SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Welcome to our rolling coverage of the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has entered its third week. There is no indication so far of when the conflict might end. If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know today.
- US President Donald Trump has warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz, in an interview with the Financial Times, after Trump’s appeals to China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others to send warships to keep the strait open brought no commitments. Australia today confirmed it would not send a warship.
- The war could last for four to six weeks, one of Trump’s top aides has said. Kevin Hassett, head of the White House’s National Economic Council, offered the timeline, along with a caveat that the ultimate decision on when the war will end lies with Trump.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a new video on social media overnight in an attempt to refute rumours circulating online – and being spruiked by Iran – that he had been injured or killed amid the ongoing conflict.
- In Israel, air raid sirens sounded across Tel Aviv and surrounding areas as Iran launched a wave of new strikes.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has not sought a ceasefire or negotiations with the US, contradicting claims by Trump that Tehran wanted to make a deal.
- Trump also said that US strikes had “totally demolished” much of Kharg Island, a critical oil hub, and warned “we may hit it a few more times just for fun”. Tehran accused the US of using “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on the Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran’s oil exports, without providing evidence.
- The government confirmed late last night that another Iranian player from the women’s football team delegation had decided to return home, leaving just two remaining in Australia.
- Meanwhile, Israeli strikes have deepened Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis, with more than 800 people killed and over 850,000 displaced.
Taiwan: The US has ordered that a “911 force” of 2500 marines be redeployed from Japan to the Middle East, signalling the possibility of American boots on the ground.
The taskforce is part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a rapid-response force trained for amphibious ground and aviation combat, as well as logistical support.
Usually based on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, the unit can operate entirely from a floating base, allowing it to remain offshore while staying close to the conflict.
MEUs, known colloquially as America’s 911 force because of their high levels of combat readiness, were among the first conventional ground forces deployed by Washington in conflicts such as the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
The Telegraph, London
US President Donald Trump has predicted Cuba wants to make a deal with his government, but said he wanted to finish the war with Iran before turning attention to the Communist island nation.
“I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do,” he told reporters Sunday on Air Force One. “We’re talking to Cuba, but we’re going to do Iran before Cuba.”
Under Trump, the US has been tightening the screws on Cuba, imposing an almost total fuel blockade that has exacerbated already hours-long blackouts.
Speculation about a possible military overthrow of Cuba’s Communist regime has swirled around Washington as US strikes in Iran continue, fuelled in part by talk from Trump and his allies, including Senator Lindsey Graham, who have floated the prospect of Cuba’s government falling.
Politicians must resist the temptation to use a budget boon from the Iran war to pump the economy up with cost-of-living measures such as fuel excise cuts or energy rebates, economists say.
Repeating the approach of the post-COVID-19 pandemic inflation spike to ease price pressures on Australians would have the opposite effect, HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham warned.
“The challenge is that some of the economics tools previously used to manage cost-of-living challenges actually added to demand and inflation problem,” Bloxham wrote in a research note on Monday.
Subsidies to reduce household electricity bills, or cutting the fuel excise to lower petrol costs would stimulate the economy as it underwent a supply shock due to the conflict in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of using artificial intelligence as a “disinformation weapon” to misrepresent its wartime successes and support.
“AI can be very dangerous, we have to be very careful with it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One shortly after he made a post on his Truth Social platform where he accused Western media outlets without evidence of “close coordination” with Iran to spread AI-generated “fake news”.
The comments come amid renewed tensions between the US Federal Communications Commission and broadcasters after Trump took aim at media coverage of the war with Iran.
Over the weekend, commission chairman Brendan Carr threatened to pull licences from broadcasters which did not “correct course” on their coverage.
Trump did not clarify the specific news reports from Iran he was referencing.
Reuters
The local sharemarket is down marginally as the war with Iran enters its third week and a number of central banks, including Australia’s, prepare their decisions on interest rates.
Near noon on Monday, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was down 4.4 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 8612.7.
The broader All Ordinaries had dropped 12.1 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 8827.0.
The Reserve Bank of Australia, meanwhile, is expected to become the only central bank among the eight global banks making monetary policy decisions to raise rates.
All four of Australia’s big banks expect the Reserve Bank to increase the cash rate to 3.85 per cent on Tuesday.
AAP
Dubai has temporarily halted flights at its main international airport, hours after a drone strike targeted facilities near the airfield, local authorities said on Monday.
Authorities reported fuel tanks had been damaged, forcing aircraft to circle outside the airport while emergency teams responded.
The suspension follows a brief disruption days earlier, caused by another attack.
Emirates, the largest carrier operating out of Dubai’s busiest airport, also confirmed the suspension of flights.
Bloomberg
A service station owner in Victoria’s far northwest says his business is in the midst of the worst fuel shortages in more than 25 years as the conflict in the Middle East has caused huge disruption to supply.
Nathan Falvo was forced to ration the latest fuel delivery at his petrol station in Robinvale after running completely dry over the weekend.
Falvo said the shortage had spread to the town’s two other stations, which have also introduced a $50 sales limit.
“Basically the whole town, which is one of the fruit bowls of Australia, was out of fuel,” Falvo said today.
Welcome to our rolling coverage of the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has entered its third week. There is no indication so far of when the conflict might end. If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know today.
- US President Donald Trump has warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz, in an interview with the Financial Times, after Trump’s appeals to China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others to send warships to keep the strait open brought no commitments. Australia today confirmed it would not send a warship.
- The war could last for four to six weeks, one of Trump’s top aides has said. Kevin Hassett, head of the White House’s National Economic Council, offered the timeline, along with a caveat that the ultimate decision on when the war will end lies with Trump.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a new video on social media overnight in an attempt to refute rumours circulating online – and being spruiked by Iran – that he had been injured or killed amid the ongoing conflict.
- In Israel, air raid sirens sounded across Tel Aviv and surrounding areas as Iran launched a wave of new strikes.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has not sought a ceasefire or negotiations with the US, contradicting claims by Trump that Tehran wanted to make a deal.
- Trump also said that US strikes had “totally demolished” much of Kharg Island, a critical oil hub, and warned “we may hit it a few more times just for fun”. Tehran accused the US of using “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on the Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran’s oil exports, without providing evidence.
- The government confirmed late last night that another Iranian player from the women’s football team delegation had decided to return home, leaving just two remaining in Australia.
- Meanwhile, Israeli strikes have deepened Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis, with more than 800 people killed and over 850,000 displaced.
Donald Trump says he is “demanding”, not asking, other countries help guide oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
He also issued a bracing warning to those who fail to show up, particularly the UK: “We will remember.”
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One just now, he began by lashing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not sending aircraft carriers to support the US operation in Iran.
“I said I don’t want them after we win the war, I want them before we start the war,” Trump said.
Donald Trump’s appeal to China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe” brought no commitments yesterday as oil prices soar during the Iran war.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC he has been “in dialogue” with some of the countries, and said he expected China “will be a constructive partner” in reopening the strait through which one-fifth of global oil exports normally pass.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told CBS on Sunday that Tehran has been “approached by a number of countries” seeking safe passage for their vessels, “and this is up to our military to decide”. He said a group of vessels from “different countries” had been allowed to pass, without providing details.
Iran has said the strait is open to all except the United States and its allies.
AP
