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Iran live updates: Trump says Iran 'desperately' wants to meet for ceasefire talks amid new strikes

Seventeen U.S. service members have been killed since the war in Iran began.

ByDavid Brennan and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 12:35 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Jul 20, 2026, 4:32 AM EDT

Iran FM says war must end when Tehran has 'upper hand'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the IRNA state news agency in an interview on Monday that the war with the U.S. "must be ended exactly at the point where you have the upper hand in the field."

"The end of the war is possible either through absolute military victory or through negotiations," Araghchi said.

"The right time to negotiate is precisely when you have achieved a reliable field and strategic achievement on the military front," he added. "A politician must always ask this fundamental question: will continuing the war increase the achievements or the losses?"

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Jul 20, 2026, 3:55 AM EDT

US strikes hit 9 Iranian cities overnight, state media says

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported U.S. strikes on at least nine towns and cities overnight.

Bushehr, Tabriz, Urmia, Bandar Imam Khomeini, Jask, Sirik, Mahshahr, Chabahar and Konarak were attacked in the latest wave of American attacks, IRNA said.

IRAN quoted local officials as saying that at least one person was killed and several people injured in strikes on Tabriz.

Smoke rises from an explosion at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command said were strikes on Iran, in this still image taken from a handout video released on July 19, 2026.
U.s. Central Command/via Reuters

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Jul 20, 2026, 5:11 AM EDT

Kuwait and Bahrain report fresh Iranian attacks

The Kuwaiti Army issued a statement on Monday saying its air defenses "are currently confronting attacks by hostile drones," again condemning "Iranian aggression."

In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said that its air raid sirens were sounded at least twice on Monday morning. The Bahrain Defence Force later confirmed fresh Iranian attacks on the kingdom.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Jul 19, 2026, 10:20 PM EDT

Fighter jets based in United Kingdom and Germany sent to Middle East

A U.S. official told ABC News that U.S. fighter jets stationed in the United Kingdom and Germany are being sent to the Middle East.

They include F-16’s stationed in Germany and F-35 fighters stationed in the U.K., according to the official.

Air & Space Forces Magazine was first to report the deployment of additional fighters to the Middle East.

There are currently 50,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

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