https://p.dw.com/p/5J7Jw
What you need to know
- US President Donald Trump announced the “most crushing economic operation” ever against Iran
- Trump said any country providing “any type of lifeline to Iran” will face “tremendous” economic repercussions
- Iran’s media dismissed Trump’s threat
Here are the latest developments from the Iran war and the Middle East on Thursday, August 20:
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Skip next section Australia ‘outraged’ over Israel declining to open criminal probe in World Central Kitchen deathsAugust 20, 2026
Australia ‘outraged’ over Israel declining to open criminal probe in World Central Kitchen deaths
Australia on Thursday summoned Israel’s ambassador to protest a decision by its military to not launch criminal investigations into the death of an Australian aid worker during a 2024 Israeli air strike on Gaza
Australian national Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom was among a group of seven World Central Kitchen employees killed on April 1, 2024 when their aid convoy was hit in an Israeli strike.
The attack had drawn widespread international condemnation
On Wednesday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it had found no basis to probe the deaths of the charity’s staff after a fact-finding and assessment procedure
The IDF said in its report that it had mistakenly identified several individuals in the vehicles as Hamas militants and that the convoy de of the commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.”
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who summoned Israeli ambassador Hillel Newman, said relations with Israel were “difficult” after the decision
“This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect,” Wong said, adding that Canberra was outraged
Wong deemed Israel’s move to not launch criminal proceedings into Frankcom and her colleagues’ death as “especially insulting and hurtful” as it was announced on World Humanitarian Day
“We do not have confidence” in Israel’s investigation into the killings, she said. “The Australian government will continue to keep pressing Israel for justice.”
Meanwhile, Newman after meeting Wong expressed “deep sorrow and grief” to Frankcom’s family as he spoke to the media
“Israel had no intention to attack or injure in any way the aid workers that were on the convoy,” he stressed
He said that Israel’s decision was that there was no “criminal liability” and went on to say: “We must respect that conclusion.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5J7TU
Skip next section Trump threatens Iran partners with economic punishmentAugust 20, 2026
Trump threatens Iran partners with economic punishment
US President Donald Trump has warned any country that supports Iran of economic consequences as war soon approaches its sixth month with no resolution in sight.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday that “ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS economic consequences.”
The US leader described his move as “economic warfare” and “isolation” on an unprecedented scale as he stepped up an economic pressure campaign on Iran
“Today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!” he said, referring to the Islamic Republic in the superlatives-embellished post
Trump said that nobody other than him had given Tehran what he called “a greater opportunity to make a deal”
“TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it,” he said
Trump said that Washington needed the support of all its allies to isolate Iran and counter the threat posed by the country
He compared his plan to an “ECONOMIC D-DAY”
There were no details of what Trump’s economic steps against nations supporting Iran would look like, Trump also did not mention any country by name, other than Iran
Iran media reacts to Trump’s “economic warfare” warning
Iran’s Fars news agency on Thursday called Trump’s latest economic threat the usual “psychological warfare and propaganda campaign,”
The country’s Tasnim news agency said the US presidents’ announcement was “not a new development, as the United States has been trying for years to block any financial and economic ties with Iran.”
Tehran has “learned how to circumvent these restrictions and has become very skilled at doing so,” Tasnim said on Telegram
https://p.dw.com/p/5J7P2
Skip next section Welcome to our coverageAugust 20, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Thank you for joining us as we bring you the latest edition of our rolling updates on the war in Iran and the wider Middle Eastern crisis.
But first here is a wrap up of the developments that took place in the region this week:
- US President Donald Trump emphasized that no talks or conversations between Washington and Tehran were being held
- The United Arab Emirates suspended trade ties with Iran after accusing the country of firing two ballistic missiles
- Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations to keep its international peacekeeping force in Lebanon, saying that a decision to end UNIFIL’s mandate came before this year’s war and the subsequent Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon
- The Israeli military announced criminal probes into two high-profile attacks during the Gaza war — the killings of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in 2024 and 15 Palestinian paramedics in 2025
Follow along for more
https://p.dw.com/p/5J7K7
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