News blog about the war in the Middle East
Trump rails against France
Updated March 31, 2026 – 7:53 p.mReading time: 20 minutes
The US President reacts resentfully. Israel wants to annex a tenth of Lebanon. All developments in the news blog.
In the dispute over the use of airspace for the Iran war, US President Donald Trump attacked France. “France has refused to allow planes loaded with military supplies to fly over French territory to Israel,” he said on his Truth Social platform. France has been very uncooperative regarding the Iran war, he added. “The US will REMEMBER this.”
However, there is no blocking of airspace in France for aircraft linked to the Iran war, according to a reaction from the Élysée Palace and research by the newspaper “Le Monde”. “US aircraft are allowed to fly over French territory in compliance with international regulations for the overflight of state aircraft,” a diplomatic source told the newspaper.
As “Le Monde” reported with reference to three official sources who did not want to be named, a permit must currently be obtained in France for each flight for combat aircraft and transport aircraft carrying military goods, a so-called “diplomatic overflight clearance”. It is therefore possible that individual flights did not receive permission immediately and this led to Trump’s reaction.
A good four weeks after the start of the Iran war, the attacks on the Gulf states continue. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reported again on Tuesday that they had intercepted dozens of rockets, cruise missiles and drones. According to the state news agency WAM, four people were slightly injured in Dubai by falling debris, and two people were slightly injured in Saudi Arabia, according to the Ministry of Defense. In addition, buildings and cars were damaged.
Ground offensive or retreat? Donald Trump has prepared the next level of escalation in the Iran war. But the risks would be great, for the USA and for the global economy. This is also why the US President is sending contradictory signals. You can read Patrick Diekmann’s analysis here.
The Iran war is forcing Lufthansa to examine restrictions. Rising kerosene prices could lead to up to 40 planes being grounded. Read more about this here.
Donald Trump is apparently no longer counting on a quick opening of the Strait of Hormuz – and is shifting responsibility. Read more about this here.
