All news: Friday 20 March 2026

United Kingdom–United States relations

British prime minister Keir Starmer allows the United States to use British bases to strike Iranian targets near the strait to lift the blockade.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Belgium says that it will consider participating in securing the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is in place and if the operation is conducted within a clear international framework.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is ready to help the passage of vessels from Japan in the Strait of Hormuz.

2026 Iranian strikes on Israel

The Iranian army launches strikes against strategic aerial refueling aircraft stationed at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East

A second Marine Expeditionary Unit of 2,200 U.S. Marines is being sent to the region.

2026 Iran war

U.S. president Donald Trump says that the United States is considering "winding down" military operations in Iran as they "are getting very close to meeting [their] objectives" and urges the countries that "use" Hormuz to safeguard the Strait.

2026 Iran war

Iran confirms the death of IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran.

Gaza peace plan

Ceasefire mediators in Cairo, Egypt, give Hamas and all armed groups in the Gaza Strip 90 days to hand over their weapons in the coming months, including their missiles and rocket launchers along with their tunnel network.

Druze insurgency in Southern Syria

Israeli forces strike Syrian military sites, including command and control centres and supply depots, in the country's south, claiming to respond to alleged Syrian government attacks on the local Druze population.

Iraqi conflict

Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announces the withdrawal of his forces from Iraq, stationed there as part of the CJTF–OIR joint task force against the Islamic State, citing the regional threat from Iran.

Iraqi conflict

United States Air Force general Alexus Grynkewich announces that NATO has withdrawn troops from Iraq and will relocate from the Middle East to Europe amidst the Iran war.

2026 Kwara State attacks

Government forces arrest three men suspected of participating in the February attacks and mass abductions in two villages in Kaiama, Kwara State, Nigeria. The suspects are cooperating with authorities to locate the kidnapping victims.

Darfur campaign

At least 64 people are killed, including staff, patients and children, in a strike on a hospital in East Darfur, Sudan.

Sudanese civil war

A drone strike from the Rapid Support Forces targets Al Dabbah, Sudan, including a local power station, causing a power outage in the area and injuring three people.

2026 Daejeon factory fire

Fourteen people are killed and 60 more are injured in a fire at a car parts plant in Daejeon, South Korea.

2026 Cuban crisis

The United States says it will not allow Cuba to receive any shipments of fuel oil from Russia as two Russian tankers are en route to Havana to deliver around 190,000 barrels of oil amid a critical shortage on the island.

Peace negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war

Politico reports that the United States rejected an offer by Russia to stop providing intelligence to Iran in return for the U.S. ending intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

International sanctions against Iran

U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent announces that the U.S. will temporarily lift sanctions on Iranian oil at sea in an effort to ease energy supply pressures. The temporary relief will last for 30 days until April 19.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

The U.S. energy department says it has awarded contracts to loan a first batch of 45.2 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

Philippine Airlines announces it will halt flights to the Middle East until April 30 due to safety concerns regarding the Iran war.

Acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk

A United States jury in a civil trial finds that X (formerly Twitter) chairperson Elon Musk misled investors in two tweets, but absolves him of some fraud allegations.

Kevin Spacey sexual misconduct allegations

American actor Kevin Spacey settles out of court with three men at the High Court of Justice in London, England, who accused Spacey of sexually assaulting them between 2000 and 2013.

Two anarchist militants are killed after the accidental explosion of a bomb they were fabricating at a casalis in Rome, Italy.