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DIRECT. War in the Middle East: the G7 Finances in Paris to discuss the economic consequences of the conflict

18 May، 2026

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PubliÃ© on 18/05/2026 06:47

Mis Ã jour on 18/05/2026 20:43

The Strait of Hormuz on a map, April 15, 2026. (JOAO LUIZ BULCAO / HANS LUCAS / AFP)

In a message published on Telegram, the powerful Iranian paramilitary organization explains that any disruption to this equipment risks losing up to “hundreds of millions of dollars per day” to the world economy.

What you need to know

They invoke the “absolute sovereignty” of Iran in this area. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards threatened on Monday May 18 to charge for the use of submarine fiber optic cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz. In a message published on Telegram, they explain that any disruption to this equipment risks losing up to “hundreds of millions of dollars a day” to the global economy. Follow our live stream.

Iran announces the creation of an organization to manage the Strait of Hormuz. The Persian Gulf Straits Authority (PGSA) now has its official social media account, through which it will provide “real-time updates on operations” in this strategic passage for the hydrocarbon trade. Ships are required to provide detailed information about their ownership, insurance, crew members and planned transit route, according to the trade journal Lloyd’s List.
A meeting of G7 finance ministers Ã Paris. On Monday and Tuesday, they are trying to bring their positions closer together to assess and respond to the repercussions of the conflict in the Middle East, or to free themselves from dependence on critical Chinese minerals. At the top of the agenda are the economic consequences of the war in the Middle East. It is about“help the sectors that need it most”declared the French Minister of the Economy, Roland Lescure, at the opening of the event.
Seven dead, including an Islamic Jihad leader, in Israeli strikes. Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Sunday killed seven people, including a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader, despite a further extension of the truce. The Israeli army had called for the evacuation of several villages, sometimes located tens of kilometers from the Israeli-Lebanese border.
New threats from Donald Trump. The American president warned on Sunday on his Truth Social platform that he “will not stay[it] nothing more from Iran” if Tehran does not sign an agreement with the United States, then negotiations between the two countries are slipping. “It’s the calm before the storm”, he had also warned, a little earlier, in another message on Truth Social.

#MIDDLE_EAST #FUEL The rise in fuel prices is affecting your daily life, but you are not entitled to aid? You can answer our questions in our form. Your responses will be consulted by our journalists and the testimonies that catch our attention will result in direct contact. Your anonymity can be guaranteed at your request.
update on the news

0 seconds ago

It’s 8 p.m., here are the main news headlines:

â€¢ #NARCOTAFFIC Two men and a woman suspected of being involved in the shooting which left two dead and six injured in Nice on May 11 reception mass and examannounced the Marseille prosecutor.

â€¢ #MIDDLE_EAST The UN demands that Israel imposes a “genocide” in Gaza, in a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Follow our live.
#MIDDLE_EAST In Iran, the internet network has been cut for weeks, with traffic reduced to a bare minimum for certain professional categories. But the general blackout also has other consequences on Iranians, with an increase in depression and broken family ties with foreigners, reports Le Figaro.
#MIDDLE_EAST Ofer Bronchtein, president of the International Peace Forum, died today in Paris at the age of 69, announces on Instagram the structure he co-founded.

(LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP)

Campaigner for a two-state solution, “humanist, generous, disruptive”according to the International Peace Forum, he participated in the Oslo peace process in the 1990s between Israeli and Palestinian authorities. Since 2020, he has been in charge of the mission by France for rapprochement between Israelis and Palestinians.

Ofer Bronchtein had defended the recognition of Palestine by France, which took place last September. “I’ve been campaigning for peace for fifty years, I’ve been campaigning for the two-state solution for fifty years and it’s happening”, he then declared to franceinfoÃ©mu.
#MIDDLE_EAST Iranian authorities have made more than 4,000 arrests on charges linked to the war with the United States and Israel, according to a human rights NGO. The charges include espionage, threats to national security, or even communicating or sharing content related to the conflict with foreign media, the structure said.

Iranian National Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said yesterday that more than 6,500 “traitors and spies” liÃ©s Ã “the enemy” have been arrested since anti-government protests in January.
#MIDDLE_EAST The Israeli strikes made 3,020 dead in Lebanon since the start of hostilities between Israel and pro-Iranian Hezbollah on March 2, according to a new official report, while violence continues despite the truce. In a press release, the Lebanese Ministry of Health mentions the deaths of 116 medical staff and 211 children or minors, as well as 9,273 injured.
update on the news

0 seconds ago
At 6 p.m., here is a new update on the news:
#BRUEL Flavie Flament rÃ©pond Ã Patrick Bruel et rÃ©itÃ¨re ses accusations. “I have absolutely never had a relationship with Patrick Bruel, whatever it may be”assures the host.

#BOIL #CANNES “We can regret his reaction which aggravates divisions instead of bringing people together”rÃ©agit land the President of the CNC, Gauten Bruel, on France Inter, after the words of the boss of Canal+, Maxime Saada who threatens the signatories from a platform against the ultraconservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré.

#NEW CALEDONIA Discussions on the future of the archipelago must succeed “before the end of the year”announces Sébastien Lecornu.

#MIDDLE_EAST The UN demands that Israel imposes a “genocide” in Gaza, in a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Follow our live.
#MIDDLE_EAST Iran hit groups “acting on behalf of the United States and Israel” in the west of the country, near the Iraqi border, say the Revolutionary Guards, quoted by the Isna news agency. These groups were hit while they “attempted to introduce into the country a large shipment of American arms and ammunition”according to the ideological army of the Islamic Republic.
#MIDDLE_EAST #FUEL TotalEnergies announces, in a press release, that it is renewing its operation to block fuel prices for the Pentecost weekend, from Saturday May 23 to Monday May 25. During these three days, gasoline will cost 1.99 euros per liter, and diesel 2.09 euros per liter“across the entire hexagonal network”prÃ©cise TotalEnergies.
#MIDDLE_EAST The Lebanese president promised to do “l’impossible” to stop the war with Israel. The Israeli army continues its strikes despite a truce and new negotiations planned in Washington, which are opposed by pro-Iranian Hezbollah. Joseph Aoun recalls that the negotiations aim in particular at the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the return of the displaced.