3h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 12:25amHere are the latest updates on the Middle East warUS President Donald Trump has called on other countries to join the war effort, hoping they will send ships to the Strait of Hormuz. He also said the US might strike Kharg Island again “just for fun”.Iran claims the US used UAE ports to attack Kharg Island. The UAE rejects the claim.World leaders are providing mixed messages regarding the new supreme leader’s whereabouts and health.Fourteen healthcare workers have been killed at two hospitals in Lebanon. Three members of the Iranian women’s football team return home after seeking asylum.Kuwait International Airport was targeted by drones, striking its radar system.F1 has cancelled Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grands prix due to the Middle East war.
US President Donald Trump has called on other countries to join the war effort, hoping they will send ships to the Strait of Hormuz. He also said the US might strike Kharg Island again “just for fun”.Iran claims the US used UAE ports to attack Kharg Island. The UAE rejects the claim.World leaders are providing mixed messages regarding the new supreme leader’s whereabouts and health.Fourteen healthcare workers have been killed at two hospitals in Lebanon. Three members of the Iranian women’s football team return home after seeking asylum.Kuwait International Airport was targeted by drones, striking its radar system.F1 has cancelled Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grands prix due to the Middle East war.1m agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 4:13am
Iran’s strikes on data centres show vulnerability of AI expansion
We covered how Iran has launched attacks on oil refineries in an attempt to make the conflict costly for its adversaries.
Now, data centres have become strategic targets, too.
The future of AI in the Gulf seemed bright. But that all changed in the space of three drone strikes.
Read more here:
25m agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 3:48amIranian players and staff member who withdrew asylum application arrive in Malaysia
Players Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and a team support staff member left Australia last night for Kuala Lumpur, where they met up with other team members who are returning to Tehran.
Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked Tasnim News Agency published this picture and said:
“After their stay in Malaysia and joining the other Iranian women’s national football players, the three will travel to Tehran in the coming days to once again be in the warm embrace of their families and homeland.”
They are pictured with Farideh Shojaei, Vice President of the Women’s Football Federation, and Marzieh Jafari, the team’s head coach, according to Tasnim.
(Supplied: Tasnim )
32m agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 3:41am
Iranian missiles intercepted over Tel Aviv
(Reuters: Tyrone Siu)
(ABC News: Tyrone Siu )
1h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 2:38am
VIDEO: Explosion targets Iranian space facility in Tehran
Video verified by the ABC shows the aftermath of a strike on an Iranian space facility.
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1h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 2:25am
📷 Images from Holon, Israel
Photos have come through of the aftermath of a strike in Holon — a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel.
Israeli security works to put out a fire caused by a rocket strike. (AFP: Jack Guez)
Israeli security checks the damage to cars. (AFP: Jack Guez)
A building damaged by a rocket strike. (AFP: Jack Guez)
2h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 2:12am
Analysis: If you feel like the world is spinning too quickly, look at who’s setting the pace
Looking at the latest headlines makes you think everything is moving too fast.
Lately it’s been the Middle East war.
Not so long ago, it was Greenland.
If this type of fatigue sounds like your new normal, some experts argue it is not your fault.
They say while relentless pace of geopolitics might make our world seem disorganised and chaotic, it is actually a powerful political tool being deployed by the White House.
Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, is often credited as this strategy’s mastermind. He even had a phrase for it: “Flooding the zone”.
So to understand why you might feel swamped right now, let’s reflect on the past few months.
You can read more about that here:
2h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 1:40am
The US airmen killed in the refuelling tanker crash have been named
The US Department of Defense has identified the six US airmen who were killed in a plane crash over Iraq:
Major John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama. Captain Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington. Technical Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky. Captain Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana. Captain Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio. Technical Sergeant Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio.
The airmen were on a KC-135 aerial refuelling tanker supporting US attacks on Iran.
The crash involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire and is under investigation, the military has said.
Major John A. Klinner (Mary Remmes via AP)
Technical Sergeant Tyler H. Simmons (US Air National Guard via AP)
Reporting with Reuters
3h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 1:10am
US regulator threatens American broadcasters over negative Iran war coverage
The top US broadcast regulator threatened media outlets over negative coverage of the Middle East war, after US President Donald Trump slammed critical headlines from the “Fake News Media.”
Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission — which oversees US radio, television and internet media — said broadcasters risked losing their licences over news coverage.
“The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not,” Carr said in a post on X.
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a US-based free speech advocacy organisation, slammed Carr’s “authoritarian” warning as “outrageous”.
“When the government demands the press become a state mouthpiece under the threat of punishment, something has gone very wrong,” it said on X.
Since Israel and the US first launched strikes on Iran on February 28, both Mr Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth have regularly swatted down critical stories as “fake news”.
Reporting with AFP
3h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 12:43am
Türkiye’s foreign minister talks diplomatic efforts as regional war rages
(AP: Khalil Hamra )
Türkiye’s foreign minister says there is no serious initiative to resume negotiations between the United States and Iran, but that he believes Iran is open to back-channel talks.
The comments by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to The Associated Press came as the country strives to stay out of the widening war in the Middle East.
Ankara, which has good relations with both Washington and Tehran, had attempted to mediate a solution between them before the US and Israel attacked Iran two weeks ago, triggering the war.
“The conditions are not very conducive to diplomacy now,” Fidan said.
He says the Iranians “feel betrayed” because for a second time they were attacked while in active negotiations with the US over their nuclear program.
“I think they are open to any sensible back-channel diplomacy.”
Fidan says he has been attempting to persuade the Iranians to halt attacks on US bases and Gulf nations.
He added that Türkiye’s top priority was to remain outside of the conflict, even after three missiles believed to have come from Iran were intercepted over Turkey by NATO defences.
Türkiye is a NATO member, and an air base in southern Türkiye is used by NATO forces, including US troops.
3h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 12:33am
Swiss reject two flyover requests from US, permits three others
The Swiss government said on Saturday, local time, that it had discussed requests by the US military to fly over the country, and based on its law of neutrality, rejected two but permitted three.
“The law on neutrality prohibits overflights by parties to the conflict that serve a military purpose related to the conflict,” the government said in a statement.
“Permitted are humanitarian and medical transits, including the transport of wounded persons, as well as overflights that are unrelated to the conflict.”
Reporting with Reuters
4h agoSun 15 Mar 2026 at 12:10am
Barnaby Joyce regrets not doing more to secure fuel reserves when in government
Barnaby Joyce, who last year defected from the Nationals to One Nation, accused the government of having no plan to deal with the crisis but acknowledged the reserves were lower under the Coalition.
Mr Joyce made the comments on ABC’s Insiders this morning.
“I remember having the argument when they were talking about putting it [a fuel reserve] in Texas, I hope I’m not disclosing cabinet, saying ‘I don’t think that’s going to work,'” he told ABC’s Insiders.
The outspoken MP also argued Australia should send a ship to the Strait of Hormuz, in an effort to regain control of the supply passage.
Read more here:
4h agoSat 14 Mar 2026 at 11:49pm
IRGC news agency says three Iranian women who changed their minds ‘defeated the enemy’s plans’Loading…
Another three members of the Iranian women’s football team have decided to return home, days after being granted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia.
BBC is reporting the news that was first broken by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked Tasnim News Agency, in a statement
“The national spirit and patriotism of the Iranian women’s national football team defeated the enemy’s plans against this team,” the statement says.
The BBC is reporting the statement also accused Australia’s government of “playing in Trump’s field”.
Tasnim said the three were on their way to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to join the rest of the squad and were “returning to the warm embrace of their families and homeland after withdrawing their asylum application in Australia”.
It said they had resisted “psychological warfare, extensive propaganda and seductive offers”.
Video has been released by AP of the team who remain in Kuala Lumpur, waiting to return home.
4h agoSat 14 Mar 2026 at 11:47pmTrump says US might strike Kharg Island again ‘just for fun’
US President Donald Trump says the United States may carry out more strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, saying that while Iran appears ready to make a deal to end the conflict, “the terms aren’t good enough yet.”
He said the US strikes had “totally demolished” most of Kharg Island, telling NBC News that “we may hit it a few more times just for fun”.
If you need to read up on yesterday and why Kharg Island is significant, here’s an explainer:
4h agoSat 14 Mar 2026 at 11:35pmTrump says supreme leader may not be alive, Türkiye’s foreign minister says otherwise
President Trump says he’s heard a “rumour” that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei may not be alive, in an interview with NBC published less than 30 minutes ago.
“I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender,” he said.
But in an interview with the Associated Press published this morning, Türkiye’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan said otherwise.
Mr Fidan, who has regular contact with Iranian officials, said he does not know the severity of the wounds but “what we know is that he is alive and functioning”.
The conflicting reports come as other leaders weigh in on the status of the new supreme leader.
5h agoSat 14 Mar 2026 at 11:03pm
F1 cancels Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grands prix due to Middle East war
Formula 1 has announced the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grands prix will not proceed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
There will be a five-week break in F1 between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
You can read all about that here:
5h agoSat 14 Mar 2026 at 10:39pm
Jim Chalmers ‘worried’ about Iranian women’s football team members who returned
We reported earlier that three members of the Iranian women’s football team who were given humanitarian visas, have chosen to return home.
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government had concerns about the women’s safety.
“I am worried about them. I can only imagine the pressure that they felt and how difficult these sorts of decisions would be for them,” he told Channel Seven.
“The job was always to provide the opportunity for them to stay if they wanted to. We can’t and haven’t sought to compel an outcome for obvious reasons, and I hope they’re okay.”
6h agoSat 14 Mar 2026 at 10:00pm
Iran claims US used UAE ports to attack Kharg Island, UAE rejects claim
Iran urged people to evacuate three major ports in the United Arab Emirates, on Saturday.
Hours later, there was no sign of attack on Dubai’s Jebel Ali port — the Mideast’s busiest — or the Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi.
But debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hitting an oil facility sparked a fire at the third port, in Fujairah.
Plumes of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah. (AP: Altaf Qadri)
Iran justified the warning, saying the US had used ”ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, without providing evidence.
The UAE hit back at Iran over the accusations, rejecting the claim.
A diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, Anwar Gargash, said on social media the country has the right to defend itself but “still prioritises reason and logic, and continues exercising restraint”.
US Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim.
Reporting with wires
6h agoSat 14 Mar 2026 at 9:37pm
Conflicting reports about Iranian supreme leader’s health
Early this morning, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there was “no problem” with the Islamic republic’s new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, after US officials reported he had been wounded.
Yesterday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the supreme leader is “wounded and likely disfigured”.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen since the start of the war, nor has he appeared in public since he was named as his father’s successor in Iran last Sunday.
ABC journalist Lucia Stein has done a deep dive into the rumours surrounding his health and whereabouts.
6h agoSat 14 Mar 2026 at 9:15pm
WHO Director-General says deaths of healthcare workers in Lebanon ‘mark a tragic development’
We reported earlier that 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses were killed in strikes late last night, on the Bourj Qalaouiyeh Primary Healthcare Center.
The World Health Organisation has also confirmed the death of two paramedics after attacks on a health facility in Al Sowana.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X regarding the incident, saying, “Bombing a hospital or a school isn’t a ‘miscalculation’.”
The Director-General continued, saying, “These are war crimes. Full stop.”