Source : the age
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Thank you for joining our ongoing coverage of the rapidly developing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Here’s a quick overview of the latest developments:
- Iran and Israel have ramped up their missile attacks as the world waits to see what action US President Donald Trump will take after leaving the G7 summit early.
- Trump posted on Truth Social that the US knew where Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. “He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump wrote.
- Trump signed a statement from G7 leaders calling for a de-escalation in hostilities. The statement condemned Iran as the “principal source of regional instability and terror” and reiterated G7 support for Israel’s right to defend itself.
- Israel’s military announced it had killed Ali Shadmani – the man Israel claimed was Iran’s wartime chief of staff and the country’s most senior military commander.
- Meanwhile, in Gaza, more than 50 people were reportedly killed by Israeli tank shellfire after they tried to get aid from trucks in Khan Younis.
- You can catch up with everything we know about the Israel and Iran conflict on our regularly updated “what we know so far” page.
Anthony Albanese has just taken to social media to tout his recent meeting with US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent.
But Donald Trump was notably absent, having cancelled his meeting with the Australian PM to deal with the Middle East crisis.
“For decades, the Alliance between Australia and the United States has underpinned our relationship,” Albanese said on social media.
“Our free-flowing trade and investment has supported American and Australian workers, businesses, and investors – making both our countries more prosperous.
“I spoke with President Trump’s senior economic team today at the G7 Summit about how we can strengthen our partnership.”
Live broadcasts in Israel have just captured several bright projectiles streaking across the night sky in Tel Aviv.
Air raid sirens wailed and the Israeli Iron Dome could be seen responding with its own rockets.
The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires on Sunday.Credit: AP
It appeared Iran’s latest missile salvo toward Israel wasn’t one of its biggest, and it is unclear if any hit their targets.
But more are expected as the time approaches 1am in Tel Aviv.
The map below shows the places around Tel Aviv where we know missiles have hit recently:
Oil prices have surged as speculation grows that the US could join Israel’s war with Iran and cause disruptions to supply in the Middle East.
As Donald Trump met with his national security team to discuss the conflict, Brent crude oil prices reached $US76 a barrel – the highest level since February.
Fire and smoke rise into the sky after an Israeli attack on the Shahran oil depot in Tehran.Credit: Getty Images
Iran is a leading global oil producer and OPEC’s third-largest member. It also looms over the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping choke point it has reportedly considered blocking.
Israeli strikes have not hit Iran’s export infrastructure yet.
Iranians look on after an Israeli attack on the Shahran oil depot in Tehran.Credit: Getty
But Iran has suffered attacks to one of its largest oil refineries, Shahr Rey, and also the separate Shahran fuel depot, heightening the risk to exports.
If the increased oil price is sustained, it threatens to drive up Australian fuel prices and impact on inflation.
The Israeli military has just said it has detected missiles heading towards the territory from Iran.
“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said in a statement posted to Telegram four minutes ago.
“The public is instructed to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.”
On the G7’s final day, Anthony Albanese held formal bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and an informal discussion with French President Emmanuel Macron.
At the beginning of his discussion with Merz, the German Chancellor noted that negotiations between Australia and the EU had re-started recently after being put on hold in October 2023.
Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz meets with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
In a brief exchange between Albanese and Merz that was open to the media, the German leader asked “is there anything I can do to speed it up a little bit?” referring to the trade deal. Albanese replied: “We are very keen on getting it done quickly.”
In the meeting with the Japanese PM, Albanese highlighted the two countries’ increasingly close defence and economic ties.
“Both of our countries are strong supporters of free and fair trade … and that is something that has brought prosperity not just to our nation but to our region,” Albanese said.
Anthony Albanese meets with with Prime Minister of Japan Shigeru Ishiba.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Ishiba said they discussed the increasingly complex international outlook “and going to going forward together, I would like to make sure that a free and open in the Pacific will be realised”.
Later on Tuesday, local time, Albanese is due to hold a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, which is expected to be dominated by discussion of the AUKUS submarine deal.
A trilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa is expected to focus on the trade deal.
Kananaskis: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has embraced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the final day of the G7 summit in Canada, a day after US president Donald Trump left the summit early because of the war between Israel and Iran.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese embraces Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The unguarded moment came as the leaders of the G7, minus Trump, gathered with “Outreach partners” including Australia, Ukraine, India, Brazil, South Korea and Mexico for the so-called family photo beneath Canada’s spectacular Rocky Mountains.
Australia has been one of the largest non-NATO contributors of assistance to Ukraine in its brutal war with Russia, including supplying weapons systems such as the Abrams M1 tank.
Coalition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie has called on Trump to decide whether to end the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Speaking on Nine’s Today, Hastie said only the US has the weaponry capable of destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Andrew Hastie enters the Liberal Party meeting.Credit: James Brickwood
“I think we’re at the point where Donald Trump has to make a decision,” he said.
“Donald Trump is the person who holds the key to hopefully ending this conflict because I think now that the war is started, it needs to finish and the best way to finish it would be to destroy Iran’s capabilities when it comes to nuclear weapons.
“So Donald Trump has a decision to make.”
As the world waits to see what US President Donald Trump will do next, the US State Department is offering no clarity on the official US position regarding Iran.
Asked today whether the US supports regime change in Tehran or just wants to destroy Iran’s ability to create a nuclear weapon, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said she would not try to characterise Trump’s words or social media posts.
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on board Air Force One after leaving the G7 summit in Canada early.Credit: AP
“He doesn’t need characterising. He is one of the most transparent, one of the most clear individuals that we’ve known. I think that we can take his word for his word,” she told reporters at a briefing.
“But I’m not going to speculate in a larger sense what that would mean. That is up to the president. He is the singular guiding hand about what will be occurring from this point forward.”
Trump posted on his social media again just 20 minutes ago, sharing an article that alleged an intelligence agency conspiracy helped Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Iranian security forces have just said they arrested a “terrorist team” linked to Israel with explosives in a town south-west of the capital Tehran.
Iranian state media reported the development in the last 20 minutes.
Defence Minister Richard Marles has suggested too much is being read into Donald Trump leaving the G7 summit early as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates.
Speaking on Nine’s Today program moments ago, Marles said the US president needed to deal with the Middle East crisis in Washington.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“I think a lot’s being read into the United States president going back to DC because there is a world event playing out and there are a range of meetings that he didn’t proceed with in Canada as a result of that,” he said.
“It wasn’t just the meeting with our prime minister. And I think we all understand that the American president’s attention is going to be occupied by events of this kind. I don’t think it’s anything more than that. He’s consistently expressed his support for the relationship with Australia.”
