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Iran Discusses Islamic Jihad's Comprehensive Plan for a Strong Response

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with the Secretary-General of the Palestinian movement of Islamic Jihad Ziad Nakhaleh (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with the Secretary-General of the Palestinian movement of Islamic Jihad Ziad Nakhaleh (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
    London, Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Iran Discusses Islamic Jihad's Comprehensive Plan for a Strong Response

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with the Secretary-General of the Palestinian movement of Islamic Jihad Ziad Nakhaleh (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with the Secretary-General of the Palestinian movement of Islamic Jihad Ziad Nakhaleh (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iran said the Islamic Jihad movement has a comprehensive plan to direct a solid and effective response against Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian held a telephone conversation with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani on the latest developments in Gaza and the situation in the region.

"The Palestinian resistance has prepared a comprehensive plan to deliver a strong and effective response to the latest crimes by the Zionist regime," said Amirabdollahian.

The Iranian foreign minister also pointed to his contact with the secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziad Nakhalah.

Nakhaleh visited Tehran last Tuesday and met Amirabdollahian, among other Iranian officials. The Foreign Minister underlined Iran's determination to stick to its principled and unchangeable policy to support the Palestinian cause and the resistance of the Palestinian people against Israel's aggression and expansionist policies.

Nakhaleh praised Iran's powerful, effective, and constructive role in regional issues, expressing regret over efforts by some countries to pressure Iran.

The Islamic Jihad's secretary-general also presented a report on the latest developments in Palestine and said Palestinian groups must preserve their unity and solidarity to bolster the Islamic resistance of the Palestinian people.

IRGC-affiliated media quoted the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, as saying during his meeting with Nakhaleh: "We are with you on this path until the end – and let Palestine and the Palestinians know that they are not alone."

"The Israelis will pay yet another heavy price for their recent crime," he added, according to Tasnim agency. The commander of the IRGC's al-Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, said on Friday that at least 15 operations "are carried out against the positions of the al-Quds occupying regime (Israel) every day, as they (Zionists) have built fences even inside the settlements for fear of their lives."

Qaani asserted that Iran would by no means ignore the vicious and criminal acts of the enemies anywhere in the region.

He pointed out the constant decline of the Israeli regime. Nakhaleh also met with Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday.

The Palestinian official said Iran has a remarkable presence in the region and that the resistance forces in Gaza maintain their strength and capabilities. Iran's Supreme Leader's adviser Ali Akbar Velayati described the relations between Tehran and Islamic Jihad as "close and serious."

The state-run ISNA news agency reported that Velayati and Nakhaleh discussed the situations in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Turkey.

Nakhaleh reiterated that the enemies and the US had adopted a "very weak" policy in the face of Iran's influence, claiming that Tehran plays a very influential role in the region.

The Iranian media did not mention the objectives of Nakhaleh's visit to Iran. However, some reports indicated an increase in tension between Tehran and Tel Aviv and the possibility of Iranian nuclear facilities being subjected to an Israeli strike.

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World

US Voices Hope on Iran Deal Progress Before Pakistan Army Chief Visit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding his plane at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding his plane at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS
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US Voices Hope on Iran Deal Progress Before Pakistan Army Chief Visit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding his plane at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding his plane at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope on Thursday of progress on ending the war with Iran, with mediator Pakistan's army chief due to arrive in Iran for talks.

The expected visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan's foreign relations, comes a day after US President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed strikes.

"I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today. So hopefully that'll advance this further," Rubio told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters.

A ceasefire on April 8 halted the war launched weeks earlier by the US and Israel, but negotiation efforts have so far failed to yield a lasting peace agreement.

A war of words has taken the place of open conflict but the impasse continues to weigh on the world economy, leaving everyone from investors to farmers in a painful state of uncertainty.

On Thursday, Iran's ISNA news agency said Munir's visit was aimed at continuing "talks and consultations" with Iranian authorities, without providing details. Other Iranian media carried the same report.

Pakistan hosted in April the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials to take place since February 28, the day the war began.

Munir was at the center of the action during that round of talks, greeting both delegations on their arrival and displaying remarkable bonhomie with US Vice President JD Vance.

But the talks ultimately failed, with Iran accusing the US of making "excessive demands".

Since then, the two sides have exchanged multiple proposals, with the threat of renewed war looming all along.

"It's right on the borderline, believe me," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "If we don't get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We're all ready to go."

He said a deal could come "very quickly" or "in a few days", but warned Tehran would have to provide "100 percent good answers".

Rubio also criticized NATO allies for their refusal to help Trump's war against Iran.

"He's not asking them to commit troops. He's not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything," he said.

"We were very upset about that."

Tehran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday accused Washington of seeking to restart the war, warning of a "forceful response" if Iran were to be attacked.

"The enemy's movements, both overt and clandestine, show that despite economic and political pressure, it has not abandoned its military objectives and is seeking to start a new war," Ghalibaf said.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran was examining points received from Washington, while repeating Tehran's demands for the release of its assets frozen abroad and an end to a US naval blockade.

Trump is under political pressure at home as energy costs rise.

The ceasefire halted the fighting but has not reopened the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.

The future of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in the negotiations, with fears growing that the global economy will feel more pain as pre-war oil stockpiles run down.

Iran imposed the blockade of Hormuz as part of its retaliation in the war, allowing only a trickle of vessels through in recent weeks while introducing a toll system.

World

Trump Postpones Signing Order on AI Oversight

US President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 May 2026. EPA/AL DRAGO / POOL NEWS SERVICE OK
US President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 May 2026. EPA/AL DRAGO / POOL NEWS SERVICE OK
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Trump Postpones Signing Order on AI Oversight

US President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 May 2026. EPA/AL DRAGO / POOL NEWS SERVICE OK
US President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 May 2026. EPA/AL DRAGO / POOL NEWS SERVICE OK

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had postponed signing an executive order on AI because he "didn't like certain aspects of it."

Trump had planned to sign the order at a ceremony on Thursday afternoon attended by CEOs of AI companies.

The order would create a voluntary framework for AI developers to ⁠engage with the ⁠US government before the public release of covered models, two sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

The president also had planned to direct the US government to use the advanced models to improve the cybersecurity defenses of ⁠government systems, along with networks owned by sectors that are vital to the nation's economy, such as banks and hospitals, according to another source.

Concerns are growing across the US government and in the private sector about the cybersecurity risks posed by powerful new AI systems, including Anthropic’s Mythos.

Anthropic has warned that Mythos could supercharge complex cyberattacks, though cybersecurity experts ⁠told ⁠Reuters that fears of unfettered hacking are overstated.

The president's executive order, if implemented, could hurt the industry's profits if it slows the rollout of new models or prompts companies to change how they perform to address security concerns.

Trump, who spoke to reporters on Thursday in the Oval Office, did not say which parts of the order he didn't like.

World

Teen Among 3 Dead in Türkiye after Floods, Landslides Hit Southern Province

FILE - A Navy officer helps a woman cross a flooded street after heavy rain in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez, File)
FILE - A Navy officer helps a woman cross a flooded street after heavy rain in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez, File)
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Teen Among 3 Dead in Türkiye after Floods, Landslides Hit Southern Province

FILE - A Navy officer helps a woman cross a flooded street after heavy rain in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez, File)
FILE - A Navy officer helps a woman cross a flooded street after heavy rain in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez, File)

Three people have died during flooding in southern Türkiye on Thursday, officials said, as the Interior Ministry issued weather warnings for 15 of the country's 81 provinces.

Heavy rainfall in Hatay, the province most affected by a devastating earthquake in 2023, caused the Asi river, also known as the Orontes, to break its banks, submerging fields and villages. Roads and bridges were also washed away, The Associated Press reported.

Among the victims was a 15-year-old boy who died in a house that collapsed during a landslide in Antakya, the provincial capital, Hatay Gov. Mustafa Masatli said.

A 66-year-old man died when his car rolled into a ditch in Defne, while and another man, aged 62, was swept away in floodwaters in the Samandag district.

Masatli said the flooding had caused significant damage to agriculture across 2,900 hectares (7,166 acres) as disaster teams continued to assess the impact. Firefighters rescued many people by boat as residents bailed out their homes and tried to hold the waters at bay with makeshift barriers.