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As it happened US-Iran war: Trump reveals oil ‘present’ from Iran; Israel claims it killed navy chief in strike; White House confirms it sent 15-point peace plan via Pakistan

Angus Dalton, Sarah McPhee and Alexander Darling
Updated ,first published
Pinned post from 6.30pm
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What we covered today

By Alexander Darling

Thank you for joining our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. We’ll return tomorrow morning.

Here’s a recap of the day:

  • US President Donald Trump said he was giving Iran another 10 days to negotiate on ending the war before possible strikes on energy infrastructure.
  • Trump held a cabinet meeting this morning (AEDT), during which he claimed the “present” the US had received from Iran was 10 Pakistan-flagged boats of oil that passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
  • He also criticised allies, including Australia, for not doing more to support the war.
  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded to this at a press conference this morning, saying it was up to Trump to explain his comments. “I make the point as well that Australia wasn’t consulted before this action was undertaken, and I expect that that’s a matter for the United States.”
  • At the press conference, Albanese said Australia’s fuel supplies remained secure short-term.
  • Albanese said Australia expected reciprocation for its reliable supply of gas to neighbouring Asia-Pacific countries, as the government continues to work to shore up fuel supply.
  • The war, about to enter its fifth week, has now killed more than 3000 people. This includes 1900 in Iran, nearly 1100 in Lebanon and 18 in Israel, while three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon. Thirteen US military members have died, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.

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Attacks, warnings continue in Gulf states

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Bahrain sounded its missile alert siren late on Friday morning over an incoming Iranian attack.

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Qatar, which had not suffered a major attack in days, also sounded its alerts on Friday.

Kuwait said on Friday its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City had come under attack and sustained “material damage”. It said no one was hurt in the attack but offered no other details.

AP

Iran says airstrikes hit residential areas

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Iranian media reported strikes on residential areas in Tehran, Qom and Urmia in the early hours of Friday morning.

Three residential homes in the Pardisan area of Qom, south of Tehran, were struck, killing at least six people. In Tehran, rescue workers from the Red Crescent pulled a survivor from the rubble of a residential building that was hit by airstrikes.

Residents examine the damage of a home struck by an Iranian missile in Kfar Qasim.AP

A housing complex in the north-western city of Urmia was struck by a missile attack, killing and injuring several civilians and destroying at least four residential units.

Emergency responders were sent to the scene as rescue operations continue.

Watch: Why the Iran conflict is spiralling out of control

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How can we make heads or tails of where the Iran war is headed, and when it might end, when Donald Trump changes his strategy with whiplash speed?

One minute, the US president says he’ll drop more bombs on Iran, “just for fun”; the next, he decides to lift sanctions on Iranian oil and says that he’s having productive negotiations with his enemy.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher looks at whether this war will lead us all into a recession, and what Trump said that revealed how much political trouble he’s now in.

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Police probe theft of ‘several hundred litres of fuel’ in Tasmania

By Alexander Darling

In a development that reflects the times, Tasmanian Police say they are investigating the theft of a significant quantity of fuel overnight.

Officers say that between 5pm yesterday and 6.30 this morning, offenders broke into a property in a rural part of Oatlands, about an hour’s drive north of Hobart.

Police in Tasmania are investigating a major fuel theft.Louie Douvis

They left with “several hundred litres of fuel ... from a storage trailer” parked on the property.

Police said property and vehicle owners needed to take steps to secure their vehicles and tanks, such as using CCTV.

Last week, Victoria’s Farmers Federation president, Brent Hosking, told Nine News his members had reported several fuel thefts.

“We have heard one or two disturbing stories, one case of a fuel tank on a tractor having a hole drilled through it and the fuel drained out,” he said. “We heard another incident of a road grader parked overnight doing maintenance on a work – public work – they came back the next morning to see fuel siphoned out of the fuel tank, which is really ordinary.”

UAE ‘willing to join international force’ to reopen strait

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The United Arab Emirates has told Washington and other Western allies that it would take part in a multinational maritime taskforce intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, The Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Earlier, France said its military chief held talks with about 35 countries on Thursday, as it sought partners and proposals for a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the US-Israeli war on Iran ends.

Commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.Getty Images

The United States’ Western allies have said they will not take part in the conflict. But the behind-the-scenes activity underscores concern that, after the fighting, Iran could continue to threaten the waterway, which carries about a fifth of global oil supplies.

Shipping there has already slowed to a ‌near-halt after Iran struck vessels amid its conflict with the United States and Israel.

A French defence ministry statement did not name the foreign powers that held talks with Armed Forces Chief Fabien Mandon in a video conference, but said they came from all continents.

Reuters

The latest: How expensive is fuel in your city?

By Alexander Darling

We haven’t had any fresh figures from the energy minister today about the number of servos without different fuel types, but the consumer watchdog has offered some updated average prices.

The trend of increases is more pronounced in regional Australia, where diesel prices averaged 307.6¢ a litre, a 28.6 per cent weekly jump.Louie Douvis

“Across Australia’s five largest cities, daily average retail diesel prices on 25 March were 303.5 cents per litre (cpl), an increase of 27.8 cpl (10 per cent) from the previous week,” the ACCC said in a statement this afternoon.

The latest data on Friday.ACCC

“In comparison, average retail prices on 25 March for regular unleaded petrol across the five largest cities were 252.2 cpl, an increase of 18.1 cpl (8 per cent) from the previous week.”

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Thai cargo ship ‘runs aground’ after Iran attack

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A Thai-flagged cargo ship that came under attack from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and was abandoned by its crew has run aground, Iranian media reported on Friday.

The Mayuree Naree came under attack on March 11. Three of its mariners went missing and have not been found.

Thai-flagged cargo vessel Mayuree Naree in the Strait of Hormuz on March 11.The Age

The semi-official Tasnim and Fars news agencies, believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reported that the cargo ship ran aground near the village of Ramchah on Qeshm Island.

AP

Older Australians at risk as fuel prices surge, union warns

By Alexander Darling

Fuel price rises are making in-home aged care services impossible for workers to perform, the union representing aged care workers has warned.

While some aged care staff work at premises, there are others who travel between homes to deliver meals, medication and companionship.

A union says older Australians are being put in danger as rising fuel costs are making it harder for in-home aged care workers to perform their services.Eamon Gallagher

The United Workers Union says some workers travel more than 1000 kilometres a week as part of their work, and these workers’ on-the-job costs have risen since the war began, as “their minimal award conditions and employer-paid fuel and car expenses have never met their full fuel costs”.

“More than 540 home care workers said they travelled an average of 260 kilometres a week as fuel prices surge above $2.50 a litre,” the union said in a statement. “The same survey showed home care workers reporting they are out of pocket by an average of $160 as the crisis continues.”

The union is calling for the federal government to reimburse home aged care workers who use their own cars, and fuel vouchers that reflect rising costs.

Albanese leaves door open to fuel tax cut amid record prices

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has left the door open to cutting fuel taxes while ramping up efforts to calm public panic over shortages at service stations, as Opposition Leader Angus Taylor demands the government takes 26¢ a litre off the cost of fuel.

On Friday, Taylor released a plan to halve the 52¢-litre-fuel excise for three months, which would save motorists a combined $1.5 billion over three months.

Albanese criticised Taylor’s political approach, but did not talk down the policy move of cutting excise.

Read more here.

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