By Audrey Courty

By Georgie Hewson

Topic: Unrest, Conflict and War

US President Donald Trump has declared it is time for Iran to make a deal after sharing a video on social media of what he says is the biggest bridge in Iran being taken down in a strike.

It comes as the US and Israel step up attacks on Iranian infrastructure, including a century-old medical research centre.

Iran has warned of 'broader' and 'crushing' strikes since Mr Trump threatened to hit Iran 'extremely hard' in the coming weeks.

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By Audrey Courty

Hello, if you're just tuning in, let me bring you up to speed on the latest from the Middle East:

By Audrey Courty

As Australians hit the road this Easter long weekend, Energy Minister Chris Bown has provided an update on the number of services stations across the country without fuel.

A total of 410 stations across the country are out of diesel and another 145 stations are out of unleaded petrol.

Meanwhile, 48 stations in New South Wales are out of all stock.

'Most of the shortages we're seeing are in diesel,' Bowen says.

'But of course, as I said, refineries and petrol companies are working hard to refill that stock over the Easter break, so that those Australians who rely on diesel can know that the diesel is flowing as quickly as it can.'

Bown says the diesel shortage is highest in New South Wales.

'That's mainly because it's sowing and seeding time, and the companies are rightly, in my view, concentrating on getting that fuel to farmers,' he says.

'So they can get their seeds in the ground, so that they can continue to feed us over coming weeks and months.'

Here's the full break down of the fuel shortages by state and territory:

By Georgie Hewson

By Audrey Courty

The UN Security Council will vote on Saturday at 2am AEDT on a draft resolution brought by Bahrain to authorise the use of 'defensive' force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks.

Iran has placed a stranglehold on the key shipping lane,— threatening fuel supplies and roiling the global economy, in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that triggered the month-old Middle East war.

'We cannot accept economic terrorism affecting our region and the world. The whole world is being affected by the developments,' Bahrain's United Nations ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei said this week.

He said the draft text, which has gone through several amendments and is supported by the US, 'comes at a critical juncture'.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for countries struggling with fuel shortages to 'go get your own oil' in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that US forces would not help them.

A sixth and final draft, seen by AFP, greenlights the 15 member states — either unilaterally or as 'voluntary multinational naval partnerships' — to use 'all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances'.

It applies to the strait and adjacent waters to 'secure transit passage and to deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz'.

The measure would last for a period of at least six months.

The draft resolution has been molded in a bid to rally several countries that have appeared skeptical, including Russia, China and France.

Revised wording no longer explicitly invokes Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which allows the Security Council to authorize armed force to restore peace.

The latest version to be voted on tomorrow morning also emphasises the defensive nature of any intervention — a stipulation that seems to have alleviated French concerns.

Reporting with AFP

By Audrey Courty

Kuwait's military says its air defences are working to intercept missiles and drones fired towards the Gulf nation's territory.

'Kuwaiti Air Defenses are currently responding to hostile missile and drone threats,' the Kuwaiti army posted on X, saying any explosions heard were air defence interceptions.

Reporting with AFP

By Georgie Hewson

Powerful blasts shook the Iranian capital on Thursday but, still, hundreds of families picnicked in parks to mark the final day of Persian new year festivities.

Also known as Nature Day, tradition calls for spending the day outdoors to ward off bad luck.

'We must keep this ritual alive under all circumstances, even in the current situation and despite the distress we feel,' Roya Abhari, 39, told AFP.

'I saw President Trump's message, and wondered, Will Iran really go back to the Stone Age in two or three weeks?'

She had come to the park alone to 'to be around people, recharge and feel better'.

On an embroidered picnic blanket laid out on the grass, a group of friends chatted over tea as food simmered gently on a gas stove.

Nearby, a man fanned skewers sizzling on a barbecue grill while a couple played badminton.

'It [war] doesn't disrupt anything at all for us. We are living a normal life … We are not afraid of war,' said metalworker Hakim Rahimi, 43.

But the joyful scenes were far from the reality of the war, with blasts rocking neighbourhoods and families mourning the dead elsewhere in the city.

Reporting with AFP

By Audrey Courty

Energy Minister Chris Bowen says 53 ships carrying fuel are on their way to Australia and are expected to arrive this month.

He says there's 3.7 billion litres of fuel on board and that ships are coming from refineries around the world, including in Asia, the United States and Mexico.

Australia and Singapore have signed a joint commitment to continue the trade of fuels, with the government seeking to land similar deals with other Asian nations.

Bowen says the measures will help alleviate concerns about fuel supply chains.

'Asian refineries don't just supply Australia, they supply Asia too. That's how it generally works,' Bowen says.

'Of course, we've been in constant contact, the prime minister, the foreign minister and I with our respective counterparts, and we're very pleased with the way those conversations have gone.'

By Georgie Hewson

A first face-to-face meeting between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Iranian officials since the Iran war began has made genuine progress in soccer diplomacy at the end of a fraught month in Iran.

The Iranian soccer federation's upbeat readout of the meeting in Türkiye made no mention of moving World Cup games to Mexico — a subject Infantino has repeatedly shut down for the past two weeks.

Infantino also offered tangible help for the squad to prepare for the World Cup in the next two months.

Most Iranian players are with clubs in the national league that have closed during the war.

The war immediately cast doubt on Iran's ability and willingness to fulfill a World Cup entry it secured in March 2025 as one of the best teams in Asia.

Iran's World Cup hosts in Arizona said this week that they were pressing on with training camp upgrades plus local and federal security plans, echoing the 'stick to the schedule' mantra FIFA has used.

The Iranian delegation is due in Tucson no later than June 10.

Reporting with AP

By Audrey Courty

Israel's military says its air defences are operating to down missiles fired from Iran.

The military said in a statement it had 'identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel'.

It added that 'defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat'.

There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Reporting with AFP

By Cason Ho

The Oman-owned ships that transited through the Strait of Hormuz appear to have taken an unusual route.

Prior to the war, most ships travelled through the middle of the strait, mainly in Omani waters, as show in the map below.

In recent weeks, many ships have sailed further north through Iranian waters, and in between two islands, as Iran implements what's been described as a 'toll booth' system.

But marine tracking data shows the three ships — the first two sanction-compliant oil supertankers and the first LNG tanker to sail through the strait — appeared to hug the Omani coast.

At least one of the oil tankers, Habrut, appears to have departed from the United Arab Emirates' Zirku oil terminal, which suggests it's carrying Emirati crude oil.

The other supertanker, Dhalkut, appears to be laden with Saudi oil from February 26, before the war started.

Supertankers have the capacity to carry about 2 million barrels of oil each.

It's unclear from the available data whether the LNG tanker Sohar is carrying any gas.

By Georgie Hewson

Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East since the war began on February 28.

These are the latest death tolls, as reported by Reuters. The ABC has not independently verified these figures.

Reporting with Reuters

By Cason Ho

Three ships have transited the Strait of Hormuz overnight, indicating potential progress in negotiations between Iran and Oman over the vital shipping lane.

Two supertankers carrying crude oil and one LNG tanker have transited the strait. All three are owned by Oman.

They are the first-known sanction-compliant supertankers and the first known LNG tanker to leave the Persian Gulf since the start of the war.

The development follows Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, saying Iran and Oman are drafting a protocol to 'oversee transit through the Strait of Hormuz', according to Iranian state media.

By Audrey Courty

The head of the International Organization for Migration has told AFP there are 'very alarming' risks for prolonged mass displacement in Lebanon due to the renewed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

'There are parts of the south that are being completely flattened … even if the war ends tomorrow, that destruction remains and there needs to be a rebuilding,' Amy Pope said.

Lebanese authorities say more than 1,200 people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced.

Eighteen European countries, including Italy, Spain, Belgium and Ireland, have since called on Israel and the Hezbollah militant group to stop fighting.

Fears have been mounting that Israel plans to control part of southern Lebanon after the war ends.

'We urge Israel to fully respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity,' the foreign ministers of the countries said in a joint statement.

'And [we] call on all parties, both Hezbollah and Israel, to halt military action.'

Lebanon was brought into the conflict after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel.

Israel responded with strikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive in the country's south.

Reporting with AFP

By Audrey Courty

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says 'striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender'.

The comments come after strikes on a major Iranian bridge — the B1 — killed eight people and injured 95 others, according to Iran's state media.

'It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray,' Araghchi wrote on X.

'Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America's standing.'

The foreign minister also hit back at US President Donald Trump's threat that the United States would bomb Iran 'back to the Stone Age'.

'There's one striking difference between the present and the Stone Age: there was no oil or gas being pumped in the Middle East back then,' Araghchi says.

'Are POTUS and Americans who put him in office sure that they want to turn back the clock?'

Araghchi included a photo in his social media post of what appears to be the broken B1 bridge.

By Georgie Hewson

Australia's fuel refineries say the decision to lower diesel standards for six months will help increase supply amid the ongoing crisis.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said last week the standard for diesel had been adjusted to allow more fuel to flow into the domestic market.

But what does lowering the standard actually mean? Is it safe and how will it help increase supply?

The six-month adjustment will see the diesel flashpoint lowered from 61.5 degrees Celsius to 60.5 degrees Celsius.

Australia has one of the highest diesel flashpoints in the world. In comparison, Europe has a minimum diesel flashpoint of 55C.

The flashpoint refers to the lowest temperature at which vapours coming off a fuel could ignite.

Learn more here:

By Georgie Hewson

The US military's Central Command has rejected a claim by the IRGC that it had downed an 'enemy' jet fighter near the Strait of Hormuz.

'All US fighter aircraft are accounted for,' it said in a statement.

'Iran's IRGC has made the same false claim at least half a dozen times.'

By Georgie Hewson

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has asked General Randy George to step down as chief of staff of the US Army, according to the Pentagon.

A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed a report from US broadcaster CBS that said George had been asked to take immediate retirement.

The reason for the request was not immediately known, but CBS quoted a source as saying Hegseth wanted someone who would implement his and Trump's vision for the army.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell later posted a statement on X that said George 'will be retiring from his position … effective immediately', without specifying a reason.

George is the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth.

As with many of those, Pentagon officials are not offering a reason for George's departure.

His removal as the top army officer comes as the United States is engaged in a war with Iran that the president has indicated may last for several more weeks.

Reporting with AP

By Audrey Courty

The Dubai Media Office has rejected claims that an Oracle data centre was attacked in the emirate.

The navy command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had earlier said it launched an attack on the data centre belonging to the US technological firm.

Oracle has ongoing cloud and AI partnership with the US Department of Defense. The company's founder Larry Ellison also has strong ties to the Israeli government.

Reporting with Reuters

By Audrey Courty

As we reported earlier, US President Donald Trump said a key bridge linking Iran's capital Tehran to the western city of Karaj had been struck.

We've included below the video he shared on social media, which shows the B1 bridge break in half and collapse, sending up large plumes of smoke.

At a height of about 136 metres, the major highway link was once considered the tallest bridge in the Middle East, according to Iranian media.

By Georgie Hewson

Reporting by acting defence and national security correspondent Tom Lowrey

In the hours after the United States launched its war on Iran on February 28, its actions received a warm welcome in Australia.

The response from the federal government and opposition was unequivocal — this war was justified and hope for regime change in Iran was real.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, world oil markets rattled and no obvious off-ramp to the hostilities in sight, both major parties shifted their tone rapidly.

They are seeking to respond to public fears that fuel concerns could quickly become a fuel crisis.

And what was once enthusiastic support for military action has turned to alarm.

You can read more about that here:

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