US-Iran War: Key Developments from May 15
US-Iran war latest news: Key developments from May 15 On the final day of the trip, Trump travelled to Zhongnanhai, the heavily guarded leadership compound beside Beijingβs Forbidden City where Chinaβs top leaders live and work. Reporting from Beijing, journalist Katrina Yu said very few foreign leaders have been invited there by Xi Jinping. The last US president to visit Zhongnanhai was Barack Obama in 2014. Xi has also hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at the compound in the past, underlining the importance and exclusivity of the location. US President Donald Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping are on the same page when it comes to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, as high-stakes talks between the two leaders continued in Beijing. Trump said the two leaders discussed Iran during recent meetings and agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open amid rising tensions in the Middle East. βWeβve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldnβt have been able to solve,β Trump said, according to Reuters. The remarks came during the final day of Trumpβs closely watched visit to China, where discussions have centred on trade, Iran, Taiwan and global security concerns. Middle East Institute senior fellow Alex Vatanka argued that the ongoing US conflict involving Iran may actually be strengthening Chinaβs position globally. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Vatanka said many people in Washington are questioning why the US is heavily focused on Iran when China remains the bigger long-term challenge, especially regarding Taiwan. βWhy is the United States investing so much blood and treasure in this war [on Iran] and draining its military arsenal, when the long-term strategic challenge is a potential conflict with China over Taiwan?β he asked. Vatanka stressed that a Taiwan conflict is not immediate, but warned that the US military is weakening itself by staying deeply involved in the Iran conflict. βWhat the US has been doing in Iran does not strengthen Americaβs military hand. It does the opposite,β he said. βThis war has been a significant win for China,β he added, saying Beijing is closely watching how the US is exhausting resources in the region. According to Al Jazeera, Iranian authorities are being careful not to reveal too many details about how ships are currently being allowed through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television quoted an official linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying at least 30 vessels were cleared to pass through the strategic waterway overnight. According to Iranβs Fars News Agency, some of those ships belonged to Chinese companies. Iran is also reportedly discussing possible transit charges and shipping fees as part of a new management system for vessels moving through the waterway. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the worldβs most sensitive trade routes because a large portion of global oil shipments passes through it every day. A third round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon wrapped up in Washington, DC, with Lebanese officials saying they are pressing Israel to stop attacks on Lebanese towns and villages. The discussions are expected to continue later on Friday. Lebanon is seeking a more stable and lasting ceasefire after months of cross-border violence that has continued even after earlier truce agreements. Oil prices climbed by more than 1 percent after Trump signalled that China was interested in buying oil from the United States. Brent crude futures rose by $1.17, or 1.11 percent, reaching $106.89 a barrel. Meanwhile, US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.10, or 1.09 percent, climbing to $102.27 per barrel. The rise in prices also reflected growing fears around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the worldβs most critical oil shipping routes. Concerns remain high over attacks on ships and vessel seizures in the region, even though Iranian reports claimed around 30 vessels safely passed through the strait on Thursday. The United Nations warned that families living in tents across Gaza are increasingly suffering from skin diseases and illnesses caused by rodents and insects contaminating food supplies. The warning came as fighting and humanitarian shortages continue to worsen conditions for displaced Palestinians. At least four Palestinians were reported killed in northern Gaza earlier in the day, according to hospital sources cited by Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund warned that the ongoing regional conflict could push the global economy towards lower growth and higher inflation. The UN also reported a sharp rise in settler violence across the occupied West Bank after the killing of a child in the Ramallah area. Israeli artillery and air strikes continued across southern Lebanon as well, with attacks reported in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfar Tebnit, Jebchit, Mefdoun, Majdal Selem and Haris. Human rights group Amnesty International has called for investigations into possible war crimes linked to Israeli military actions in southern Syria. According to reports, Israeli forces have increased raids and shelling in the region since the fall of the Assad government. The rights group accused Israel of destroying homes and farmland and said the country had seized more Syrian territory beyond the occupied Golan Heights, violating the 1974 disengagement agreement. Residents in southern Syria have also reported frequent Israeli raids, arrests of young men and the use of herbicides that have damaged farmland and prevented farmers from reaching their fields. Israeli troops said they shot and killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank after accusing him of throwing stones at vehicles near the village of al-Lubban Asharqiya. According to the Israeli military, soldiers saw three people allegedly throwing stones at passing vehicles and opened fire. One Palestinian was killed and another was wounded in the shooting. In the United States, more Democratic lawmakers have joined efforts to officially recognise the Nakba, the mass displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel between 1947 and 1949. Congressman Ro Khanna announced he is supporting a resolution introduced by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. Khanna described the Nakba as βthe erasure and dispossession of the Palestinian people who currently face a brutal occupationβ by Israel. The resolution says the Nakba is not just a historical event but something that continues today through Israelβs war in Gaza, settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and attacks on Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. It also calls on the US Congress to restore funding to UNRWA, the United Nations agency that supports Palestinian refugees. Thirteen other Democratic lawmakers have joined the resolution as co-sponsors. βIran-backed groups carried out more than 350 attacks on US troops and diplomats over the last 30 months,β US CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper said during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Cooper added that recent US military operations have βsignificantly degradedβ Iranβs ability to project power across the Middle East, claiming groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis have now been cut off from Iranian weapons and support. The Kremlin also confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon travel to China in what will be his first foreign trip of 2026. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said preparations for the visit have already been completed, though exact dates will be announced jointly by Moscow and Beijing. The announcement came while Trump was still visiting the Chinese capital, highlighting Beijingβs increasingly central role in global diplomacy during the ongoing Middle East crisis. Violence continued across Gaza and southern Lebanon as well. Hospital sources told Al Jazeera that at least four Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza by Israeli forces. Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced two attacks targeting Israeli military positions. One of them involved a drone strike on Israeli soldiers gathered near the Rosh Hanikra site. Hezbollah said the attacks were retaliation for Israeli ceasefire violations and strikes in southern Lebanon. Israeli artillery also shelled several towns and hills in southern Lebanon, including Nabatieh al-Fouqa, Kfar Tebnit, Jebchit and Mefdoun. Israeli fighter jets later carried out air strikes on Majdal Selem and Haris. Saudi Arabiaβs Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as βprovocative practicesβ by Israeli officials at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The statement referred to two incidents during Jerusalem Day celebrations β one involving an Israeli official entering the mosque compound under police protection, and another involving the raising of the Israeli flag inside the courtyards. Reports identified the official as far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who entered the site near the Dome of the Rock while surrounded by supporters. Israeli lawmaker Yitzhak Kroizer also reportedly accompanied him. Saudi Arabia called on the international community to stop what it described as violations of international law and demanded accountability over actions against Islamic holy sites and Palestinian civilians. In occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers reportedly attacked a Palestinian family in Silwan, an area south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. A child named Mohammed Nidal al-Rajabi suffered facial injuries after settlers threw stones at the family. Reports said the settlers were operating under the protection of Israeli police. The incident came amid already heightened tensions surrounding Jerusalem Day celebrations. Earlier in the day, Israeli nationalists marched through occupied East Jerusalemβs Old City chanting slogans including βDeath to Arabsβ and βMay your villages burnβ. The annual march marks Israelβs capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 war, a move still considered illegal under international law. Middle East Institute senior fellow Alex Vatanka told Al Jazeera that Iranβs leadership is carefully watching ties between China and the US. He explained that over the last 25 years, China has become Iranβs most important economic partner. βI remember when Germany was Iranβs biggest trading partner,β Vatanka said. βThose days are long gone.β According to him, China now supplies Iran with machinery and equipment, including items linked to its defence sector, while also buying around 90 percent of Iranβs crude oil exports. Vatanka said Iranβs leaders are deeply invested in understanding how relations between Beijing and Washington develop. βWhat happens between China and the US is something the Iranian regime watches with intense interest,β he said. He also pointed to Araghchiβs recent visit to Beijing. βI suspect that visit was very much about seeking assurances from the Chinese that they would not throw Iran under the bus. And we have no signs that is about to happen.β Trump said Xi Jinping had offered assistance in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open during the ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran. The waterway has become one of the biggest global concerns because a major disruption there could affect oil supplies and fuel prices around the world. An IMF warning added to those fears. The organisation said continued disruptions caused by the US-Israel conflict with Iran could push the global economy towards what it called an βadverseβ scenario, with slower growth and rising inflation risks. The US hosted the third round of talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, DC. A senior State Department official described the first day of discussions as βproductive and positiveβ, with negotiations set to continue on Friday. The talks come at a critical time because the current ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is due to expire on Sunday. Officials involved in the discussions hope to prevent another major escalation. Lebanese representatives are hoping the negotiations can lead to a renewed ceasefire deal and eventually help settle long-running issues, including Israelβs military presence in southern Lebanon, border security and the highly sensitive issue of Hezbollahβs disarmament. The Middle East remained on edge as fresh military attacks, political warnings and high-level talks unfolded across the region. Iranβs Revolutionary Guard said dozens of ships, including Chinese-owned vessels, had safely crossed through the Strait of Hormuz under what it called Iranβs βmanagement protocolsβ. The development came while US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the future of the crucial waterway, one of the worldβs most important oil shipping routes. Iranβs Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly criticised both the US and Israel, accusing them of βexpansionism and warmongeringβ. He warned that growing instability in the Middle East was a βlose-lose proposition for all sides β including the aggressorsβ. At the same time, violence continued on the Israel-Lebanon border. Several Israeli civilians were wounded after an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah hit Israeli territory. The injured civilians were evacuated to hospitals for treatment.
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