US-Iran war updates: Hegseth refuses to confirm war’s end as airstrikes hit oil refineries across Middle East
RECAP: US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has refused to comment on when the Israel-US-Iran war will end, after three major oil refineries were attacked by airstrikes across the Middle East.
Scroll down for a recap of events.
Key events
19 Mar 2026 - 09:01 PM
Trump ‘would not tolerate’ Iranian nuclear development despite previous claims of destruction: Hegseth
19 Mar 2026 - 08:58 PM
‘That number could move’: Hegseth refuses to deny $200bil Pentagon funding request
19 Mar 2026 - 08:45 PM
US moving to counter Iranian internet blackout: Hegseth
19 Mar 2026 - 08:40 PM
US military moving into eastern Iranian airspace to attack drones
19 Mar 2026 - 08:36 PM
Hegseth says war will end on Trump’s decision
19 Mar 2026 - 08:28 PM
World should say ‘thank you’ to Trump: Hegseth
19 Mar 2026 - 08:23 PM
US objectives ‘unchanged’ and ‘on target’: Hegseth
19 Mar 2026 - 08:17 PM
‘We will finish this’: Pete Hegseth
19 Mar 2026 - 08:12 PM
Pete Hegseth speaks at Pentagon briefing
19 Mar 2026 - 07:46 PM
Humanitarian supplies touch down in Lebanon: Italy
19 Mar 2026 - 06:53 PM
Emmanuel Macron doubles down on truce calls
19 Mar 2026 - 06:44 PM
War must end before Germany sends assistance to Strait of Hormuz: Chancellor
19 Mar 2026 - 06:40 PM
Four killed by Iranian missile strikes overnight in Israel, four killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza
19 Mar 2026 - 06:28 PM
Iran proposes transit fees for ships in Strait of Hormuz
19 Mar 2026 - 05:28 PM
Europe will not be ‘blackmailed’ into Middle East war: Chancellor
19 Mar 2026 - 05:24 PM
Israel and US ‘committed terrorist acts’: Minister
19 Mar 2026 - 05:19 PM
‘Unacceptable’: China blasts targeting of Iranian leaders by Israel
19 Mar 2026 - 05:12 PM
European gas prices soar after oil refineries attacked
19 Mar 2026 - 04:51 PM
Drone hits major Saudi oil refinery
19 Mar 2026 - 04:34 PM
Thai worker killed by cluster munitions in Israel
19 Mar 2026 - 04:01 PM
Second Kuwait oil refinery hit in drone attack
19 Mar 2026 - 03:51 PM
Incredible footage as mother is pulled from rubble in Tehran
19 Mar 2026 - 03:39 PM
Saudi oil refinery attacked by drones
19 Mar 2026 - 03:33 PM
Drone attack kills 12 in western Iran: Reports
19 Mar 2026 - 03:30 PM
Kuwait refinery up in flames after drone attack
19 Mar 2026 - 02:55 PM
Arab nations issue joint statement condemning Iran
19 Mar 2026 - 02:46 PM
Iran executes three anti-government protesters
19 Mar 2026 - 02:10 PM
Opposition leader accuses Bowen of acting too late
19 Mar 2026 - 02:08 PM
Roger Cook appoints WA rep to report to fuel tsar
19 Mar 2026 - 02:07 PM
Minns reveals dozens of NSW petrol stations out of fuel
19 Mar 2026 - 02:05 PM
Federal government to release 500 million litres
19 Mar 2026 - 01:44 PM
Cathay Pacific suspends flights to and from Dubai until April
19 Mar 2026 - 01:30 PM
FBI investigate ex-counterterrorism official
19 Mar 2026 - 12:51 PM
Who is Australia’s new fuel tsar Anthea Harris?
19 Mar 2026 - 12:34 PM
Ship hit by projectile off Qatari coast
19 Mar 2026 - 12:31 PM
Why the South Pars is crucial for Iran
19 Mar 2026 - 11:47 AM
Trump issues terrifying threat
19 Mar 2026 - 09:06 AM
Shares smashed on escalating attacks on Middle East gas plants
19 Mar 2026 - 08:24 AM
Watchdog reveals probe into four big fuel retailers
19 Mar 2026 - 08:23 AM
Length of fuel crisis is uncertain, PM says
19 Mar 2026 - 08:21 AM
PM says fuel supply taskforce was set up a few days ago
19 Mar 2026 - 08:14 AM
PM appoints new fuel supply taskforce coordinator
19 Mar 2026 - 07:59 AM
Australia’s consumer watchdog probes Ampol, BP, Mobil Oil, and Viva Energy
19 Mar 2026 - 07:17 AM
IN PICTURES: Mass gathering in Tehran for joint funeral
19 Mar 2026 - 06:07 AM
Oil prices surge as Iran’s largest gas field goes up in flames
19 Mar 2026 - 04:28 AM
Iranian footballers arrive home as safety fears mount
19 Mar 2026 - 04:08 AM
Iran leader issues chilling warning after top official killed
19 Mar 2026 - 04:06 AM
The world's largest gas field struck in Iran
Here’s the latest
- President Donald Trump has threatened to blow up “the entirety” of the South Pars Gas Field, Iran’s biggest gas field and a key asset, after the Middle Eastern nation launched retalitory strikes on Qatar.
- Trump has also criticised Israel’s attack on the South Pars, claiming the US had no knowledge of the plan.
- The Federal Government has released 500 million litres of fuel to regional Australia.
- Australia’s consumer watchdog has announced it will investigate four major fuel companies for allegations of anti-competitive behaviour in rural and regional Australia.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed Anthea Harris as a fuel supply task force coordinator. Harris will act as the single point for all fuel supply and planning.
- Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an overnight strike, making him the third Iranian official to die in two days.
- The Iranian women’s soccer team have crossed the border into Iran after a fraught journey from Australia.
Iran leader issues chilling warning after top official killed
Iran’s new Supreme Leader has issued a rare and ominous statement, a day after Israel claimed it had killed one of the country’s top security figures. The message, published in Iranian media, signals a hardening tone from Tehran as the conflict intensifies.
“Undoubtedly, the assassination of such a person shows the extent of his importance and the hatred of the enemies of Islam towards him,” he writes.
“All blood has its price that the criminal murderers of the martyrs must pay soon.”
It is only the second statement issued in his name since taking power after his father’s death at the start of the war, with US and Israeli officials previously suggesting he may have been wounded in those initial strikes.
The world's largest gas field struck in Iran
Iran’s huge Pars gas field has been hit in the first reported strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure in the Gulf during the US-Israeli war, a major escalation that prompted Tehran to warn its neighbours to evacuate their energy installations.
Pars is the Iranian sector of the world’s largest natural gas deposit, which Iran shares with Qatar across the Gulf.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that gas tanks and parts of a refinery had been hit on Wednesday, workers had been evacuated to a safe location and emergency crews were trying to put out a fire.
The attack was widely reported in Israeli media to have been carried out by Israel with the consent of the United States. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Qatar, a close US ally that hosts the largest US airbase in the region, called it an Israeli attack without mentioning any US role. The Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson called it a “dangerous and irresponsible” escalation that put global energy security at risk.
