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Iran-Israel war highlights: Trump says 'clock is ticking' for Iran
Iran-Israel war highlights: Trump says 'clock is ticking' for Iran UAE reports drone strike at nuclear power plant as Iran war deadlock endures Updated – May 18, 2026 05:53 am IST The Hindu Bureau U.S. President Donald Trump….
Iran-Israel war highlights: Trump says ‘clock is ticking’ for Iran
UAE reports drone strike at nuclear power plant as Iran war deadlock endures
Updated – May 18, 2026 05:53 am IST
U.S. President Donald Trump. File.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
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U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday (May 17, 2026) threatened consequences for Iran if its leaders do not act quickly. Meanwhile, a fire broke out following a drone strike on a nuclear power plant in the emirate of Abu Dhabi on Sunday (May 17, 2026), authorities said, reporting no injuries or impact on radiation levels.
“Authorities in Abu Dhabi responded to a fire incident that broke out in an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra Region, caused by a drone strike,” the Abu Dhabi Media Office wrote in a social media post.
“No injuries were reported, and there was no impact on radiological safety levels,” it added.
Earlier, Israel launched a massive series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday (May 17, 2026), despite an extension of the truce between the two countries. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah but the strikes were preceded by an evacuation warning covering nine villages.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday (May 17, 2026) “to facilitate” the peace talks between Iran and the United States that have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, Iranian media reported.
- May 18, 2026 01:54 Saudi says it intercepted three drones that entered from Iraqi airspace
Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it intercepted three drones after they entered its territory from Iraqi airspace.
The kingdom’s defense ministry said it would take the necessary operational measures to respond to any attempt to violate its sovereignty and security.
-Reuters
- May 17, 2026 23:18 Trump to meet U.S. security advisers on May 19
United States President Donald Trump is expected to hold a Situation Room meeting on May 19 with his top national security advisers to discuss the options for military action regarding Iran, Axios reported on Sunday, citing two U.S. officials.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
– Reuters
- May 17, 2026 22:26 Trump says ‘clock is ticking’ for Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened consequences for Iran if its leaders do not act quickly.
“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!,” he wrote in a Truth Social post.
– Reuters
- May 17, 2026 21:28 UAE calls drone attack at nuclear site ‘dangerous escalation’
The United Arab Emirates condemned a drone attack that caused a fire near its nuclear plant on Sunday, calling it a “dangerous escalation”.
“The UAE emphasised that it will not tolerate any threat to its security and sovereignty under any circumstances,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.
– AFP
- May 17, 2026 21:01 Hezbollah fired 200 projectiles over the weekend at Israel: Army official
An Israeli military official said Sunday that Hezbollah had fired around 200 projectiles at Israel and its troops over the weekend, despite Israel and Lebanon agreeing to extend a ceasefire.
“Over the weekend, Hezbollah launched approximately 200 projectiles toward the State of Israel and IDF troops, in a clear and ongoing violation of the ceasefire understandings,” the official said, in a statement to AFP.
Fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah has continued even as envoys from both the countries agreed on Friday to extend the ceasefire by another 45 days.
In recent weeks, Hezbollah has repeatedly deployed low cost fibre-optic first person view (FPV) drones targeting Israeli forces, posing a new challenge for the Israeli military.
– AFP
- May 17, 2026 20:16 Israel strikes Lebanon as Hezbollah calls talks ‘dead end’
Israel struck eastern and southern Lebanon, state media reported, despite a fragile ceasefire as Hezbollah called US-brokered talks between the two countries a “dead end”.
Two Israeli strikes hit the town of Sohmor in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) said, adding that others took place across southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army later issued an evacuation warning to four villages near the southern coastal city of Sidon, dozens of kilometres from the border area, which were also subject to an evacuation warning on Saturday.
Israeli airstrikes hit three of the four villages following the warning, the NNA said.
– AFP
- May 17, 2026 19:43 Investigations underway to determine source of drone attack near nuclear plant, UAE Defense Ministry says
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that investigations were underway to determine the source of a drone attack that hit a generator outside the Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi.
The defense ministry said it dealt “successfully” with two drones, while a third one hit a generator near the plant. It said the drones were launched from the “western border”, without providing further details.
– Reuters
- May 17, 2026 18:09 Iran media says ‘no tangible concessions’ in U.S. response to Iran proposal
Iranian media said that the United States had failed to make any concrete concessions in its latest response to Iran’s proposed agenda for negotiations to end the war.
The Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.
The U.S. also refused to release “even 25 percent” of Iran’s frozen assets abroad or pay any reparations for the damage inflicted on Iran during the war which broke out on February 28, according to Fars.
– AFP
- May 17, 2026 17:35 Israel’s Netanyahu says to speak with Trump on Sunday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was scheduled to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday.
Netanyahu said that in he expected to hear about Trump’s trip to China, while suggesting they would also discuss Iran.
– Reuters
- May 17, 2026 17:34 IAEA expresses ‘grave concern’ over drone strike near UAE nuclear plant
The UN atomic watchdog, the IAEA, on Sunday expressed “grave concern” over a drone strike near a United Arab Emirates nuclear plant that triggered a fire, though it said that radiation levels remained normal.
The International Atomic Energy Agency on X said its head, Rafael Grossi, voiced the concern and added: “Military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable.”
“The IAEA has been informed by the UAE that radiation levels at the Barakah NPP (nuclear power plant) remain normal and no injuries were reported,” the agency said.
– AFP
- May 17, 2026 16:02 Fire breaks out after drone strike on UAE nuclear power plant: authorities
A fire broke out following a drone strike on a nuclear power plant in the emirate of Abu Dhabi on Sunday (May 17, 2026), authorities said, reporting no injuries or impact on radiation levels.
“Authorities in Abu Dhabi responded to a fire incident that broke out in an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra Region, caused by a drone strike,” the Abu Dhabi Media Office wrote in a social media post.
“No injuries were reported, and there was no impact on radiological safety levels,” it added. — AFP
- May 17, 2026 12:44 Pak Interior Minister Naqvi’s Tehran visit linked to reviving Iran-U.S. talks: media reports
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s previously unannounced visit to Tehran was linked by Pakistani and Iranian media to Islamabad’s continuing efforts to revive the stalled Iran-US peace process amid persistent tensions in West Asia.
Dawn newspaper, quoting unnamed diplomatic sources, reported on Sunday that Naqvi’s two-day visit came after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest response to American proposals.
It also said that Pakistan was continuing shuttle diplomacy aimed at preventing the negotiations from collapsing entirely after momentum generated by earlier rounds of talks in Islamabad slowed sharply.
– PTI
- May 17, 2026 10:29 At UN, India flags concerns over targeting of vessels in Strait of Hormuz
Targeting commercial shipping, endangering civilian crew and impeding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is “unacceptable”, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Parvathaneni Harish has said, stressing that international law governing safe passage must be “fully respected”.
At UN, India flags concerns over targeting of vessels in Strait of Hormuz
India condemns targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing the need for safe navigation and respect for international law.
- May 17, 2026 09:36 Israel strikes south Lebanon day after ceasefire extension
Israel launched a massive series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday (May 16, 2026), despite an extension of the truce between the two countries.
Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah but the strikes were preceded by an evacuation warning covering nine villages.
And the continuing bombardment has only increased scepticism about the truce among the many thousands of Lebanese driven from their homes in the south.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on more than two dozen villages on Saturday, including one more than 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the border.
– AFP
Published – May 17, 2026 09:28 am IST
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This article was generated from an imported news source and rewritten for clarity and readability. View original source
Prateek Tanmay