SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Thank you for reading our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.
Here are the latest developments:
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver an address to the nation at 7pm (AEDT), in which he will outline the government’s response to the war and encourage Australians to save fuel. It is a rare address, similar to those delivered in the COVID pandemic and global financial crisis. Australia’s fuel excise has been halved from today until June 30, delivering a 26¢ cut to a litre of petrol.
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Trump says the US will leave Iran “very soon” and won’t be involved in reopening the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipments. He suggested the US would be operating in Iran for another two or three weeks. It followed another tirade against Britain and other countries to “build up some delayed courage” and “go get your own oil” from the critical passage. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington could see the “finish line” of the war.
- The Queensland government has refused to back the GST windfall model agreed by Victoria and NSW, as federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers urges the states to find consensus on how to channel the windfalls from the rising cost of petrol. Victoria agreed to pass the windfall directly to motorists on Wednesday after initially clashing with NSW on the proposal, while Queensland continues to advocate for alternative cost-of-living relief.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said it would target US companies in the region from 8pm today (3.30am Thursday AEDT) in retaliation for attacks on Iran, state media reported. The 18 companies listed in the threat included Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing.
- American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson has been kidnapped in Iraq. Terrorist group Kata’ib Hezbollah is suspected to be involved. Two security sources said the journalist was kidnapped on Tuesday from central Baghdad. The sources said the kidnappers’ vehicle – with the journalist inside – was involved in a crash near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province, but the journalist was transferred to a second car that fled the scene.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver a rare address to the nation to reassure anxious Australians about fuel supply over the Easter break, as the government emphasises that COVID-style emergency measures are not being considered.
Albanese will use his recorded speech to ask Australians to play their part in conserving petrol by not using more than needed, and avoid depriving key industries of fuel.
The announcement on Wednesday morning that Albanese would address the nation sparked rumours that it would include a major decision, perhaps on fuel rationing, but several sources in the government said the prime minister was not moving in that direction.
“The address is about setting the tone and calming people down ahead of Easter,” said one cabinet minister, who sought anonymity to discuss details.
Energy-starved Asian nations are taking advantage of US sanction waivers to buy Russian oil to fill gaps caused by the Iran war.
The Philippines took its first cargo of Eastern Siberian-Pacific Ocean crude in nearly six years, while South Korea’s first Russian naphtha shipment this year has arrived at Daesan port and is awaiting discharge, according to ship-tracking data. Other countries, including Sri Lanka, are in talks with Moscow over shipments.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has pitched Asia into a severe energy crunch. The near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off oil supplies. The disruption has left the region’s refiners desperate to secure alternative cargoes of oil and products.
“There’s no other choice,” said June Goh, an analyst at Sparta Commodities. “Refineries that do not have much flexibility will be the first to look for Russian crude, as they are relatively easy replacements for Middle Eastern supplies.”
Israeli military said on Wednesday it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel, adding that air defence systems were operating to intercept the threat.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis has joined the regional war days ago, launching missiles at Israel in support of Tehran.
The group did not claim responsibility for Wednesday’s attack.
Reuters
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to assure motorists that Australia’s fuel supply is secure, repeating a number of statements he made earlier this week.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor asked Albanese in question time for updated information on delays or cancellations of fuel carriers bound for Australia.
Albanese said: “The advice that I gave to parliament on Monday was correct. Every single ship that was due to arrive here in March arrived. That is just a fact.”
He repeated that six of 81 ships bound for Australia in April had been cancelled, but had been replaced by a surplus of three ships. He said additional fuel was being made available because of changes to standards.
“A range of further discussions will take place over future days, including over Easter,” he said. “We’ll continue to engage with our partners. We’re a reliable supplier of energy security around our region. We expect that to be reciprocated.”
An Iranian drone attack struck fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport on Wednesday, sparking a massive fire but causing no casualties, Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA said.
The latest of several attacks on its airport and fuel storage came as the US-Israeli war on Iran broadens, as Tehran strikes Israel and Gulf Arab states that host US military installations.
The attack on Kuwait caused significant damage to airport fuel tanks belonging to the Kuwait Aviation Fuelling Company, the agency reported.
Reuters
Iran has again denied it is negotiating the end of the war with the US, and says “there will be a lot of strength waiting for them” if the White House launches a ground invasion.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that he had exchanged messages with US officials, but that did not mean Iran was negotiating, as the White House has frequently said.
“I receive messages from [US special envoy Steve] Witkoff directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations,” Araghci told Al Jazeera.
“There is no truth to the claim of negotiations with any party in Iran. All messages are conveyed through the Foreign Ministry or received by it, and there are communications between security agencies.”
Araghci said Tehran was not intimidated by reports the US could launch a ground invasion of Iran, including the key oil export station of Kharg Island.
“We are waiting for them,” he said.
Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East in the Iran war, which began when the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February. Those strikes triggered Iranian attacks on Israel, US bases and the Gulf states, while Israeli troops opened a new front in Lebanon.
Here are the latest death tolls reported:
Iran: US-based rights group HRANA says 3492 people have been killed since the war erupted. It said 1574 of those were civilians, including at least 236 children. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Friday that at least 1900 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in Iran in the US-Israeli strikes so far.
Lebanon: Lebanese authorities say 1268 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, including at least 124 children. More than 1 million have been displaced. More than 400 fighters from Hezbollah have been killed since. At least nine Lebanese soldiers have been killed.
Meanwhile, three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon, one from a roadside explosion, the other involving a projectile.
The United Arab Emirates is willing to use force to help the United States open the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
According to the report, which cites Arab officials, the UAE is lobbying the United Nations Security Council to authorise the action. A UAE official told the Journal the country was reviewing how it could play a military role in securing the crucial oil choke point, including helping clear it of mines.
The UAE has been subjected to drone strikes from Iran. US troops are stationed at two military bases in the country. The Australian government has deployed troops and weapons to the Gulf state to provide protection.
Thank you for reading our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.
Here are the latest developments:
-
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver an address to the nation at 7pm (AEDT), in which he will outline the government’s response to the war and encourage Australians to save fuel. It is a rare address, similar to those delivered in the COVID pandemic and global financial crisis. Australia’s fuel excise has been halved from today until June 30, delivering a 26¢ cut to a litre of petrol.
-
Trump says the US will leave Iran “very soon” and won’t be involved in reopening the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipments. He suggested the US would be operating in Iran for another two or three weeks. It followed another tirade against Britain and other countries to “build up some delayed courage” and “go get your own oil” from the critical passage. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington could see the “finish line” of the war.
- The Queensland government has refused to back the GST windfall model agreed by Victoria and NSW, as federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers urges the states to find consensus on how to channel the windfalls from the rising cost of petrol. Victoria agreed to pass the windfall directly to motorists on Wednesday after initially clashing with NSW on the proposal, while Queensland continues to advocate for alternative cost-of-living relief.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said it would target US companies in the region from 8pm today (3.30am Thursday AEDT) in retaliation for attacks on Iran, state media reported. The 18 companies listed in the threat included Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing.
- American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson has been kidnapped in Iraq. Terrorist group Kata’ib Hezbollah is suspected to be involved. Two security sources said the journalist was kidnapped on Tuesday from central Baghdad. The sources said the kidnappers’ vehicle – with the journalist inside – was involved in a crash near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province, but the journalist was transferred to a second car that fled the scene.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Washington can see “the finish line” in the Iran war, now in its fifth week.
“We can see the finish line. It’s not today, it’s not tomorrow, but it is coming,” Rubio told Fox News Channel’s Hannity show.
It follows remarks from President Donald Trump, who estimated the US would operate in Iran for another two or three weeks.
Trump will deliver an address to the nation tomorrow (AEDT), following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s rare national address this evening.
With Reuters
