"These interpretations are a bit far-fetched; no one is thinking of an Italian mission to break the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz ." Giorgia Meloni said this on the sidelines of the European Council, following the joint statement by six countries, including Italy, who are working on a plan to ensure the navigability of the Strait.

"What we're asking ourselves," Meloni clarified, "is how, when the conditions are right, but reasonably in a post-conflict phase, we can offer a contribution, in agreement with the parties, to defend freedom of navigation ."

Crosetto himself reiterated that without a truce, intervention in Hormuz is impossible; the Defense Minister hopes that a UN mission will be established.

France shares this view: " Once the situation has calmed down, France is ready, along with other nations, to assume responsibility for a naval escort system in the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mission that is not intended to be an act of force and which must be the subject of consultations and a resolution of the conflict with Iran. This implies the involvement of all stakeholders in the maritime sector, from carriers to insurers. We will not participate in any forced opening of the Strait in the context of ongoing military operations ," said President Emmanuel Macron .

We are on the 21st day of the war in Iran, and yesterday Benjamin Netanyahu spoke again, his second press conference since the Israeli and US attacks. "After 20 days of attacks, Iran today no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or produce ballistic missiles. We are eliminating the Iranian leadership, and it doesn't matter who replaces them, because they are temporary Guardians . It's too early to say whether the Iranian people will take advantage of the conditions we are creating for them to take to the streets. We hope that happens, we are working to make it happen, but in the end it depends entirely on them," he said, adding, in response to a question about the duration of the war, that it will continue "as long as necessary."

The news of March 20

9:46 a.m. – Erdogan: "May God destroy Israel."

"May He, 'the Dominator' (Al-Kahrar), crush and destroy Israel," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, using one of the names used in Islam to describe God: Kahrar, which can be translated as "the Dominator" or "he who subdues." As Anadolu reports, the Turkish leader made these remarks after Friday prayers at a mosque in Rize, the Black Sea town where his family is originally from. "May God protect us and preserve us as soon as possible from the Zionist calamity," Erdogan added in his speech.

9:20 a.m. – Pasdaran: "Our spokesman killed in US-Israeli attacks."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said US and Israeli strikes killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini. Naini "was martyred in the cowardly and criminal terrorist attack carried out by the US-Zionist side at dawn," the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

9:14 a.m. – Khamenei calls for creating insecurity for enemies

"The Ministry of Intelligence must continue on its path, creating insecurity for its enemies and security for Iranian citizens." This is according to a message attributed to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, in which he expressed his condolences to President Masoud Pezeshkian "for the martyrdom of Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib." The message, published on Mehr News, Iran's semi-official state-owned news agency, describes Khatib as "a tireless war veteran" who "has devoted great efforts to the cause of the Islamic Revolution."

9:10 a.m. – Erdogan: "Israel has killed thousands of people, and it will pay the price."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of killing thousands of people, adding that the Jewish state will pay the price. "This Zionist Israel has killed hundreds and thousands of people," the Turkish leader said last night during a ceremony marking the end of Ramadan, following prayers at a mosque in Rize, on the Black Sea coast. "I have no doubt it will pay the price," Erdogan added, as reported by Anadolu, emphasizing that "the Middle East is heated right now."

9:00 a.m. – Tajani: "We must reach an Iran-US agreement on Hormuz."

"We must tell Iran to stop attacking countries like the Gulf, which are our friends, our allies, and which have nothing to do with the attacks carried out by Israel and the United States. Both sides must understand that we must take a step forward," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Mattino5. Iran, he added, "must end its nuclear era—that is, the atomic bomb can no longer be part of the project—and must stop attacking countries that have nothing to do with the war, including Turkey, which is a NATO member, and Cyprus, which is a European Union member. The attempt to create chaos in the region is unacceptable on the part of an authoritarian regime. Yesterday, several terrorists from an Iranian cell were arrested in the Gulf, so this must be said. And I believe the Americans must understand that at a certain point, Iran must be forced to reach an agreement and find a solution for Hormuz."

8.45 am – IDF, raid in Syria

"In response to yesterday's events in which Druze civilians were attacked, the IDF struck a command center and weapons facilities at military compounds belonging to the Syrian regime in southern Syria," the IDF wrote on X. "The Israel Defense Forces will not tolerate any harm to the Druze population in Syria and will continue to operate to defend them," the post adds. "The Israel Defense Forces continues to monitor developments in southern Syria and will act in accordance with directives from political authorities."

8:20 a.m. - Sri Lanka: "We have rejected the US request to deploy two jets to the island."

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in early March that his country denied the United States permission to base two of its warplanes at an airfield in the south of the island. "They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8, and we said no," Dissanayake said.

8:05 AM – Heavy explosions in several Iranian cities overnight

Heavy explosions were reported in several Iranian cities overnight, Iran International reports. Initial reports indicate the explosions occurred in Bandar Lengeh and Isfahan, while in Yazd, authorities reported that two military sites on the outskirts of the city were targeted in the early hours of the morning. Explosions were also heard in Bardsir and Baft counties in Kerman province, and in Arak.

8:00 AM – Pasdaran: "We have no shortages in our missile stockpiles."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said missile production continues despite the ongoing conflict, adding that there are no shortages in stockpiles. Iran International reports this. "Our missile industry earned top marks in 2025, and there is no reason to worry about this," said Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini, adding that production continues under wartime conditions and warning of "surprises" and more complex operations in the future.

7:20 AM - Lebanon: Israeli air raids in the south at dawn, many injured

Israel carried out airstrikes against cities in southern Lebanon, causing numerous injuries, state media reported Friday. "Enemy Israeli fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the cities of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the districts of Tyre and Bint Jbeil," the official NNA news agency reported, adding that Israeli forces struck five other cities in the south of the country.

7:00 AM – Kuwait: Fire breaks out at a refinery after drone strikes

A fire broke out today at a refinery owned by Kuwait's national oil company following drone strikes, according to the country's official news agency. "The Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, owned by the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), was targeted early this morning by several hostile drone strikes that caused fires in some of its units," leading to the shutdown of several of them, according to the KNPC, following an attack on the same facility the previous day that had already caused a fire.

(Unioneonline)

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