United States in May 2026: the most important developments in security
In May 2026 the confrontation between the United States and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz dominated US security news. Around 1 May the administration declared the war 'terminated' as the 60-day War Powers deadline approached, while the US naval blockade of Iranian ports continued. On 4 May the two sides exchanged fire near the strait; the US said it destroyed six Iranian small boats, and Iran said it hit warships, which the US denied. President Donald Trump paused the ship-escort operation 'Project Freedom' on 6 May, citing progress in talks, and said on 19 May he had called off a planned strike at the request of Gulf allies. The US struck sites in southern Iran on 25 and 28 May, calling the strikes self-defence, while Iran called them a violation of the ceasefire. The Pentagon put the cost of the war near $29 billion, and a congressional report said the US had lost 42 aircraft.
On 1 and 2 May the US announced it would withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany, following a public dispute between Trump and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The Pentagon later halted the deployment of 4,000 troops to Europe, and the number of combat-ready US brigades in Europe fell from four to three. On 21 and 22 May Trump announced 5,000 additional troops for Poland, which NATO's chief welcomed.
On 16 May US and Nigerian forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS; Nigeria said joint strikes killed 175 fighters. Regarding Cuba, Trump threatened to take the island 'almost immediately', the USS Nimitz strike group was sent to the Caribbean on 21 May, and the US charged former Cuban President Raul Castro with murder on 20 May over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes. US strikes on suspected drug boats in the Pacific and Atlantic have killed more than 200 people.
At home, a gunman was shot dead by the Secret Service near the White House on 24 May. Three people were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, and a chemical tank leak in Southern California forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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