Scan to Download
US President Donald Trump said the war will end “very quickly” because Iran wants a deal badly. He predicted oil prices will plummet, saying "there's so much oil out there, they are going to come plummeting down." Earlier Trump said he was an hour away from making a decision to restart attacks on Iran, but put it off after receiving a call from interlocutors, including Qatar and the UAE, on Tehran being "reasonable" in the peace talks.
The US President said the negotiators said they had made a lot of progress in talks with Iran over the last two days.
On X, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that months after the war began, the US Congress has acknowledged losing dozens of aircraft worth billions. He claimed Iran's Armed Forces were the first to shoot down an F-35, adding that a return to war would bring "many more surprises" based on lessons learned.
Meanwhile, Senate advances bill aimed at ending Iran war after GOP Senator Bill Cassidy, defeated in primary, switches to support it.
US aircraft losses and damages include four F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, one F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, one A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft, seven KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft, one E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft, one HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and one MQ-4C Triton drone.
The CRS, which provides policy and legal analysis to the US Congress and committees, compiled the losses by perusing news reports and statements by the Department of Defence and the US Central Command.
At least 42 US aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, were lost or damaged during Operation Epic Fury launched on February 28 targeting Iran, according to an official report.
The number of aircraft damaged or destroyed may remain subject to revision due to multiple factors, including classification, ongoing combat activity, and attribution, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report said.
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued a sharp warning to the United States on Wednesday, claiming vindication from a newly released Congressional report that documented the scale of American aircraft losses during Operation Epic Fury.
Geoffrey Dennis, Independent Emerging Markets Commentator Told NDTV Profit
Brent crude slipped below $111 a barrel after easing 0.7% in the previous session, while West Texas Intermediate traded near $104. Despite the modest pullback, both benchmarks remain sharply higher as tensions in the Middle East continue to disrupt one of the world's most critical oil corridors.
The Senate advanced legislation that seeks to force US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, as a growing number of Republicans defied the president's wishes.
Republicans had been able to muster the votes to reject those proposals. The 50-47 vote tally demonstrated the small but crucial number of Republicans voting to halt the war with Iran. The legislation will get a vote on final passage, but the timing was not immediately clear.
(Source: AP)
US President Donald Trump predicted a dramatic fall in global oil prices, signaling confidence that an ongoing conflict with Iran would be brought to a swift conclusion. Speaking from the White House, Trump said that Iran was eager to negotiate an end to hostilities.
US Vice President JD Vance said, "We want to keep the number of countries that have nuclear weapons small, and that's why Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. On top of all the other things that we might be worried about, that they themselves could use it, that they could use it as leverage in economic control or economic negotiations. We just don't want them to have a nuclear weapon."
(Source: AP)
US Vice President JD Vance says, "...What I think is that the Iranians want to make a deal, Iranians recognise that a nuclear weapon is the red line for the United States of America...But we're not going to know until we're actually putting pen to paper on signing a deal..."
"It's ultimately up to the Iranians whether they are willing to meet us, because I think we're certainly doing a good job and we're certainly negotiating in good faith. We're going to have to see what ultimately happens with them. I can't say with confidence because I don't know what's in the mind of the other side," added Vance.
#WATCH | US Vice President JD Vance says, "...What I think is that the Iranians want to make a deal, Iranians recognise that a nuclear weapon is the red line for the United States of America...But we're not going to know until we're actually putting pen to paper on signing a… pic.twitter.com/EMYgwzvFBE
— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2026
JD Vance warned that diplomacy will not come at the cost of Trump’s key demand that Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon.
"So as the president just told me, we're locked and loaded," Vance said, adding that he had a meeting with Trump before coming to the press briefing.
"We don't want to go down that pathway. But the president is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to," the vice president said.
US Vice President J D Vance has said Iran having an atomic weapon would trigger a "nuclear arms race" worldwide and asserted that the US was "locked and loaded" to restart military operations if Tehran failed to reach a peace deal.
Vance's remarks at a press conference at the White House on Tuesday came a day after President Donald Trump put off the decision to resume strikes on Iran at the request of Arab nations, including Qatar and the UAE, who said that Tehran was being “reasonable” in peace talks.
"We think the Iranians want to make a deal. The president of the United States has asked us to negotiate in good faith. And that’s exactly what we’ve done," the vice president said.
.@VP: "Iran can never have a nuclear weapon... Iran would really be the first domino in what would set off a nuclear arms race all over the world. That's very, very bad for the safety of our country." pic.twitter.com/PlkJE2cx1G
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 19, 2026
Iran FM Abbas Araghchi on X: Months after initiation of war on Iran, US Congress acknowledges loss of dozens of aircraft worth billions. Our powerful Armed Forces are confirmed as 1st to strike down a touted F-35. With lessons learned and knowledge we gained, return to war will feature many more surprises.
Months after initiation of war on Iran, US Congress acknowledges loss of dozens of aircraft worth billions.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 19, 2026
Our powerful Armed Forces are confirmed as 1st to strike down a touted F-35.
With lessons learned and knowledge we gained, return to war will feature many more surprises.
US President Donald Trump says, "...We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly...You are going to see oil prices plummet. They're going to come down. There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down"
#WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, "...We're going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly...You are going to see oil prices plummet. They're going to come down. There's so much oil out there, they're going to come plummeting down"
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2026
(Source: The… pic.twitter.com/cgMaNaAvnb
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
