TEHRAN, Iran — Iran accused the United States of excessive demands on Saturday, May 23, 2026, as government leaders reviewed a peace proposal while facing threats of renewed military strikes from Washington.
Okay News reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran remains engaged in diplomacy despite facing what the foreign ministry called “repeated betrayals of diplomacy and military aggression against Iran, along with contradictory positions and repeated excessive demands” by the United States.
Media outlets Axios and CBS News reported that the White House is considering new strikes following a halt in hostilities that began with a ceasefire on April 8. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a NATO conference in Sweden that negotiators made “some progress” but that “things were not there yet”.
“We’re dealing with a very difficult group of people. And if it doesn’t change, then the president’s been clear he has other options,” Rubio said.
Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Friday, May 22, 2026, for late-night talks with Araghchi to discuss “the latest diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at preventing further escalation”, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the visit did not mean “we have reached a turning point or a decisive situation” and noted that “deep and extensive” disagreements remain.
Baqaei stated that the status of the Strait of Hormuz and a retaliatory US blockade of Iranian ports remain under discussion. The European Union declared the Iranian blockade “contrary to international law” and expanded its sanctions regime to target individuals involved in the closure.
The foreign ministry spokesman also said fighting must stop in Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have continued clashes despite an April 17 truce. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,111 people since March 2, with strikes in the south on Friday killing 10 people.
