US-Iran war live updates: Flight out of Dubai lands in Sydney, Hegseth confirms US sunk warship with torpedo

The US Senate will vote on a resolution to curb President Donald Trump’s power to further strike Iran without the go-ahead from Congress.

The vote will be a fascinating test of Trump’s control over the Republican party, with many MAGA congresspeople renowned for defending the President’s promise of “no new wars” under his administration.

The resolution was co-sponsored by Democratic senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who coincidentally visited Western Australia last month as part of an AUKUS visit.

“Everybody’s got to declare whether they’re for this war or against it,” Mr Kaine said.

“Nobody gets to hide and give the president an easy pass or an end-run around the Constitution.”

The Ras Tanura oil refinery has been attacked by drones for the second time, the Saudi Arabian defence ministry is reporting.

“Initial estimates indicate that the attack was carried out by a drone and did not result in any damage,” a statement from the ministry said.

Estimated to be the largest refinery in Saudi Arabia, Ras Tanura first came under attack on Monday.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi has called for the “immediate cessation” of strikes against Iran by US and Israeli forces.

““The recent negotiations between Iran and the US had been making notable progress, which also took into account Israel’s security concerns,” Wang Yi said.

“Regrettably, this process has been disrupted by military strikes.

“The use of force cannot truly solve problems. Instead, it will create new ones and leave severe aftereffects.”

Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi says Israel and the US bombed Iran first “out of spite” in the face of “complex nuclear negotiations” in a post on X.

“When complex nuclear negotiations are treated like a real estate transaction, and when big lies cloud realities, unrealistic expectations can never be met,” Araghchi said.

“The outcome? Bombing the negotiation table out of spite.

“Mr. Trump betrayed diplomacy and Americans who elected him.”

Reuters is reporting a large plume of smoke has been spotted near the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, located in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The airport is located just 5.7km from the suburb of Haret Hriek, where the IDF instructed residents to evacuate from earlier on Wednesday.

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The Israeli Defense Force say they have begun “broad scale strikes” on Iran’s regime in Tehran on Wednesday, according to CNN.

The IDF has also announced it carried out a “series of strikes” on regime command centres in Tehran, as well on the Basij, which is the voluntary militia wing of the Revolutionary Guard.

Two high-tech US surveillance aircraft have made an “unexpected” stopover into Western Australia just days after the Trump administration began its bombing of Iran, but officials are refusing to discuss details of the visit.

The Nightly can reveal the American P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance planes arrived at Perth’s RAAF Base Pearce on Monday afternoon after flying from the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

This week’s visit has not been publicly foreshadowed and one military source claims the arrival of the aircraft was “unexpected” and that their flight plans were only lodged once they were airborne.

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The US Human Rights Activists News Agency is reporting the death toll in Iran has soared to 1097 since the conflict began on Saturday.

181 children have been killed, according to the Agency, and civilian injuries are believed to stand at 5402.

Qantas will introduce a new flight route from Sydney to the United Kingdom as travellers scramble to get to Europe amid the war in the Middle East.

The weekend’s attacks on Iran by the US and Israel resulted in the almost immediate closure of travel hubs including Dubai, used by Emirates, and Doha, used by Qatar Airways, severely limiting the routes for European travellers.

A seat on Qantas’ direct Perth to London flight suddenly became hot property for those desperate to visit or return to the UK.

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CNN is reporting followers of the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be able to attend a three-day commemorative ceremony in Tehran, starting on Wednesday night local time.

According to reports from Iranian state media, the ceremony will be held at the Imam Khomenei Mosalla prayer centre.