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

Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all maritime traffic, escalating tensions in one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors.

According to Reuters, senior Iranian military commanders warned that any vessel attempting to transit the waterway — including oil tankers and commercial ships — would be targeted.

Iranian state media has since reported that two vessels have already come under fire following the closure.

New flight tracking data shows Iranian airspace has effectively emptied as the latest wave of US strikes unfolds, with commercial aircraft steering clear of the country.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has revealed a US military mission protecting commercial tankers through the Strait of Hormuz never actually ended, despite previous suggestions the operation had wrapped up.

Speaking from US Central Command headquarters in Florida, Mr Hegseth said the mission, known as Project Freedom, had simply gone “underground” while continuing to escort ships through the vital shipping corridor.

His comments backed claims made earlier by President Donald Trump, who said US forces had been carrying out a “secret mission” to protect vessels moving through the region.

“So there’s some things the public knows and some things the public doesn’t know, but ultimately we’ve been protecting commercial shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz as the president announced to the tune of over 100 million barrels that have moved through, and more, in the middle of the night protected by the United States in a way that Iran can’t stop,” he said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has accused Iran of projecting a “malign influence” into Australia, joining more than 20 countries in a coordinated condemnation of the regime as a fragile Middle East ceasefire faces growing pressure.

Speaking from London, where she is travelling alongside Defence Minister Richard Marles for a series of high-level security and defence talks across Europe, Senator Wong said Australia had signed a joint international statement expressing concern over Iran’s activities both abroad and within democratic nations.

The statement comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following a series of strikes between Iran and the United States, despite efforts to preserve a ceasefire and growing international calls for a diplomatic solution.

Senator Wong said Australia had firsthand experience of Iranian interference.

“Australia, which, as you know, experienced Iranian interference on foreign soil, and Australian soil, and saw Iranian involvement in anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish institutions,” she said.

“We’ve drawn this statement to reflect our concern about the way in which the Iranian regime has projected a malign influence into many democracies, including Australia, and we’re determined to stand up to it.”

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Donald Trump has vowed to continue striking Iran, accusing the regime of dragging out peace negotiations and warning military pressure would intensify unless Tehran agreed to a US-backed deal.

Speaking at the White House, the President said fresh attacks were imminent after US forces launched strikes on Iranian targets for a second consecutive day.

“We’re going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard,” Mr Trump said.

“Based on the helicopter, I guess we have the right to do that. We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, in case you don’t turn on your television set and we will see what happens with the deal.”

Mr Trump said Iran should accept a deal that would prevent the regime from “ever having a nuclear weapon”, claiming negotiations had been close to success before stalling.

“I’ve been working with Iran for a number of months and they should sign the deal. It’s a good deal,” he said.

“I don’t know what they’re doing. We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along, they keep playing us for suckers.”

Asked about comments suggesting the US could target Iranian power plants and bridges, Mr Trump replied, “I’m not gonna say that to you, but I can do that”.

The United States has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, marking the second consecutive day of military action as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate.

US Central Command confirmed its forces began conducting “self-defence strikes” against multiple targets in Iran at 5.15pm ET on the orders of President Donald Trump.

The military said the operation was launched in response to Iran’s “unwarranted and continued aggression”.

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