LiveTrump says Iran’s ‘present’ to US was allowing 10 oil tankers through Hormuz
09:31
Thai ship hit in Hormuz runs aground off Iran’s Qeshm Island
A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground off Iran’s Qeshm Island, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said on Friday.
Thailand said 20 crew members were rescued by the Omani navy, while three were missing after an explosion in the stern of the ship caused a fire in the engine room.
The bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was struck on March 11 by Iranian projectiles while transiting the strategic waterway without cargo. Thailand denounced the attack and demanded that Iran issue an apology.
PHOTO: AFP
09:00
Australia defends its Middle East efforts after Trump criticism
Australia on Friday defended its efforts to help the United States and allies in the Middle East, after President Donald Trump condemned Canberra’s contributions as “not great”.
Australian defence minister Richard Marles said Canberra had done all it was asked, suggesting Washington had not formally requested naval support.
This comes after the US president singled out Australia as he vented his frustrations over the lack of support for his call to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“Australia was not great. I was a little surprised by Australia”, Mr Trump said on Thursday during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
Mr Marles told Australia’s Nine News: “The one request we’ve had from the United States is to provide support for the Gulf states, which is, in fact, what we are doing – and that’s where we see our national interest.”
Australia had deployed a long-range military surveillance plane to help the United Arab Emirates defend against Iranian strikes, Mr Marles said.
PHOTO: AFP
08:00
Iranian sports team banned from travelling to ‘hostile’ countries
Iran has banned its national and club sports teams from travelling to countries it considers hostile until further notice.
The move was driven by concerns over the safety of its athletes, local media reported on Thursday, citing the country’s Sports Ministry.
“The presence of national and club teams in countries considered hostile and unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice,” the ministry said.
It added that the Iranian football federation and clubs were required to notify the Asian Football Confederation so match venues could be relocated.
It did not specify which venues needed to be relocated or which countries were deemed hostile.
PHOTO: REUTERS
07:30
Iran’s ‘present’ to US was allowing 10 oil tankers through Hormuz, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran was letting 10 oil tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz as an apparent goodwill gesture in negotiations.
Mr Trump made the comments at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, elaborating on what he had previously described as a “present” from Iran.
“They said, to show you the fact that we’re real and solid and we’re there, we’re going to let you have eight boats of oil, eight boats, eight big boats of oil,” Mr Trump said.
“I guess they were right, and they were real, and I think they were Pakistani-flagged... It ended up being 10 boats.”
The US president earlier had baffled some observers when he said that Iran had given the United States an expensive, energy-related concession.
PHOTO: REUTERS
07:10
Mediators say Iran has not requested pause on energy-site strikes: Report
Iran has not requested a 10-day pause on strikes on its energy plants and has yet to deliver a final response to a 15-point plan to end the war, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing peace talk mediators.
US President Donald Trump said earlier on Thursday he was pausing attacks on Iran’s energy plants for 10 days at what he cast as the Iranian government’s request, and said talks with Tehran were going “very well.”
“I gave them a 10-day period. They asked for seven,” Mr Trump later told Fox News.
READ MORE: Trump pushes back Iran strikes deadline to April 6
07:00
Talks ‘going very well’: Trump pushes back Iran strikes deadline to April 6
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would not yet strike Iranian power plants as previously threatened after a request from Tehran, and added that talks with the Islamic republic were “going very well”.
“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well.”
Last Saturday, Mr Trump had initially given Iran 48 hours to open the crucial Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, threatening to destroy its power plants, but he has now extended the deadline twice.
PHOTO: EPA
06:55
The situation so far
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would pause attacks on Iran’s energy plants for 10 days at Tehran’s request and said talks with Iran were going “very well,” although an Iranian official dismissed a US proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting as “one-sided and unfair".
The war, which has raged for nearly four weeks, has massively disrupted shipping, sending crude oil prices up nearly 40 per cent and causing a spike of nearly 67 per cent in shipments of liquefied natural gas to Asia. Prices of nitrogen-based fertilisers, critical to food production, have risen by nearly 50 per cent.
Here's a look at the latest developments:
- The Israeli military said it needs more troops for deployment in southern Lebanon, where forces are engaged in fighting Hezbollah as part of efforts to establish a so-called “buffer zone”.
- Israel’s main opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of steering the country towards a “security disaster” by “sending the army into a multi-front war without a strategy".
- The World Bank said it was prepared to provide immediate financial assistance to countries in emerging markets dealing with the economic fallout of the conflict in the Middle East.
- Lebanon’s Hezbollah again denied it had any presence in Kuwait, a day after the Gulf country announced more arrests of people allegedly linked to the Iran-backed group.
- Iran’s security forces are recruiting children as young as 12 to man checkpoints and perform other duties during the war in the capital, a Revolutionary Guards official told state TV.
- Oil prices rose and equities fell on Thursday as confidence in a quick end to the war waned.
