US, Iran war live updates: Trump backs down from ‘obliteration’ threat after ‘productive’ talks with Iran

Australia’s supermarket giants are confident their supply chains won’t be impacted by fuel shortages, but independent grocers are warning extra costs will inevitably be passed on.

Australia’s supermarket giants are confident their supply chains won’t be impacted by fuel shortages, but independent grocers are warning extra costs will inevitably be passed on.

Independent Grocers Association WA President John Cummings said it will take a while for any global supply shortages to flow through. But he warned some prices would inevitably go up.

“Normally you’re three months out and six months out in the ordering of (imports) so that’s a long way down the track,” he said.

“The good news is that in Australia, as much as 90 per cent of what we consume is actually locally made, grown and manufactured.”

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Lebanon’s National News Agency says one civilian has been killed in an air strike in the Shahabiya district of Tyre in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

Four others have been injured according to the report, which added that the attack caused significant damage to a residential area.

Israel has striking Lebanon with air raids since Hezbollah launched a cross-border attack on March 2.

Iran’s Defense Council threatened Monday to deploy naval mines across the “entire Persian Gulf” if a land invasion happens, AP reports.

The council issued the statement as concern in Tehran grows about the potential arrival of U.S. Marines to the region.

“Any attempt by the enemy to target Iran’s coasts or islands will, naturally and in accordance with established military practice, lead to the mining of all access routes ... in the Persian Gulf and along the coasts,” the council said.

Secretive testing of an advanced hypersonic weapon capable of travelling at five times the speed of sound is believed to be underway in remote South Australia, following the recent arrival of officials from the Pentagon’s Missile Defence Agency (MDA).

On Thursday an advanced intelligence and electronic warfare jet attached to the US MDA arrived at RAAF Base Edinburgh outside Adelaide, ahead of “sensitive” activity at the Woomera Range Complex, in the state’s remote north-west.

“This is a longstanding feature of Australia’s cooperation with the US, in accordance with well understood policies and procedures, and with full respect of Australia’s sovereignty,” a defence department spokesperson told The Nightly.

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Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz is due to expire shortly before midnight UK time, less than 17 hours away.

On Saturday the US president said that if the shipping channel was not opened “without threat” in 48 hours then the US would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants.

In the post, shared at 19:44 ET on Saturday, Trump said: “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 hours from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!

“Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

US President Donald Trump shared a short post on his Truth Social platform overnight.

In a message posted all in capital letters, he says: “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, TO PUT IT MILDLY!!!”

The IDF says in its latest update that Iran has fired missiles towards Israel.

According to the IDF, air defence systems are intercepting the strikes.

Another wave of Iranian strikes, including cluster munitions, was shot down over Tel Aviv overnight.

The world’s energy watchman has warned the oil and gas crisis prompted by the US-Israel-Iran war is worse than the energy shocks of the 1970s “which led the world to recession.”

International Energy Agency boss Fatih Birol has labelled the scale of the situation as equivalent to “two oil crises and one gas crash put together.”

He highlighted that the 1973 and 1979 shocks combined only removed about 10 million barrels per day, whereas the current situation has now removed 11 million barrels per day.

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The Premier of WA, Roger Cook, has warned that WA’s fuel supply chains won’t be immune from the impact of the Middle East crisis, but says fuel supplies, so far, are still arriving.

The Premier said extra supplies have been released from the national reserve and approvals granted by the national competition watch-dog to fast-track fuel to the Goldfields and Great Southern.

“We’re looking at a range of scenarios but, ultimately, we live in uncertain times, and the situation is evolving every 24 hours or so,” the Premier told reporters in Perth.

“Donald Trump’s comments over the weekend is another change and another evolution of the situation that we have to deal with. Our focus at the moment is on securing our supply chains.”

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The energy minister has confirmed his department has conducted recent modelling on fuel rationing in Australia but insists the drastic measure is a “long way” off in the current crisis.

“Of course, I have engaged with my department in prudent contingency planning,” Chris Bowen said under questioning from the Opposition in Parliament.

Mr Bowen repeated his weekend comments that the declaration of a national fuel emergency would be a significant step and had never been done before in Australia.

“The Commonwealth and the states will continue to work together for prudent contingency planning in a very challenged international environment,” Mr Bowen told Parliament.