Three supertankers were crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, carrying oil bound for Asian markets, after waiting in the Gulf for more than two months with 6 million barrels of Middle East crude on board.
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Wednesday, May 20, 2026:
Pakistan minister in Tehran
War mediator Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi headed to Iran for the second time this week amid an impasse between Tehran and Washington over a proposal to end the conflict, Iranian state media reported, citing diplomatic sources in Islamabad.
Naqvi had been in Tehran on Saturday to “facilitate” the process between Tehran and Washington, according to Iranian media.
Jordan shoots drone
The Jordanian military announced it had shot down a drone of unknown origin in its airspace. No casualties were reported.
“This morning, the Jordanian Armed Forces engaged with a drone of unknown origin that entered Jordanian airspace and was brought down in Jerash Governorate, without any injuries,” the military said of an area located around 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the capital Amman.
Iran Guards warning
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that the Middle East war will extend beyond the region if the United States and Israel resume attacks on the Islamic republic.
“If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region, and our devastating blows will crush you,” the Guards said in a statement.
Indonesia rate hike
Indonesia’s central bank hiked its key interest rate by 0.5 points, citing “heightened global volatility caused by the war in the Middle East”.
Bank Indonesia lifted its base lending rate to 5.25 per cent, it said, to help stabilise the devaluing rupiah and keep inflation in check.
Oil prices fall as Trump vows quick end to Iran war
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto also announced controls on exports of crude palm oil, coal and ferrous alloy as the country battles the economic headwinds fuelled by the Middle East war.
South Korea tanker through Hormuz
A South Korean oil tanker was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s top diplomat said, marking the first transit by one of its vessels through the waterway since the Iran war began.
“At this very moment, our oil tanker is passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul.
More war ‘inadvisable’: Xi
Chinese President Xi Jinping said further hostilities in the Middle East is “inadvisable”, calling for a “comprehensive” ceasefire, as he spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing, state media reported.
“A comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, resuming hostilities is even more inadvisable and maintaining negotiations is particularly important,” Xi told Putin.
‘Good progress’ in Iran talks
US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that Iran talks are making “good progress” but Washington was “locked and loaded” to restart military operations if there is no deal.
Vance’s comments came hours after President Donald Trump said he had come within an hour of ordering fresh strikes and gave Tehran “two or three days” to reach an agreement.
Strike on nuclear plant condemned
Russia joined other UN Security Council members on Tuesday to condemn the drone strike on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant, which Abu Dhabi said originated from Iraq where pro-Iranian proxies are active.
The unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator on Sunday near the Arab world’s first nuclear power plant in Barakah in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire but causing no injuries nor radiation leak.
19 killed in Lebanon
Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Tuesday killed 19 people, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Hezbollah reported clashes with Israeli troops despite a truce in the war.
The ministry said 10 died in a strike on the town of Deir Qanun al-Nahr in the Tyre district, including three children and three women. A woman was among nine killed in other strikes across the south.
The Israeli military had previously issued evacuation warnings for 12 Lebanese towns, 11 of them in the south and one in the eastern Bekaa area.
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