We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
✈️ 🇪🇺 🛢 As airlines ground planes and officials urge citizens to cut back on their commutes, Europe’s effort to prevent shortages caused by the Iran war is running into an unexpected hitch:
Europe doesn’t know how much fuel it has
The scramble comes as the war in Iran drives up Europe’s fossil fuel bill and threatens to choke off supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for oil and gas. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the conflict is costing the EU nearly €500 million a day in higher energy costs, even as U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered his aides to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iran that could further disrupt global energy markets.
“In Europe, we have visibility and commitments into May and June … what happens beyond is hard to forecast,” Tobias Meyer, chief executive of DHL Group, said during a press breakfast attended by POLITICO earlier this month. “There are strategic reserves, but there's not much visibility on how much has been drawn.”
At a high-level summit last month, ministers from Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain called attention to these knowledge gaps, urging the EU to coordinate more real-time monitoring and analysis, particularly around refined products, according to minutes seen by POLITICO. Greece's delegate went so far as to ask the Commission to set up a WhatsApp or Signal channel between member countries and the EU executive.
Tracking jet fuel stocks — held primarily in fixed-roof tanks — is “much more difficult,” Falakshahi said. Data on the fuel is drawn largely from voluntary disclosures by companies, and the lack of transparency is consistent with ongoing disagreements over how much fuel Europe has left.
Zohran Mamdani’s intern Arzoo Malik is calling for a Holy War through Jihad and martyrdom:
“This is all jihad, this is all ibada, and this is all counted for by Allah. How committed am I to this? What am I willing to sacrifice for this noble cause?”
🔗 Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby)
@CherokeeOwl 🦉
@BrettColdwell
🇺🇸 One good eye = three good teeth. This woman said she would assassinate President Trump and claimed she would target members of the Trump family one by one. She also threatened Elon Musk and made alarming comments about the Pentagon.
She has multiple accounts across social media, including one with more than 30,000 followers.
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🇫🇷🇮🇷❌🇺🇸❗️ — The US thought it could quickly contain Iran with air superiority, but the war has proven longer and more complex, exposing the vulnerability of American bases and ships to missile and drone attacks, while the mounting costs and deployment needs are putting heavy pressure on the Army, according to French weekly Courrier International.
➡️ The analysis concludes that the conflict has shown the US can no longer manage a major Middle East war without heavy consequences, as it once did.
🌆 Market News Digest
May 20, 2026 EST
🔥 Top Stories
• US mortgage rates hit 6.56%, highest in 7 weeks — mortgage applications decline amid rising borrowing costs
• NVIDIA beats earnings estimates with $81.6B revenue — strong AI demand boosts chipmaker’s outlook
• US stocks rally on Iran deal optimism — S&P up 1.1%, Treasury yields fall on hopes of de-escalation
• US and Iran negotiations reportedly in final stages — potential breakthrough raises energy market hopes
• UK extends fuel duty freeze — government supports consumers amid inflation concerns
⛽ Oil & Energy
• Oil dips below $100/bbl — WTI falls 7% on Iran deal hopes, Iran’s maritime security measures escalate
• Iran’s IRGC claims control over Hormuz Strait — new maritime zone announced, requiring coordination for transit
• Saudi Arabia and UAE support regional stability — backing efforts to prevent conflict escalation
• US military boards Iranian oil tanker — tensions in Gulf intensify,...
