Mar 19, 2026
3 min read
Netanyahu says Iran can no longer enrich uranium +++ Industrial states want to secure Strait of Hormuz +++ Israeli attack on gas field apparently coordinated with US +++ News blog.
Iran War: According to Netanyahu, Iran is no longer able to enrich uranium
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his press conference on Thursday evening.Photo: AP
Analyst: Gasoline prices in the US are four dollars a gallon
Gasoline prices in the United States have risen more than 30% this month and are approaching the psychologically important mark of four dollars per gallon (about 0.91 euros per liter).Since the U.S.-Israeli invasion of Iran in late February, the average price at the pump has increased nearly 90 cents to $3.88 per gallon, according to the AAA Automobile Club.
Gasoline is expected to hit the $4 mark next week and may reach $4.10 and above, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan writes on the X platform. Inflation is a central issue in the United States ahead of congressional elections in November.
Poll: US citizens expect world war against Iran, but reject it
Most Americans expect President Donald Trump to order an all-out ground war against Iran, but only a minority support such a move.According to a poll published Thursday by Reuters news agency and polling firm Ipsos, 65 percent of Americans expect Trump to send troops to Iran.Seven percent of those asked support the idea.Trump's overall approval rating rose one percentage point to 40 percent.
Oil is cheap again
The price of US WTI crude oil fell to $94 a barrel at the end of Thursday (CET).North Sea Brent is selling at $107 a barrel, having risen to $119. French Foreign Minister goes to Israel
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will make an unexpected visit to Israel on Friday.According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, Barrot wants to talk to the Israeli leadership about regional security, humanitarian aid and reducing tension in the Middle East.He comes from Beirut, where he is trying to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Qatar: Trust in Iran must be restored
Qatar sees relations with Iran as severely strained after weeks of attacks in the Persian Gulf.
We need to rebuild the trust that was lost after this act of aggression.
However, he insisted, "I and the Iranian people are connected by geography, neighborhood and history."
The head of government once again called on Iran to stop the attacks as soon as possible so as not to expose the region to a "dangerous concert".Iran's actions may "threaten the security of all countries in the region."
Netanyahu: Israel alone attacks Iran's natural gas field
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has only attacked Iran's South Pars gas field.US President Donald Trump has asked Israel to refrain from further such actions, Netanyahu said at a news conference.
Trump himself said he had no knowledge of the attack.Israeli government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency that the operation was coordinated by the USA.
Netanyahu: Iran can no longer enrich uranium
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran is no longer able to enrich uranium or produce ballistic missiles.It is still too early to say whether the Iranian people will rise up against the government, Netanyahu said at a news conference.According to Bloomberg, he adds that the war will end much sooner than he thinks. Portugal is paving the way to reducing electricity prices
Portugal is paving the way for a temporary cap on electricity prices for households and most businesses.However, the government says that the wholesale price in the Iberian Peninsula is currently well below the necessary threshold.
The mechanism is supposed to come into effect if prices for end customers increase by more than 70 percent or two and a half times more than the five-year average.Prime Minister Antonio Leitao Amaro said that in such a case, an energy crisis will be declared.This allows measures such as lowering production costs.
The price cap is linked to austerity requirements: households must cut consumption by 80% to last year's level, and companies by 70%.Portugal gets 79% of its electricity from renewable energy.
Power outages in southern Lebanon after the Israeli invasion
Lebanon's state electricity supplier said an Israeli attack hit a critical substation in southern Lebanon.The attack damaged several parts of the Bint Jbeil factory, the company said.This affected the electricity supply in and around the city.So far, no statement has been made by the Israeli military.
France: It will not force the opening of the Strait of Hormuz
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barot said that although France and its allies want to participate in securing the Strait of Hormuz, they will not participate in any offensive military action to open the sea route."We are currently in talks with several European countries and other international partners," Barot told Frankfurt's Allgemeine Zeitung, according to preliminary reports."It is certain that we will not participate in military operations that will force the opening of roads and that this will not be an extension of Aspides".ASPID is an EU mission decided to ensure transport in the Red Sea by 2024.
The United Nations agency is working on plans to evacuate the Strait of Hormuz
The World Maritime Organization (IMO) is working on plans to evacuate ships and sailors stuck in the Strait of Hormuz due to the war in Iran.The first point of contact now is countries in the region to begin discussions on how an evacuation route could be put in place, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said after an emergency meeting.
Safety is a priority, Dominguez said, "because we don't want to increase the risk to sailors by taking all the precautions we can."This issue is also being discussed with Iran, a member of the IMO.
According to the United Nations, 20,000 sailors are stranded in the region.Dominguez talked about almost 2,000 ships.Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key international shipping route for oil and natural gas, has been blocked by war and threats from Iran.
It is not about taking all the ships in one day.We are talking about the Strait of Hormuz, which is about 30 kilometers wide.
Revolutionary Guards: Attack on Oil Refineries in Israel
Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they attacked Israeli refineries with rockets.The elite unit said facilities in Haifa and Ashdod were damaged.Israel's Energy Ministry said only the oil refinery in Haifa was hit.
Great Britain condemns Iran's attack on Qatar's gas facilities
British Prime Minister Keir Stormer has condemned Iran's attack on Qatar's natural gas infrastructure."Such a reckless attack will further destabilize the Persian Gulf region," Starmer said in a phone call with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, according to a source in his office.Starmer has confirmed that the UK will stand by Qatar and its allies.
Iran bombing, F-35 fighter jet emergency landing
Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported damage to an American F-35 fighter jet.This is the first time in the course of the war with Iran that an Iranian attack on American aircraft has been reported.Earlier, American broadcasting station CNN, citing insiders, said that the F-35 made an emergency landing after an alleged attack by Iranian forces.
A spokesman for US Command CentCom confirmed that the jet had to make an emergency landing at a US military base.The pilot was not injured.
Italy and Denmark demand an emergency migration plan for the EU
As the situation in the Middle East worsens, Italy and Denmark are asking the EU to prepare for a migration crisis.”We must not risk a repeat of the refugee and migrant movements in the EU that we experienced in 2015-2016", write Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a letter.
This letter was sent to the EU Commission and the heads of states and governments of the member countries one day before the meeting of the heads of the European Union in Brussels. "FAZ" first reported on this.
Trump: The US government needs more resources for many reasons
In response to a journalist's question about the cost of the war, US President Donald Trump said his administration needed additional funds for "many reasons".According to media reports, the Department of Defense is seeking $200 billion for the Iran war.
Trump: I ask Netanyahu to refrain from energy attacks
US President Donald Trump said he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack the energy sector.At this time, Netanyahu has not received any statement.It was decided to hold its own press conference in the afternoon.
The US denounces Iranian defection
The US government is reporting defections to Iran.According to Treasury Secretary Scott Basted, they are happening at all levels.President Donald Trump added that we are seeing many cases of desertion in the military.
Trump: We will not send troops anywhere
According to President Donald Trump, the US will not deploy troops anywhere.He told the press that he actually thought the consequences of an attack on Iran would be more serious.Trump speaks during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House.
Watch the full press conference here:
US has no plans to stop crude oil exports
The media reports that the US has no plan to ban crude oil exports.The US government said this in a morning meeting with representatives of the oil industry association American Petroleum Institute (API).
Israel: Refineries hit in Haifa - no serious damage
Israel's Energy Ministry said an oil refinery in Haifa, on the North Sea coast, had been attacked.The damage was reportedly "not serious".There were no reports of injuries, according to police.
Costa criticized the "chaos" in Ukraine, the Middle East and Gaza
The President of the EU Council, Antonio Costa, together with the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, warned about the removal of the rules based on the world at the EU meeting in Brussels."Many international players are against the international system, but what we see shows that there is no other way," says Costa."One way would be violence," he adds, criticizing Russia, Israel and the United States."One way would be war in Ukraine. Another way would be war in the Middle East. In the Gaza Strip."The situation would worsen in many African countries.The EU has a major role in maintaining the current international order, says Guterres.
EU Council President Antonio Costa (r.) and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (l.): Without international order, the world will be in chaos.imago.
Oman: The United States has lost control of its foreign policy.
Oman's foreign minister criticized the United States' actions in the Iran war.In an opinion article in the British magazine The Economist, Foreign Minister Badr al-Bussaidi wrote that there was nothing to gain in this war for the US or Iran. This is an "unpleasant truth" because it shows that the United States to some extent "has lost control of its own foreign policy."
The military operation of Israel and the United States is "an illegal attack on peace that seems possible in the short term," al-Busaidi continued. The minister was in the middle of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States until the end of February.
Gaza border reopens Rafah - Red Crescent helps patients
After the closure of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the flow of Palestinian patients has resumed.The Egyptian Red Crescent on Thursday helped people who were allowed to leave the war zone for medical reasons.
Teams were also deployed on the Egyptian side to support Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip and to facilitate the passage of an aid convoy carrying approximately 2,000 tons of food, flour, fuel and winter equipment.
It was initially unclear whether he was allowed to enter the war-torn Palestinian territory after checking in at Israel's Kerem Shalom border.
