
He stressed that “we cannot tolerate this and never will.”
Waltz's comments came as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi claimed Tehran had inflicted major costs on the United States during the conflict.
In a post on X late on May 19, Araqchi claimed the US Congress had acknowledged the loss of “dozens of aircraft worth billions” during the war and said Iran’s armed forces were the first to shoot down an F-35 fighter jet.
He also claimed that any renewed conflict would bring “many more surprises,” but did not elaborate.
Nearly 90 Ships Forced To Change Course So Far, Says US Central Command
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, says that US forces have forced 89 ships to change course since the implementation of the maritime blockade against Iran.
In a post published on X on May 19, CENTCOM stressed that it is continuing to enforce the blockade, preventing the flow of trade to and from Iranian ports.
The United States began the naval blockade of Iranian ports on April 13 after face-to-face negotiations with Iran in Pakistan failed.
Those talks were held several days after a cease-fire was established in Islamabad. The two sides subsequently exchanged competing proposals, but the negotiations have failed to produce a result.
Since the beginning of the war, the Iranian government has closed the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over energy security and maritime transportation in the region.
Bill Cassidy, one of the four Republican senators who backed the resolution last night aiming to increase congressional oversight of US military action against Iran, had this to say about why he voted in favor of the move.
The Louisiana senator had voted against similar measures in the past, but changed his position after losing his state's Republican primary without Trump's backing.
US Senate Advances War Powers Resolution
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this quick rundown of developments in Washington while we were away:
The US Senate voted to advance a resolution on May 19 aimed at limiting US President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran unless he gains congressional authorization.
This was the eighth time Senate Democrats have attempted to push through the motion and succeeded as four Republicans decided to support it while others did not vote. The result in the procedural vote was a 50-47 approval.
The move came amid repeated indications from Trump on May 18 and May 19 that he is seriously weighing further strikes against Iran.
The measure would still need to be approved in further votes in the Senate and House of Representatives, and even then could face a presidential veto.
It is aimed at preventing Trump from ordering further strikes under the 1973 War Powers Act.
That legislation says presidents need congressional authorization for sending the armed forces into combat beyond 60 days.
Supporters of the motion say this deadline has expired, because the US and Israeli airstrikes were first launched on Iran on February 28.
The Trump administration argues that hostilities have already stopped, because of the cease-fire in place since April 8.
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
Vance: US 'Locked And Loaded' But Still Pursuing A Diplomatic Deal
Echoing US President Donald Trump's warning to Iran that his country is "locked and loaded," Vice President JD Vance told reporters at the White House on May 19 that they would not go for a deal that allows Iran to have nuclear weapon.
Vance argued that nuclear weapon with Iran means leading the region into an arms race that would make the world less safe.
He added that the United States is still pursuing a diplomatic deal but "it takes two to tango."
Referring to the off-again-on-again negotiations between the two sides, Vance talked of "a lot of progress," adding that they believe the Iranians also want to make a deal.
He said his country retains Option B of restarting the military campaign to "achieve America's objectives," but the president does not want that.
Earlier in the day, Trump had also said he may launch new military strikes on Iran in the coming days if diplomatic efforts fail to result in an agreement with Tehran.
Asked how much more time he would give Iran to agree to a deal, Trump said "two or three days."
"Maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, maybe early next week," he said, adding that the timeline was limited because "we can't let them [Iran] have nuclear weapons."
Trump announced a temporary cease-fire on April 8. He said this was extended indefinitely on May 22, following what Trump said was a request from Pakistan, which is mediating in the conflict.
UAE Says Drone That Hit Barakah Nuclear Plant Launched From Iraq
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says the drones that struck the Barakah nuclear power plant on May 17 were launched from Iraqi territory. The UAE Defense Ministry wrote on X that two drones were intercepted while a third one had hit a generator near the Barakah power plant.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted and destroyed three drones fired from Iraq in its airspace on the same day.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is widely accused of backing Iraqi militias, many of which are believed to operate under the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Iraq's umbrella group for Iran-backed Shi'ite militias. Iraqi officials have condemned the attack on the UAE facility.
Since the start of US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Iran has reportedly launched hundreds of missiles and drones toward the UAE, causing damage to infrastructure and casualties.
Meanwhile, Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported on May 19, citing unnamed officials, that Israel had carried out the attack on the Barakah plant. The claim could not be independently verified.
Three drones were launched at the UAE on May 17; two were intercepted, while one struck a power generator at the Barakah nuclear plant near the Saudi-Qatar border.