US-Iran war updates: Chris Bowen cuts fuel stock obligations, Trump hints at war escalation in new threat
Follow for live updates.
Key Events
Everything you need to know
- New Iranian leadership defiance: In his first public address since the assassination of his father, the new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz and demanded the closure of all US military bases in the region.
- Strikes on Tehran: The IDF and US forces launched an ‘extensive wave’ of aerial bombardments on the Iranian capital, with residents reporting powerful explosions that shook buildings.
- Missile barrage on Israel: Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles toward Israel, causing injuries in the north and forcing thousands of civilians into bomb shelters.
- Gulf under attack: Pro-Iranian forces targeted multiple Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, which reported intercepting 12 drones, and Oman where a drone strike hit thePort of Duqm.
- Panic buying: Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced a release of 400 million litres of diesel and 300 million litres of petrol from Australia’s onshore fuel stockpile to help address shortages, as service stations and wholesalers run dry amid widespread panic buying.
- French military fatality: President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the first French military death of the war after a soldier was killed in a drone attack in the Erbil region of Iraq.
- US aircraft crashes in Iraq: A KC-135 refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq during Operation Epic Fury. US Central Command said the crash was not due to hostile fire. Rescue operations are ongoing.
- Energy markets in crisis: Brent crude oil prices have surged past $US100 per barrel due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Humanitarian crisis in Iran: The UN reports that 3.2 million people have now been internally displaced within Iran since the conflict began on February 28.
UN chief touches down in Beirut
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Beirut for his visit in solidarity with “the people of Lebanon”.
In a post on X, Guterres said: “I have just landed in Beirut for a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon.
“They did not choose this war. They were dragged into it.”
Guterres concluded his post by saying the UN will contnue to strive for peace in Lebanon.
Deadly crash ‘not due to hostile or friendly fire’
The KC-135 refuelling aircraft that was taken down over Iraq “was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire”, according to US Central Command.
Centcom assured the circumstances of the incident are being investigated.
The command provided the update after four of the six US crew members onboard were confirmed dead.
The idenitities of the people killed will not be released for 24 hours until the next of kin are notified.
Four US crew members onboard refuelling plane die
The US Central Command has confirmed four of six members onboard KC-135 refuelling aircraft that went down in western Iraq have died.
“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” the command said on X.
Schools cancel overseas trips as war escalates
Dozens of disappointed teens from WA schools will miss out on upcoming overseas school trips that have been cancelled as war in the Middle East escalates.
The Education Department this week notified four public schools it had cancelled overseas tours planned for March and April that were travelling via Dubai International Airport.
Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is now listed as a “do not travel” zone on the Federal Government’s SmartTraveller website.
Students from Rossmoyne and Willetton senior high schools, Bob Hawke College and Perth Modern School had spent months saving up or fund-raising for tickets costing between $10,000 and $12,000 each.
“The safety of WA students and staff always comes first, which is why the Minister for Education requested a review of all planned overseas school travel,” a spokesperson for the Education Department said.
“We understand students and families may be disappointed but safety remains paramount.”
Read the full story here.
Israel continues ‘strikes against Iranian terror regime’
The Israel Defense Forces has vowed to continue its attack on Iran.
“Strikes against the Iranian terror regime continue,” the IDF began its video post on X.
The IDF shared the update alongside a map with pins outlining details of attacks on underground facilities, bases and command centres across the country in Shiraz, Tehran and Ahvaz.
Israel launches new strikes on Iranian capital
Explosions have been heard in Tehran as the Israel Defense Forces confirms it has launched fresh strikes on the Iranian capital.
“We just begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran,” the IDF said in a post to Telegram.
The comments come after a number of explosions were reported in and near the city.
Israeli military destroy bridge in south Lebanon
The Israeli military says it has destroyed a bridge on the Litani River in Lebanon’s south..
The IDF’s Arabic spokesman posted on X that the destroyed bridge, located in the village of Zrariyeh, had been used by Hezbollah fighters.
Their military also said Hezbollah forces near the bridge had fired rockets into Israel during the current conflict.
Drone attack on primary Saudi hub
A drone was shot down while attempting to approach the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, the Saudi Defence Ministry has reported.
A Defence spokesman said air defences had shot down eight more drones in the central and eastern regions of the country.
‘I am killing them’: Trump says US is ‘obliterating’ Iran regime
In a post shared on his Truth Social platform, President Donald Trump has declared that the USA is “totally destroying” Iran’s regime.
The US leader told his fans to “watch what happens”, a potential sign of an escalation in the conflict.
“Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth. We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time - Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” the post read.
Trump also went on to say it was his “great honour” to be killing members of the Iranian regime.
“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!”
Falling drone kills two in Oman
Two people have been killed in Oman after a drone was downed in the Sohar province, according to the nation’s government media department.
The agency cited a security source who said the drone made impact in the al-Awahi industrial area, killing two and injuring others.
It has been reported that both individuals killed were foreign nationals.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails