SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Thank you for joining our continuing live coverage of the war in the Middle East.
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
- The US military has begun its blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz to stop shipping traffic reaching or leaving the country, a move that threatens to upend an already fragile ceasefire and further disrupt oil prices. But tracking data appears to show ships – including one Iranian-linked oil tanker – have cleared the Strait since the blockade came into effect.
- Shortly after midnight (AEST), Trump warned on social media that any Iranian warships coming “anywhere close” to the US blockade would be immediately destroyed. Iran hit back and warned that if Iranian ports were threatened, “no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe.”
- Meanwhile, Israel continued its air and ground offensive in southern Lebanon, engaging in fierce fighting with Hezbollah militants, while the group also fired rockets and drones at northern Israel. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was deeply concerned by attacks on medical workers in Lebanon after the deaths of two volunteers in two days from Israeli strikes.
- Trump deleted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ after a wave of backlash, telling reporters “it was supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better”.
- Pope Leo responded to Trump’s remarks labelling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”, saying he refused to be drawn into debate with the US leader and insisting his calls for an end to the US’ war with Iran were rooted in Catholic Gospel teachings of peace.
The Israeli military has confirmed one of its soldiers has died in Lebanon, local media is reporting.
Al Jazeera says the soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon.
Three Israeli troops were also wounded, according to the military.
Business and consumer confidence is nose-diving to levels not seen since the depths of the COVID pandemic.
NAB’s closely watched measure of business conditions and Westpac’s similarly important tracker of consumer sentiment, released this morning, confirm the huge hit the war against Iran and its flow-on impact to oil prices has delivered to the domestic economy.
According to NAB, business confidence fell by 29 points in March, reaching its lowest level since the economy was effectively shutdown to deal with the pandemic in early 2020.
Trading conditions only eased a single point, but forward orders fell by substantially more in a sign of the uncertainty created by the war.
Earlier, US senator Chuck Schumer called for an end to the war “before Donald Trump makes things even worse”.
The Democrat took to social media to rename the war “Trump’s Operation Epic Fail”.
In a list of achievements, he noted petrol prices were the highest they had been in years, and America’s credibility was “worse”.
“This week, for the 4th time since this war began, Democrats will force a vote to stop the war in Iran and rein in an out-of-control Trump,” he said in another post.
“For the 4th time, Republicans will have the chance to end this war.”
Nearly 100 protesters have been arrested during a demonstration calling on US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to block the sale of thousands of US bombs to Israel.
Led by the antiwar group Jewish Voice for Peace, a crowd of hundreds initially attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Manhattan offices of the two Democratic lawmakers they accused of abetting Israel’s intensifying attacks in Lebanon and the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Iranians interviewed by Reuters have dismissed the US president’s claims he would block energy exports via the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an “empty” promise.
Speaking in Tehran, 32-year-old beauty salon owner Zahra said Trump had threatened to strike power plants and infrastructure but “none of it happened”.
She said the latest threats were “just empty promises”.
Another resident told Reuters that even if the threats were carried out, “we know that our country’s armed forces will fully respond to them”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will participate in Israel-Lebanon talks set to take place in Washington this week, a US official has told CNN.
The Israeli and Lebanese delegations will be led by their ambassadors to the US, Yechiel Leiter and Nada Hamadeh.
“This conversation will scope the ongoing dialogue about how to ensure the long-term security of Israel’s northern border and to support the government of Lebanon’s determination to reclaim full sovereignty over its territory and political life,” the official told CNN.
“Israel is at war with Hezbollah, not Lebanon, so there is no reason the two neighbours should not be talking.”
Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told reporters overnight that Israel’s upcoming talks with Lebanon in Washington would focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between the two countries.
“We will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which continues to carry out indiscriminate attacks against Israel and our civilians,” she said.
Israel and the Lebanese army have both been unable to forcibly disarm Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports Hezbollah has carried out drone attacks on Israeli forces in two southern Lebanon locations “in defence of Lebanon and its people”.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected the idea of negotiating with Israel, calling such efforts “futile”.
with AP
Pope Leo has responded to Trump’s attacks, saying he “won’t debate” the US leader, and reiterating his anti-war stance.
Speaking on board a flight to Algeria, the pontiff was asked about the president’s remarks.
The American told NBC News he had “no fear” of the Trump administration, and insisted his calls for peace were a reflection of Catholic Gospel teachings, before saying he wouldn’t be drawn into debate with Trump.
Leo has emerged as a vocal critic of the US’ war on Iran.
Yesterday, Trump posted a criticism of the pope on his Truth Social account, calling him “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy”.
A sanctioned oil tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz, tracking data has shown, appearing to defy Trump’s blockade of the critical waterway that came into effect at midnight.
CNN reported earlier this morning that according to Kpler, a data intelligence and analytics platform tracking global trade flows, an Iranian-linked ship had successfully cleared the Strait.
The tanker, registered in Comoros as Elpis, was sanctioned by the United States in 2025 for its “involvement in the sale, purchase, and transportation of Iranian petroleum”.
The day before the blockade started, shipping data showed traffic at the key waterway had slowed.
Qantas has flagged a blowout in fuel expenses, driven by the oil price shock triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran.
Its second half fuel bill is now anticipated to be $600-$800 million more than previously announced, at around $3.1 billion to 3.3 billion, the company said in a market update.
Demand for international flights to Europe that avoid the Middle East has helped raise the airline’s expected international revenue growth to about 4 to 6 per cent, double previous guidance.
The airline has redeployed larger aircraft from North American routes, on to routes flying to Singapore, in an effort to meet demand, as Persian Gulf carriers are dramatically disrupted by the conflict.
