Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian says that Iran is in a "full-scale war". (The Guardian)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers reports that two oil tankers, the Malta-flagged Panamax-sized tanker Kavomaleas and Liberian-flagged crude carrier Acheloos, were attacked off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by unknown projectiles. (Reuters)
      • Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims that two tankers have exploded after passing through the Strait of Hormuz. (The Hill)
  • Gaza war
    • The Israel Defense Forces says that they have killed two alleged Islamic Jihad militants in direction of Shin Bet in separate strikes in the Gaza Strip, in violation of the ongoing ceasefire. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • Hamas names Khalil al-Hayya as its new leader, replacing former leader Yahya Sinwar. (Reuters)
  • Red Sea crisis
    • Houthi-controlled Yemen declares a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia effective immediately, after accusing it of an "aggressive siege" against Yemen for nearly 12 years. (CNBC) (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Humanitarian impact of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
    • A plane operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center of Saudi Arabia arrives in Khartoum, Sudan, with aid, food, and medical supplies amidst the civil war. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
  • The United States imposes new sanctions against the Sudanese military junta, alleging the use of chemical weapons including chlorine gas in the civil war. (RFI)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Brent Crude oil surpasses US$90 per barrel as oil prices increase amidst the ongoing escalation, while West Texas Intermediate reaches $84.49. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

• Earthquakes in 2026
  • Three people are reported to be injured following two earthquakes measuring 5.2 and 5.7 in Kuzaran in Iran's Kermanshah province. Officials state that the earthquakes are not related to the ongoing war in the country. (IranWire)
• Twenty people are killed, 80 others are injured and more than 100 people remain missing after heavy rains caused flash floods in eastern Afghanistan. (Xinhua)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Labour Party leadership crisis
  • Sir Keir Starmer resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and is succeeded by Andy Burnham. (The Telegraph)

July 20

• 1807 – French brothers Claude and Nicéphore Niépce received a patent for their Pyréolophore, one of the world's first internal combustion engines.
• 1951 – Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated while visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
• 1976 – The Viking 1 lander became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and perform its mission.
• 1997 – ', one of the United States Navy's original six frigates, sailed for the first time in 116 years after a full restoration.
• 2015 – A suicide attack (aftermath pictured) in Suruç, Turkey, for which Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility, killed 34 people and injured 104 others.