News and politics recap: Trump threatens to ‘bomb the s**t’ out of Iran as Strait of Hormuz closed

Three Indian seafarers have been reported dead after a US strike on oil tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, CNN is reporting.

India’s Minister of Ports and Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal says the seafarers were reported missing on Wednesday evening, but their bodies have since been found.

“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello,” Sonowal said.

“Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified.

“This is a profound loss to our maritime family.”

An 11-year-year-old girl has been injured after Iranian airstrikes on Bahrain on Thursday, according to Bahrain’s interior ministry.

“Vehicles caught fire & houses were damaged in Hamad Town & Manama due falling debris of drones interception,” a ministry statement said.

When asked about consumer prices rising in the US for three months in a row, Donald Trump says “the numbers were great” despite a 4.2 per cent annual increase.

“I love the inflation. . . the bad part is the stock market will go down by a lot based on predictions of experts like 25 per cent,” Trump said.

“To me it was worth it not to have a nuclear weapon.”

In the same press conference, Trump claimed inflation “is coming down” when the war is over.

Airspace over Kuwait has been shut down as missiles are launched from Iran across the Middle East.

Air defence systems across Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain have reportedly been activated.

Following the latest US strikes in the last few hours, Iran has launched retaliation, reportedly targeting US bases across the Middle East.

Initial reports suggest that bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan are being targeted by IRGC aggression.

The US has issued a warning for US citizens in Jordan, telling them to seek shelter immediately.

“Reports indicate missiles, drones, or rockets are in Jordanian airspace. Seek overhead cover and shelter in place immediately. Remain indoors and pay attention to local announcements and alerts,” a US Government warning said.

The US Central Command says the latest waves of attacks.

“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces completed additional self-defense strikes against multiple targets in Iran, June 10, at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” a CENTCOM update said.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly told Iran to accept the deal from US negotiators or face more bombing within hours.

Mr Trump’s comments were reported by Fox News, which claimed he used fiery language in his ultimatum threat.

He also reportedly told the outlet that the latest srikes saw “49 Tomahawk missiles” hit targets inside of Iran, “some of them as close as 40 miles [64km] from the Iranian capital of Tehran”.

“The president said the US fighter jets are also operating over the skies of Iran, taking out radar systems and air defence systems in the southwestern part of the country, close to the Persian Gulf,” Fox reported.

The Coalition and One Nation are demanding the Government change so that a broken status quo can stay the same, Jim Chalmers says as he defends the direction Labor’s taken with its Budget.

Speaking to the ALP Policy Forum, a key internal body that will feed into the national conference in July, the Treasurer said on Thursday morning that the party had a responsibility to rebuild confidence in politics by lifting living standards and making it easier for people to buy their own home.

“Not everybody is born already at the top of the ladder like Angus Taylor was, not everybody fails upwards like he has. And unlike One Nation, we vote the way workers need us to, not the way Gina Rinehart tells us to,” he said.

“The irony of their position is they want to change the government in order to leave everything as it is – a truly absurd proposition.”

He’s expected to make similar points in a separate speech to investment bankers later on Thursday.

It marks a pivot in Labor’s rhetoric around the reasons for its budget changes to capital gains tax discounts and negative gearing, and comes after polling showing One Nation is now the most popular political party with voters.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also more pugilistic in his approach to the minor party, questioning on Thursday whether leader Pauline Hanson’s claims to have raised more than $1.7 million in a day were real.

“It is an example of slogans being put forward … not substance,” he said.

“People can say all of these things, they get a run on in the media. They had an ad for their fundraising campaign, effectively free ad in one of the mainstream publications here yesterday.

“We’ll continue to actually be interested in making a difference to people’s lives, and that is what we will focus on.”

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has dismissed suggestions from one of his frontbenchers for a “non-compete” deal with One Nation at the next election.

Tony Pasin has suggested the Liberal Party should work “hand-in-glove” with Pauline Hanson’s party to identify which seats they run in so as not to cannibalise the conservative vote.

“No, there’s no plan to carve up seats. We won’t be doing that,” Mr Talyor told the ABC on Thursday.

“What we will be doing is focusing on a Labor government that’s taking this country in the wrong direction, with higher taxes, with less houses, with immigration that has not been in line with our housing supply, and with an energy system that is broken.

“And that will be our focus, it won’t be carving up seats.”

US Central Command has pushed back on Iranian claims that the Strait of Hormuz has been shut down, insisting commercial traffic is continuing to move through the strategically important waterway.

The denial came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reportedly warned that any vessel entering the Strait — including commercial ships and oil tankers — could be targeted.

In a statement posted to X, CENTCOM rejected suggestions the route had been closed, saying: “Commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz tonight.”

The US military did not directly comment on Iran’s threat to fire on vessels using the passage.

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