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All the latest on Middle East: articles, analysis and ongoing coverage from Lost in the Jungle.
Business
Diesel prices continue to rise as two disruptions affect the global market. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is hampering diesel trade, while Russia suspended all diesel deliveries abroad in early July. According to Le Monde, the continuing increase reflects pressures linked to both the conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
World
August 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, which took place in August 2021. On this occasion, Le Monde publishes on August 9, 2026, an analysis arguing that former president Joe Biden condemned himself to humiliation in the Middle East by adopting Donald Trump's diplomatic legacy. According to this analysis, Biden followed in his predecessor's footsteps, thereby becoming trapped in a position that was not entirely of his own making.
World
Hamas reaffirmed on August 8, 2026, that it is ready to implement the US-backed peace plan for the Gaza Strip. The Islamic movement simultaneously calls for pressure on Israel, which has not accepted the peace roadmap announced by Donald Trump, according to international reports.
World
Iran's IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on July 21, 2026, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel—confirmed by UKMTO (UK Maritime Trade Operations). The US completed its 10th consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran, targeting military command centres and missile sites. At least 3 American soldiers were killed and nearly 100 wounded. Yemeni Houthis announced an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, closing the Bab al-Mandeb strait through which ~12% of global trade normally passes. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the conflict as 'full-scale war'.
Tech & Science
In 2026, the United Nations reported that 266 million people worldwide were facing acute food insecurity—double the number recorded a decade earlier. Armed conflicts, particularly the Middle East conflict, accelerating climate disruption, and economic crises exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic are driving this alarming surge. The analysis comes from Sébastien Abis, director of Club Demeter and researcher at IRIS, the French geopolitical think tank, speaking on RFI's program "Le grand invité international" on July 17, 2026.
World
The US Central Command (Centcom) announced on July 17, 2026 the end of the sixth consecutive nighttime wave of American airstrikes against Iran, targeting dozens of military sites. Meanwhile, American soldiers intercepted for the first time since reinstatement of the naval blockade on July 15 a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman. Iran fired rockets and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain; Tehran claims strikes on American installations in the region, without independent confirmation.