US-Iran war live updates: Fresh wave of attacks hit Tehran as Iranian death toll rises to 1,230

The US has armed groups of Kurdish militant fighters, through CIA negotiations, with a ground incursion now beginning in Iran.

The Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPFIK) says the group started an operation on March 2, and is now in Iranian territory on the Iraq border, ready to carry out a ground assault. It is understood that it is working with the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), which is based in Iraq.

Reports suggest the group are currently situated near Marivan, just west of the closest Iraqi border point to Tehran.

It is understood that the group, after being supplied with weapons from the US and Israel, have stood up thousands of fighters.

Iran has disputed the claims despite growing reports of the validity of the operation.

If a ground operation is underway and Iran fights back, it could bring a lynchpin moment that sparks a wider ground incursion by US and Israeli forces.

Anthony Albanese and Canadian PM Mark Carney have been asked about their concern over the escalating Middle East conflict, which has now impacted more than 10 countries.

Mr Albanese said, “the world wants to see a de-escalation” and for Iran to “cease” its retaliatory strikes on other nations, particularly across the Gulf.

“I want to see the possibility of Iran getting a nuclear weapon removed once and for all. And I also want to see a removal of the ongoing threat that has been there for such a long period of time, of Iran endangering peace and security and stability, not just in its own region, but here in Australia,” the PM said.

Mr Carney said he agreed “entirely” with Mr Albanese’s remarks and criticised the regime.

“It’s a regime first and foremost, in its own country, for almost five decades, has repressed its people, repressed women, killed its people, large numbers,” he said.

“Even in recent weeks, up to 15,000 peaceful demonstrators murdered by this regime. It’s a regime that’s exported terrorism for decades across the Middle East, it’s reached the shores here, the regime has killed scores of Canadians”.

Canadian PM Mark Carney says it had been a “deep honour” to address the Australian Parliament.

The foreign leader had declared that Canada and Australia shared a strong friendship and strategic alliance and highlighted their shared values, historical cooperation, and mutual interests in critical minerals, defence, artificial intelligence, trade, and capital.

“It was a deep honour to address the Australian Parliament,” he said, labelling Australia as one of Canada’s “most trusted allies” during a press conference in Mr Albanese’s courtyard.

“In the past, just under one year, we’ve signed 20 new economic and security partnerships across four continents.

“Canada and Australia are getting big things done together.

“First and foremost, amongst them, those who share our values of democracy, freedom, and sovereignty.

“We know that middle powers must work together to build up our sovereignty in these key strategic sectors.”

Anthony Albanese and Mark Carney have held a press conference in Canberra after the Canadian Prime Minister’s address to the Australian Parliament.

Mr Albanese spoke of their achievements after a meeting between the duo on Thursday morning.

“With the international system under increasing pressure, we want to work together,” the PM said.

“And with our partners, to uphold and defend peace, security and prosperity.

“Today, we can announce that we’ve agreed to our relationship across several areas.

“Building on our joint declaration of intent on critical minerals we signed last year, we agreed to increase collaboration on critical minerals through a range of measures. Pursuing common positions on key critical minerals, increasing alignment between Australia’s critical mineral strategy reserve and Canada’s defence stockpiling, together to shape emerging as well as production alliances.”

LATIKA M BOURKE: The sinking of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean shows that, whatever reticence there might have been about the wisdom and legality of taking out the Iranian regime’s leadership with Saturday morning’s bombs over Tehran, the Trump administration’s appetite to continue fighting Iran is now well and truly whetted.

And allies risk being dragged in, whether they like it or not, either by their unrestrained dominant partner in the White House or by Iran hitting Western targets and bases with drones and missiles.

The Trump administration initially looked like a reluctant follower of Israel when it joined in on the attacks on Tehran. Those strikes successfully wiped out Iran’s Supreme Leader and a bunch of the regime’s leadership in broad daylight.

But it only takes a light observer of US interventions into Middle Eastern affairs to justifiably fear the chaos that could follow the toppling of a leader with no clear plan for what is next.

Read Latika M Bourke’s full analysis.

The Iranian armed forces have broadcast an update on an Iranian Government TV network, claiming it continues with its retaliatory strikes with “full force”.

“The brave and peach-loving sons of the Iranian nation in the country’s armed forces, on the fifth day of the start of the war and the joint American-Zionist aggression against the Islamic homeland, carried out powerful and proud operations, inflicting heavy and fatal blows on the enemy’s strategic positions, systems and equipment,” a spokesperson said in a video shared online.

“The 17th wave of Operation Wada Sadiq IV, codenamed ‘O Messenger of Allah, may God bless him and grant him peace,’ was carried out by firing more than forty missiles from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force towards American-Zionist targets, destroying enemy bases, systems and equipment.”

The update went on to claim that 40+ missiles were fired, and that “10 more Hermes and MQ-9 drones” were destroyed.

The update did not mention the Iranian warship that was sunk by US forces.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has described the rules-based international order as “wishful thinking of a bygone era” amid “these times when autocratic regimes act with impunity”.

While welcoming Canadian PM Mark Carney to Federal Parliament on Thursday, Mr Taylor agreed with his call for middle powers to unite as the global order breaks down.

“Your speech in Switzerland in January was a much-needed wake-up call for middle powers of the West,” he said.

“We must indeed stop invoking rules-based international order as our functions.

“I wholeheartedly agree with you, in this brave new world, middle powers cannot simply build higher walls to retreat behind.

“We must work together. We must act together closer than ever, on defence, on secure supply chains and sovereign capabilities, on maintaining free trade.”

He also acknowledged Mr Carney as an old friend from their Oxford days and reflected that, at the time, they likely wouldn’t have imagined their life in politics now.

Read the full story.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for middle powers to unite amid an increasingly fractured world order in a highly-anticipated address to Australia’s Parliament.

His speech marks the first by a Canadian leader in almost two decades and comes during a three-day trip to Australia to shore up the two countries’ trade alliance, investments and to deepen defence ties.

Mr Carney addressed the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Wednesday night where he warned that middle powers like Australia and Canada should band together and called for nations to strengthen their sovereignty.

He highlighted the ongoing Middle East conflict in the wake of the US-Israel strikes on Iran, which has disrupted the global economy, as a clear example of why sovereignty was vital.

The Canadian leader told parliamentarians on Thursday that amid a world engulfed by “great power rivalry”, middle powers have a choice “compete for favour or combine for strength”.

“In the new global environment, the ability to form effective coalitions is becoming a central strategic capability,” he said.

Read the full story.

Missiles are filling the skies over the Middle East in an intense escalation as Iran warns it won’t be backing down.

Saudi Arabia has confirmed three cruise missiles, believed to be from Iran, have been intercepted in the last hour. Iranian missiles heading to Turkey have been intercepted by NATO.

Debris in Iraq has fallen near Erbil airport, and in Lebanon, Israel has carried out major strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah targets.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi has told Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan that Iranian attacks would continue until “the evil of the enemies” has been stopped.

Iran has also reportedly threatened to target a nuclear site in Israel.

Anthony Albanese has delivered a speech to the Federal Parliament ahead of a highly anticipated address by Canadian PM Mark Carney during his three-day trip Downunder.

The Australian PM acknowledged Mr Carney’s call for middle powers to unite amid “a world that is changing” and welcomed his efforts to align in the fractured global environment.

“If ever, nations such as ours have the luxury of imagining that distance alone kept us safe, those days are certainly gone,” he told the House of Representatives.

“For us, as two democracies in an age of polarisation, as two dynamic trading nations in a time of disruptive supply chains, and as two middle powers in an era of strategic competition, Australia and Canada must seek and create new ways to stand with and for each other.”