Middle East conflict

Zelenskyy pushes U.S. for firm timeline as stalled Russia talks drag on

Ukraine will focus on preparations for a future trilateral meeting with Russia during bilateral talks with U.S. officials, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 20.

20 March, 07:48 PM

Iran attacks knock out 17% of Qatar’s LNG output

Iranian attacks disabled 17% of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas export capacity, potentially halting production of about 12.8 million tons annually for up to five years, QatarEnergy CEO and Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters on March 19.

20 March, 07:06 PM

Hormuz shipping traffic collapses since Iran strikes began

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted more than eightfold since the U.S.-Israel operation against Iran began, dropping from an average of 84 vessels per day to just 10, according to International Energy Agency operational data reported on March 17.

20 March, 04:55 PM

Ukraine aiding five Middle Eastern nations against Shahed drones

Ukrainian teams are already working with five Middle Eastern countries to counter Iranian Shahed drones, and the United States has requested expert support for its own military in the region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 20 following a briefing by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov on talks in the Middle East and Persian Gulf.

20 March, 03:07 PM

War involving Iran could trigger global energy shock across markets

Any prolonged conflict involving Iran could trigger an unprecedented global energy crisis, with ripple effects across the world economy, Reuters reported.

20 March, 02:48 PM

Iran strikes key Kuwait refinery for second straight day

Iran struck Kuwait’s largest oil refinery, Mina Al-Ahmadi, with drones for the second time in two days, sparking fires at several units on March 20, with no casualties reported, the Associated Press reported.

20 March, 01:05 PM

U.S., allies strike Iranian boats to reopen Strait of Hormuz

The United States and its allies have intensified efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, using aircraft to destroy Iranian naval vessels and Apache helicopters to target Iranian drones, the Wall Street Journal reported.

20 March, 12:19 PM

ECB warns of energy shock in Europe

Energy prices seen as the key risk for the euro area economy in the European Central Bank’s (ECB) updated 2026 macroeconomic outlook released on March 19.

20 March, 09:48 AM

12 nations urge Iran to halt attacks as missiles hit Qatar energy hub

Foreign ministers from 12 Arab and Islamic countries on March 19 called on Iran to immediately halt attacks on states in the region, Anadolu reported.

19 March, 03:05 PM

Israel strike on South Pars opens new front, jolts global energy markets

Strikes on gas production facilities in the Middle East, including the South Pars field, mark a major escalation in the war and could carry long-term consequences for the global economy, The Guardian reported on March 18.

19 March, 02:54 PM

Oil surge lifts Russia revenues, easing pressure on Kremlin budget

Russia’s federal budget could increase oil tax revenues to the 2024 average of 1.2 trillion rubles by the end of March if global oil prices remain elevated, The Moscow Times reported.

19 March, 12:12 PM

Kremlin halts Ukraine talks, stalling U.S.-backed peace effort

Trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States are currently “on pause,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the Russian outlet Izvestia on March 19.

19 March, 11:47 AM

Iran strikes Saudi oil hub in Yanbu, testing export route outside Hormuz

Iran carried out an airstrike on a Saudi Aramco facility — the SAMREF refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu — on March 19, Reuters reported, citing a source.

19 March, 11:31 AM

Ukraine seeks Middle East backing after sharing Shahed drone defense expertise

Ukraine is seeking reciprocal support from Middle Eastern countries to which it is providing assistance in countering Shahed drones, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said at a briefing on March 18, NV reported.

18 March, 05:18 PM

U.S. targets fortified Iranian missile positions near Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. military struck fortified Iranian missile positions along the Iranian coast near the Strait of Hormuz overnight, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on March 18.

18 March, 07:27 AM

Russia targets 1,000 daily drones on Ukraine by end of 2026

Russia is scaling back missile production to focus on mass-producing drones, aiming for 600–800 daily attacks on Ukraine in 2026 with an ultimate goal of 1,000 drones per day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the New York Post in an interview on March 16.

17 March, 05:04 PM

Trump rejects Ukraine drone help, calls Zelenskyy ‘last person we need’

The United States does not need help intercepting Iranian drones in the Middle East and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “the last person we need help from,” U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 13 in an NBC News interview.

15 March, 11:31 AM

Trump plans weeks more strikes on Iran as advisers push for war exit

U.S. President Donald Trump does not plan to end the war against Iran in the coming weeks and intends to continue strikes on Iran and its allies, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 13.

14 March, 10:50 AM

Russia tops winners in global oil chaos

Moscow is the biggest winner of the war in the Middle East, The Washington Post wrote on March 13, commenting on President Donald Trump’s administration decision to temporarily lift sanctions on some Russian oil shipments in an attempt to calm global markets after crude prices surged following the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.

13 March, 10:47 AM

‘Everyone is calling them.’ Western and Arab media spotlight Ukraine’s drone interceptors as turning point in Iran war

As the United States and its Middle Eastern allies confront waves of Iranian drone attacks, Western and Arab media reports increasingly point to Ukraine’s battlefield-tested interceptor drones and combat experience as a critical source of expertise — a shift highlighted in a roundup of international coverage compiled by NV.

12 March, 05:32 PM

Middle East conflict

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