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The latest developments
By Daniel Lo Surdo
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.
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Iran again denies it is negotiating with US
By Angus Delaney
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.
How many people have been killed in the war?
By
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.
UAE ‘preparing to help US open strait by force’
By Angus Delaney
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.
The latest developments
By Daniel Lo Surdo
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.
Rubio can see ‘finish line’ on war
By
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
Queensland refuses to back Victoria, NSW GST model
By James Hall
Queensland has refused to agree on a way to distribute the inflated GST windfall collected from high fuel prices after most states backed passing the discount directly on to motorists.
The Allan government in Victoria initially preferred an option to redistribute the funds to the agricultural sector but revealed today that it now supported handing back discounts to consumers directly at the bowser – a proposal that had already been publicly backed by NSW.
The Queensland government, however, was unconvinced that was the appropriate model, and was instead workshopping ways to pass on the windfall in targeted cost-of-living handouts through the upcoming state budget. The Liberal-National government played down any conflict among the state leaders, insisting there was broad agreement to give the inflated windfall back to consumers. But it was critical of the Albanese government’s handling of the proposed plans following national cabinet earlier this week.
“The federal government talked about GST and how it might relate to the states, particularly in respect of inflated revenues that might arise from the GST,” Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki said yesterday.
“The federal government’s plan from last night has already fallen apart by this morning.
“We are committed to making sure that any inflated revenue windfalls are appropriately handed to Queenslanders in their pockets through cost-of-living relief, and we will now be doing that work.”
Minns urges travellers to keep Easter plans
By Max Maddison
NSW Premier Chris Minns is urging travellers not to cancel their Easter plans because of fuel anxieties, saying the latest indicators suggest supply won’t pose problems.
After disagreement among the states scuppered a deal to spend the GST windfall from higher fuel prices, Minns said the proposal from NSW to cut petrol prices was a “clear, unambiguous intervention”.
The number of service stations without any fuel dropped to 30 today, which the premier said could be the result of reduced demand pressures as consumers waited for the fuel excise to be halved.
“So I’m not going to get ahead of myself, but it’s come at a good time,” Minns said.
Trump to deliver national address
By
The White House has announced Donald Trump will deliver an address to the nation on Wednesday evening (Thursday AEDT). Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he would “provide an important update on Iran”.
It will follow Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s address to the nation, to be delivered at 7pm this evening (AEDT).
Albanese is expected to outline the government’s response to the war in the Middle East, and encourage Australians to save fuel to support struggling areas and industries. The address will be simultaneously broadcast across all television and radio networks.
Victoria agrees to pass GST windfall to motorists
By Daniella White
Premier Jacinta Allan says Victoria will now back a plan to pass a GST discount directly to motorists, after states clashed over how to spend the windfall from surging petrol prices.
Queensland and Victoria argued at a meeting yesterday that the extra GST revenue generated from soaring fuel costs should be reinvested into broader cost-of-living measures, with Allan advocating for it to be used to support the agricultural sector and reduce the price of some food. NSW rejected the proposal.
By this morning, Allan confirmed Victoria supported handing back discounts to motorists at the bowser.
“Well, Victoria’s position is … that we support the use of the GST to further drive down fuel prices at the pump,” she said.
“So we can hold both positions … we can support the reduction of the fuel costs at the pump through further using the GST process. And we can also look at new ways and measures of supporting rural and regional communities and the agricultural sector. And that’s absolutely Victoria’s position, and will continue to be the position going forward.”
The proposal to hand back GST windfalls directly at the bowser had been publicly backed by NSW Premier Chris Minns. If introduced, it is expected to save motorists an additional 6-10¢ per litre in fuel on top of the temporary halving of the fuel excise.
Allan said it was a complex process to determine how the GST discount would be calculated.
“And that was also what we talked about in our meeting yesterday, that we needed a bit of time to work through the quantum and to also work through the mechanism,” she said.
Albanese to address nation tonight
By Nick Newling
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver an “address to the nation” this evening at 7pm (AEDT) in which he will outline the government’s response to the war in the Middle East and encourage Australians to save fuel to support struggling areas and industries.
The address will be simultaneously broadcast across all television and radio networks.
Similar addresses have been delivered during the COVID pandemic and the global financial crisis.
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