Iraqi PM condemns Gulf attacks
An Iraqi security official declared that “Arab countries have not provided precise information, only accusations”, demanding “evidence and precise information” to “take appropriate measures”. According to the government spokesperson, the new Iraqi Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, has ordered the formation of military commissions responsible for contact Arab States to obtain “accurate information for verification”.
The Emirates calls on Iraq to “immediately” prevent attacks launched from its territory
The war in Iran has increased the monthly spending of one in two French people
The latest Elabe-BFMTV poll published this Wednesday, May 20 reveals a clear worsening of the French’s feeling of financial suffocation. Increased spending linked to the conflict in Iran, increased use of promotions, multiplication of overdrafts…: the pressure on purchasing power is now reaching all social categories.
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Purchasing power: the war in Iran has increased the monthly spending of one in two French people
Oil loses more than 5% on the markets
Oil prices fell further on Wednesday after Donald Trump’s remarks to a pool of journalists in Washington, referring to the “last phase” of negotiations with the Iran to find a solution to the conflict in the Middle East.
Around 3:35 p.m. GMT (5:35 p.m. in Paris), the price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea, for delivery in July, lost 5.22% to $105.47, after briefly falling to $103.24. Its American equivalent, the barrel of West Texas Intermediate, for delivery the same month, of which this is the first day of use as a reference contract, fell by 5.00% to 98.94 dollars, after having fallen to 97 dollars.
Saudi Arabia congratulates Donald Trump for “giving diplomacy a chance”
Saudi Arabia has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s decision to “give diplomacy a chance” to reach an agreement to end the conflict and restore maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry also highlighted the mediation efforts led by Pakistan and called on Iran to “seize this opportunity” to avoid escalation and move towards a comprehensive agreement guaranteeing lasting peace in the region.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia highly appreciates the US President Donald Trump’s decision to give diplomacy a chance to reach an acceptable agreement to end the war, restore the security and freedom of maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to its state prior to February 28th,…
— Ùيصل بن ÙرØان (@FaisalbinFarhan) May 20, 2026
 Donald Trump says Benjamin Netanyahu ‘will do what he wants him to do’ on Iran
Riyadh calls on Iran to seize the opportunity of ongoing diplomatic efforts to avoid “an escalation”
UN declarations: closure of the Strait of Hormuz risks causing an “agri-food shock”
The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz risks causing a systemic agri-food shock that could trigger a serious global food price crisis within six to twelve months, the FAO warned on Wednesday.
To avoid such an outcome, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommends “putting in place alternative trade routes, exercising moderation in terms of export restrictions, protecting humanitarian flows and building up reserves to absorb rising transport costs.”
🔴 Update on the situation at 2:30 p.m.
The United Arab Emirates calls on Baghdad to “immediately” prevent attacks launched from its territory, after a drone strike identified by the Gulf emirate as coming from Iraq caused a fire on Sunday near the nuclear power plant.
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, promise this Wednesday to extend the war “beyond the region” of the Middle East if the United States and Israel attacked the country again.
According to Chinese President Xi Jinping, a resumption of hostilities in Iran would be inappropriate while Donald Trump threatened the day before to resume his strikes on Iran.
The Emirates calls on Iraq to “immediately” prevent attacks launched from its territory
The United Arab Emirates calls on Baghdad to “immediately” prevent attacks launched from its territory, after a drone strike identified by the Gulf emirate as coming from Iraq caused a fire on Sunday near the Barakah nuclear power plant. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on “Iraq to urgently prevent (…) any hostile acts emanating from its territory, and to deal with these threats quickly, immediately and responsibly”.
Putin, Trump and Netanyahu are “monsters”, says director Pedro Almodovar in Cannes
Europeans must become a “shield” against the “monsters” that are the American Donald Trump, the Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu and the Russian Vladimir Putin, declared Pedro Almodovar this Wednesday at the Cannes festival. “As Europeans, we are (…) obliged to become a sort of shield against monsters like Trump, Netanyahu or the Russian. “We are obliged because here we respect international law,” said the Spanish filmmaker, in the running this year for the Palme d’Or with “Autofiction”.
United States/Iran negotiations: new visit by a Pakistani minister to Tehran
The Minister of the Interior of Pakistan, mediator country between the United States and Iran, visited Tehran for the second time in less than a week, the official Irna agency reported this Wednesday, in the midst of an impasse in the peace negotiations. “Mohsen Naqvi came to Tehran to meet officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the agency said, citing “diplomatic sources in Islamabad.”
Jordan says it shot down a drone of unknown origin in its airspace
The Jordanian army announced this Wednesday that it had shot down a drone of “unknown origin” in the kingdom’s airspace. “The Jordanian armed forces took charge this morning of a drone of unknown origin which had penetrated Jordanian airspace. It was intercepted and shot down in the governorate of Jerash (about 50 kilometers north of Amman), without causing any casualties,” she said in a press release.
Iran promises war well “beyond the region” in the event of an American attack
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, promised this Wednesday to extend the war “beyond the region” of the Middle East, if the United States and Israel attacked the country again. “If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time extend well beyond the region, and our devastating blows will crush you,” the Guardians said in a statement published on their Sepah News website.
Israel allegedly operated two secret military bases in the Iraqi desert
A New York Times investigation reveals the existence of at least two clandestine Israeli military bases in the Iraqi desert, used for more than a year to prepare and support operations against Iran. Click here to read our article.
South Korea announces that one of its tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz
A South Korean oil tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz this Wednesday, a passage facilitated by Tehran, Seoul announced, while traffic in this strategic passage remains largely paralyzed by the conflict in the Middle East. “At this very moment, our oil ship is leaving the Strait of Hormuz, in coordination with Iran,” South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told Parliament, without giving further details. South Korea depends largely on the Middle East for its crude supplies.
Xi Jinping tells Vladimir Putin that a resumption of hostilities in the Middle East would be “inopportune”
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing last night for a two-day state visit. The Chinese president considered that a resumption of hostilities in the Middle East would be “inopportune”, while Donald Trump threatened the day before to resume his strikes on Iran. “The situation in the Gulf region is at a pivotal moment between war and peace. It is urgent to achieve a total end to the war. A resumption of hostilities would be inopportune and continuing negotiations is more essential than ever,” declared Xi Jinping, quoted by the official Xinhua news agency.
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Follow the news of the war in the Middle East, this Wednesday, May 20, 2026, live on ladepeche.fr.
/2026/05/20/6a0d840a6e709126637817.jpg "“We must all go to the army”: the ultra-Orthodox exemption bill divides Israelis and threatens Benjamin Netanyahu")
