20/03/2026 – 15:16 France presenting ‘nuanced position’ as FM Barrot visits Israel
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on a visit to Israel that Iran must make major concessions as part of any long-term political solution following the Middle East war, while also calling on Israel to seize an “historic opportunity” and hold direct talks with Lebanese authorities.
France 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky said Barrot’s comments show France is trying to take a more “nuanced” position as it seeks to help mediate an end to the conflict.
20/03/2026 – 15:14Spain to spend 5 billion euros to ease Middle East war fallout
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a sweeping package worth five billion euros ($5.8 billion) aimed at cushioning the economic impact of the Middle East war, including a “drastic reduction” in energy-related taxes.
Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting, the Socialist leader said the 80-measure package was necessary to shield households and key sectors from surging costs.
“Extraordinary situations require extraordinary responses,” Sanchez said, calling it the “largest social and economic shield” being implemented in the European Union.
20/03/2026 – 14:49Trump calls NATO allies ‘cowards’ over Iran
President Donald Trump assailed NATO allies on Friday over their lack of support for the US-Israel war against Iran, calling the longtime US allies “cowards”.
“Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” Trump said in a social media post. “COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”
20/03/2026 – 14:45NATO mission in Iraq to start evacuating temporarily, state news agency reports
NATO has begun withdrawing personnel from Iraq due to regional tensions and conflict, a senior security source told Iraq’s state news agency.
The source added that the NATO mission is non-combat and advisory, and will return once the war ends and security in Iraq stabilizes.
20/03/2026 – 14:39Ukraine deploys 228 specialists to Middle East, discussing ‘serious agreements’
Kyiv has deployed 228 specialists to help Middle Eastern countries with drone defence, and is working with Middle Eastern leaders to sign “serious agreements,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
Zelensky also told reporters that Ukrainian and US working groups would continue work on bilateral documents between Kyiv and Washington and discuss a wide-ranging drone deal at a meeting in the US at the weekend.
20/03/2026 – 14:28French foreign minister calls on Iran to make ‘major concessions’
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on a visit to Israel that Iran must make major concessions as part of any long-term political solution following the Middle East war.
“Whatever the outcome of the ongoing military operations, it must be complemented by a political solution that produces lasting results,” Barrot told journalists in Tel Aviv.
“In this regard, the Iranian regime must be prepared to make major concessions – a radical change of stance.”
Barrot repeated a European call for a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure after an Israeli bombardment of Iran’s key gasfield pushed up energy prices.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaks to the media at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, March 20, 2026. © Maya Levin, AP
20/03/2026 – 14:27Iran’s military warns parks and tourist areas worldwide won’t be safe for enemies
Iran’s top military spokesman has warned that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide won’t be safe for Tehran’s enemies.
Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi made the threat as Iran continues to be hit by US and Israeli airstrikes. It was likely to renew concerns that as the war goes on, Iran may revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic.
“From now on, based on the information we have about you, even parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations anywhere in the world will no longer be safe for you,” Shekarchi said in a statement published online by Iranian state television.
20/03/2026 – 13:54Iran military threatens to hunt down US, Israeli officials even on vacation
Iran’s military threatened to hunt down officials and army commanders from the United States and Israel even while they were vacationing or visiting entertainment centres.
“We are watching your cowardly officials and commanders, pilots and wicked soldiers,” armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi was quoted by state TV as saying.
“From now on, based on the information we have on you, the promenades, resorts and tourist and entertainment centres in the world will not be safe for you either.”
20/03/2026 – 13:47NATO ‘temporarily’ withdraws Iraq mission, Iraqi officials say
The NATO mission in Iraq has temporarily withdrawn from the country, two Iraqi security officials told AFP, citing the impact of the war in the Middle East.
“There is no disagreement” with the Iraqi government, one official told AFP on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.
“It’s a temporary withdrawal. They are worried because of the situation,” he added. Another official said “the entire NATO mission has withdrawn”, except for a small number of personnel.
The NATO mission is headquartered in an Iraqi military base in Baghdad’s Green Zone near the US embassy, which since the start of the war has been targeted multiple times.
20/03/2026 – 13:38Restoring oil flow from Gulf could take six months, IEA chief says
The International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned in an interview with the Financial Times that it could take up to six months to restore oil and gas flows from the Gulf, saying the world is facing what could be the most severe energy crisis in history.
“It will be six months for some (sites) to be operational, others much longer,” he told FT.
Birol said politicians and markets were underestimating the scale of the disruption, with around one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies effectively stranded in the region, the report added.
20/03/2026 – 13:09 Iran hits Kuwaiti oil refinery as attacks on oil infrastructure continue
Firefighters battled a blaze at a giant oil refinery in Kuwait after a fresh drone attack as Iran kept up a wave of retaliatory strikes on its neighbours.
FRANCE 24’s regional correspondent Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from Doha, Qatar.
20/03/2026 – 12:50Macron says ‘war in Iran will not deter France from supporting Ukraine’
President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that France would press ahead with its efforts to back Ukraine, speaking after the country’s navy intercepted an oil tanker sailing from Russia.
“We are staying the course,” Macron said on X. “The war in Iran will not deter France from supporting Ukraine, where Russia’s war of aggression continues.”
20/03/2026 – 12:40Netherlands tightens security for Iranian dissidents after shooting of man critical of Iran authorities
The Netherlands is stepping up security for Iranian dissidents living in the country after a man of Iranian descent who is known to be critical of the authorities in Tehran was shot, Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel said on Friday.
A spokesperson for Van Weel declined to provide more details.
The victim of the shooting is a 36-year-old police official who was seriously injured on Thursday morning. It is still unclear who was responsible for the attack. The investigation is ongoing, and Dutch authorities have not yet determined whether there is any link to Iran.
“The Public Prosecution Service is currently taking all possible scenarios into account,” Van Weel said late on Thursday on social media platform X.
20/03/2026 – 12:27Removing sanctions on Iran oil will bring supplies into ports, US energy secretary says
Removing oil sanctions on stranded Iranian oil would get supplies to Asia within three or four days, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Friday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday the US may soon remove sanctions on Iranian oil stranded on tankers at sea, as Washington seeks to curb prices soaring over Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Within days, within three or four days, that oil will start to arrive at ports,” Wright said in an interview with Fox Business Network.
20/03/2026 – 12:14UAE police arrest more than 100 for filming, posting ‘misleading’ info during war
Police in the United Arab Emirates said they had arrested more than 100 people for filming and posting “misleading” information during the Middle East war, as Gulf countries crack down on footage and posts related to Iran’s attacks.
“Abu Dhabi Police announced the arrest of 109 individuals of various nationalities who filmed sites and incidents and circulated incorrect information via social media platforms during current events,” it said in a statement on X, adding that some of the people had shared “misleading information”.
20/03/2026 – 11:47Russia summons Israeli envoy to lodge formal protest over strike on Russian journalists
Russia’s foreign ministry summoned Israel’s ambassador to Russia on to lodge a formal protest over an Israeli rocket strike on southern Lebanon that wounded Russian state TV journalists, the state TASS news agency reported.
It said that Oded Joseph, Israel’s ambassador, had been told that Russia wanted an investigation into the attack, which happened on Thursday, and assurances that such incidents would not happen again.
20/03/2026 – 11:42Israeli warplanes break sound barrier over Beirut as Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr
An Israeli warplane broke the sound barrier over Beirut this morning, state media said. AFP journalists reported hearing loud booms reverberate across the city and in distant mountains.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency said “a strong sonic boom, in two successive waves, shook the skies over Beirut and its suburbs” on the morning of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Ramadan fasting period.
The incident set social media abuzz.
“On a day without shelling – so far – the Israelis are greeting the people of Beirut and its suburbs with two sonic booms,” one internet user, Salah Halawi, wrote on X.
Last week Israeli warplanes also caused loud booms in the skies of the Lebanese capital, as they dropped propaganda leaflets on the city, terrifying residents.
Some of the leaflets referenced Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza as a “remarkable success”, tacitly threatening Lebanon with the same fate.
Israel’s Gaza campaign has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, most of them women or children.
20/03/2026 – 11:24Israeli military says striking Iranian region on Caspian Sea
Israel’s military said it was launching strikes in Iran’s Noor region on the shores of the Caspian Sea, as it kept up its bombing campaign after almost three weeks of war.
“The IDF has begun striking targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime,” the army said in a statement.
The fresh strikes come after Israel’s military said Thursday its jets had hit several Iranian naval vessels in the Caspian Sea.
20/03/2026 – 11:21 French foreign minister heads to Israel after Lebanon visit
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot made an unscheduled trip to Israel after visiting Beirut yesterday as part of efforts to reduce tensions in the region and secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Barrot had met with Lebanon’s president, prime minister and parliamentary speaker to express his support for the Lebanese armed forces, who he said were trying to protect the country’s sovereignty, FRANCE 24’s Claire Paccalin reports.
20/03/2026 – 11:15US, Israel strike 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port city, Iran’s media reports