US-Iran war live updates: Trump threatens Iran with ‘four-hour bombing blitz’ if Strait of Hormuz not reopened; 45-day ceasefire proposal rejected

Welcome to our rolling coverage of the conflict in the Middle East and related developments in Australia.

Here’s a recap of key developments:

• US President Donald Trump has just wrapped up a press conference at the White House, where he again threatened Iran with major strikes if there was no deal by Tuesday night (Wednesday AEST).
• Trump told reporters “the entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night” if the strait is not reopened.
• It followed the president’s expletive-laden threat yesterday that “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.”
• Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has caused oil prices to surge and shaken the world economy.
• Iran has rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and insisted it wants a permanent end to the war.
• Israel says it struck a key petrochemical plant in the massive South Pars natural gas field which lies in the Persian Gulf half-way between Iran and Qatar, and killed two Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders.
• The IRGC said the head of its intelligence was killed in an Israeli strike last night.

A US-Israeli strike has flattened a synagogue in the centre of Tehran, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Unverified video posted to Telegram shows emergency service workers combing through the rubble of the synagogue as civilians watch on.

Fifteen Americans were injured in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait overnight, US officials told CBS News.

The strike hit Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base and most of the injured service personnel have returned to duty, the outlet reported.

A total of 373 American service personnel have been injured during the US-Israeli war on Iran. Five are considered seriously injured, while 13 have been killed.

Albanese would not say whether he was worried that innocent Iranians would be killed if Donald Trump followed through on his promise to target civilian infrastructure in Iran, saying Australia supported de-escalation of the conflict.

“We want to see a de-escalation. We’ve called for that, we want to see clear objectives.

“The objectives that President Trump outlined at the beginning of the process have largely been achieved,” the prime minister said.

Yesterday, Trump threatened to target civilian infrastructure on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), including power plants and bridges, if Iran did not meet his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Bowen is addressing the media and providing an update on the numbers of service stations around the country that remain without petrol and diesel.

Here’s what he said:

This morning, in NSW, we have 125 service stations without diesel, that’s 5 per cent of service stations. That’s down 17 on yesterday. There’s 34 with no fuel. That’s down five on yesterday. Victoria, we have 40 without diesel, that’s down 11. So that’s 2 per cent of Victorian service station, 29 with no unleaded petrol. In Queensland, 34 without diesel. That’s also 2 per cent, and 30 without unleaded petrol. South Australia, seven with no diesel.

He said despite the fact demand for petrol and diesel was 30 per cent higher this Easter than last Easter, supply remained steady.

Anthony Albanese opened his press conference from Parliament House by addressing ongoing pressures on Australia’s fuel supply caused by the US war on Iran.

The prime minister said the government was focused on addressing the impacts of diesel shortages and “monitoring this very closely”.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen is now addressing reporters.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Parliament House in Canberra addressing reporters.

The Israel Defence Forces say they have completed another bombing campaign in Tehran and across Iran.

In a post to X this morning, it said, “The IDF has just completed an extensive strike mission targeting the infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran and additional areas in Iran”.

It follows an announcement by Israel earlier today that its forces had struck a key petrochemical plant in the South Pars natural gas field that lies halfway between Iran and Qatar in the Persian Gulf, killing two IRGC commanders.

War in the Middle East will have dire consequences on the global economy, with the International Monetary Fund warning “higher inflation and slower global growth”.

Prior to the war, the IMF had projected a small increase in global growth, its managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said.

“Instead, all roads now lead to higher prices and slower growth,” she said.

Reuters

Iran’s deputy sports minister, Alireza Rahimi, has urged Iranians, including young people and public figures such as artists and athletes, to form human chains at power plants across the country tomorrow afternoon (8.30pm AEST) in protest against US forces.

Rahimi’s call follows Trump’s threat yesterday that the US would bomb Iranian power plants along with other key civilian infrastructure by Tuesday (US time) if Iran did not agree to a deal.

The call has drawn widespread criticism of Rahimi on social media platforms such as X, where several users accused Iranian leaders of using their people as “human shields”.

“We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime,” Rahimi wrote.

Independent experts warn strikes on civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges would constitute war crimes, while the UN has urged the US not to target civilian infrastructure.

with Reuters

Trump has threatened to jail the journalist who first reported that US forces were searching for an F-15 weapons officer shot down in Iran if they don’t reveal their sources.

“The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say, and that doesn’t last long,” Trump said during a press briefing at the White House.

Trump didn’t name the journalist or news organisation.

He said the story tipped off the Iranians and endangered the officer and his rescuers. He said the government was “looking very hard to find that leaker” and called them “a sick person”.

AP