US politics live updates: King Charles addresses US Congress; Trump says Iran is in a ‘state of collapse’ and wants Strait of Hormuz reopened

Thank you for joining our continuing live coverage of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the United States, as well as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and related developments in Australia.

Here’s the news you need to know, or might have missed overnight:

• King Charles III addressed US Congress, becoming the second British monarch to do so after his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s speech at the Capitol in 1991. In his 20-minute speech, the King decried “acts of violence” after the Washington hotel shooting, underlined the importance of NATO and support for Ukraine, and plugged the AUKUS agreement, adding that he was “immensely proud” to serve Australia as sovereign. He reminded the US that “America’s words carry weight and meaning. Let our two countries rededicate ourselves to each other in the selfless service of our peoples and of all the peoples of the world,” he said.
• The King and Queen Camilla remained in Washington for the second day of their four-day state visit to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.
• US President Donald Trump said Iran has asked the US to lift a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, claiming they had informed the US they were in a “state of collapse”. The national security team has discussed an Iranian proposal to end the conflict. Mediators in Pakistan expect Iran will submit a revised proposal to end the war in the next few days, CNN reported.
• US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel hit back at criticism of his monologue delivered before the shooting in Washington, during which he quipped that first lady Melania Trump had the glow of an “expectant widow”. He said it was “obviously a joke about their age difference”.
• Alleged Washington hotel shooter Cole Tomas Allen, charged with attempting to assassinate the US president, remains in custody ahead of a bail hearing later this week.
• The United Arab Emirates says it is quitting the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, weakening OPEC’s control over global oil supplies and widening a rift between the UAE and its neighbour Saudi Arabia.

Donald Trump technically has until the end of the week to gain approval from Congress for the war in Iran, but his political opponents are already exploring taking legal action.

US laws stipulate military operations be terminated after 60 days unless Congress votes to declare war or otherwise authorises further action.

No such authorisation for the military’s involvement in Iran has been made, and no indication has come from the White House that Trump plans to seek authorisation ahead of the May 1 deadline.

Time reports this morning some Democrats are exploring potential legal action if Trump ignores the deadline.

Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino says the government would be supportive of anything that improves oil supply stability, but it was too soon to tell what impact the UAE’s exit from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries would have.

“There are many moving parts to the supply of oil at the moment,” he told ABC Radio National this morning.

“We need to keep monitoring this very complex market to ensure that Australia gets the supply it needs.”

The UAE’s exit from OPEC may eventually increase supply as it frees the country – one of the group’s biggest producers – from the organisation’s quotas.

The country could increase its output once exports via the Gulf resume and the geopolitical situation stabilises, some analysts say.

The United Arab Emirates says it is quitting the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, dealing a blow to the oil producers’ group as an unprecedented energy crisis caused by the Iran war exposes discord among Gulf nations.

The exit of the UAE – one of the group’s biggest producers – weakens OPEC’s control over global oil supplies and widens a rift between the UAE and its neighbour Saudi Arabia, effectively the leader of the OPEC.

It could also free the UAE to increase output once exports via the Gulf resume as it would no longer be governed by OPEC quotas.

Analysts said it was positive for consumers and the broader economy.

The US military has boarded another commercial vessel during blockade of Iran’s ports, but unlike in previous cases, the ship was allowed to carry on its way.

US Central Command said on social media this morning Marines boarded the Blue Star III but “released the vessel after conducting a search and confirming its voyage would not include an Iranian port call.”

An accompanying video showed American forces fast-roping from a helicopter onto the vessel.

The Blue Star is at least the fourth merchant ship to be boarded since the Trump administration began the blockade of Iranian shipping more than two weeks ago, but it is the first to not be taken into US custody.

King Charles used the power of the podium at the US Congress to deliver a gentle but compelling message to Donald Trump and the American people about the value of remembering their friends.

The King’s address was serious, persuasive and incredibly sly in the way it told the US President what his many critics think he needs to hear.

But even a superb speech, surrounded by the high ceremony of a state visit, iwill not be enough to restore the “special relationship” between Britain and America when Trump is not likely to listen.

Read more from Europe correspondent David Crowe here

Inflation is set to reach a three-year high as the war against Iran drives up prices on everyday goods, with warnings that the Australian economy could be in the grip of a stagflation slowdown that would drive more than 100,000 people out of work within months.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday will release the March consumer price index with analysts united in expecting a petrol-induced surge in prices that will take the overall inflation rate towards 5 per cent.

Petrol prices jumped by 37 per cent last month before the federal government’s cuts to fuel excise, and a ramp-up in petrol supplies across the country, started to push down prices, which are now about 6¢ a litre above their pre-war level.

The lift in petrol and diesel prices quickly fed into the broader transport system, which translated into higher costs on everything from construction materials to supermarket staples. Analysts believe inflation in March alone could rise by up to 1.5 per cent.

Not only is overall inflation expected to climb, but the closely watched measure of underlying inflation, which the Reserve Bank believes gives a better indication of overall price pressures in the economy, is also expected to surge.

Read more from senior economics correspondent Shane Wright

The US government has ratcheted up pressure on Tehran, imposing sanctions on 35 entities and individuals for their roles in Iran’s shadow banking sector, and threatening sanctions against banks doing business with Chinese “teapot” refineries that it said are paying tolls for shipments to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the designated individuals and firms had facilitated the movement of the equivalent of tens of billions of dollars tied to sanctions evasion and what it called Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism.

OFAC separately warned banks against doing business with any firm paying the Iranian government or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for passage through the strait, saying they faced the risk of significant sanctions.

It singled out independent Chinese teapot refineries, primarily in Shandong province, given their role in importing and refining Iranian oil, noting that some had used the US financial system to conduct dollar-denominated transactions and procure US goods.

The United Arab Emirates will leave the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) next month, in a significant blow to the group that raises questions about its future at a time when the industry is grappling with the massive supply disruption caused by the Iran war.

The UAE’s exit on May 1 after six decades of membership is the culmination of years of tension with OPEC leader Saudi Arabia both over oil output policy and competition for regional political influence.

It’s also the latest indication of how the conflict is reshaping global energy markets.

While the UAE has talked in the past about quitting OPEC, Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said in an interview that the disruption caused by the war created an opportune time for the move.

King Charles ended his speech asking the UK and US to come together for the benefit of the wider world, and stressed that “America’s words carry weight and meaning as they have since independence”.

“The actions of this great nation matter even more,” he said.

“President Lincoln understood this so well with his reflection in the magisterial Gettysburg address that the world may little note what we say, but will never forget what we do.

“And so to the United States of America, on your 250th birthday, let our two countries rededicate ourselves to each other in the selfless service of our peoples and of all the peoples of the world. God bless the United States and God bless the United Kingdom.”

Earlier in his speech, the King said in the “unpredictable environment”, the unique alliance between the UK and US “cannot rest on past achievements or assume that foundational principles simply endure”.

“As my Prime Minister [Keir Starmer] said last month, ours is an indispensable partnership. We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last 80 years. We must build on it.” That comment was met with great applause.

Charles, who has long spoken publicly about the threats posed by man-made climate change, says present generations must decide how to address “the collapse of critical natural systems”.

“We ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems - in other words, nature’s own economy - provide the foundation for our prosperity and our national security,” he says.

That comment elicited an instant standing ovation on the Democratic side of the chamber. Some Republicans stood, but most remained seated.