1h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 8:08amToday so far
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the war in the Middle East.
Here is a quick rundown of what has unfolded already today:
In an expletive-laden social media post, US President Donald Trump issued Iran a fresh ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.There are reports a 45-day ceasefire could be in the works. One expert is doubtful the plan is likely to eventuate. In a series of media interviews, the US president later said he had left “very little” off the table to end the war. Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Australia’s fuel supply had been secured “into May”.US-Israeli strikes killed the intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the guards said.
Stay with us throughout the evening for the latest updates.
12m agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 9:05am
Inaction by UN nuclear watchdog ’emboldens aggression’, says Iran atomic energy boss
Inaction by the UN nuclear watchdog “emboldens aggression” against nuclear facilities such as the Bushehr power plant, Iran’s atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami says.
Eslami made the statement in a letter addressed to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s director.
He said Iran’s only functioning nuclear power plant had so far been targeted four times, with the most recent attack in its vicinity on April 4 killing a security staff member and injuring others.
He warned that such attacks could risk the release of radioactive material from an operating reactor and could have “irreparable consequences” for people, the environment and neighboring countries.
Reporting with Reuters
31m agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 8:46am
UAE official says Strait of Hormuz ‘cannot be held hostage’
UAE official Anwar Gargash says any settlement of the US-Iran war must guarantee access through the Strait of Hormuz, warning a deal that fails to rein in Iran’s nuclear program and its missiles and drones would pave the way for “a more dangerous, more volatile Middle East”.
Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, told a weekend briefing that the Strait of Hormuz could not be weaponised.
“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be held hostage by any country,” Gargash said.
He said freedom of navigation through the waterway “has to be part and parcel of the settlement of any conflict with clear agreement on that”.
“We don’t want to see more and more escalation,” Gargash said.
“But we don’t want a ceasefire that fails to address some of the main issues that will create a much more dangerous environment in the region … notably [Iran’s] nuclear program, the missiles and drones that are still raining down on us and on other countries.”
52m agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 8:25amUS forces on Kuwait’s Bubiyan island targeted by Iran
US forces on Kuwait’s Bubiyan island were targeted by Iran, the spokesperson of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a video statement.
It was shared by state media.
Ebrahim Zolfaqari said Iran targeted satellite equipment and munitions on the island with drones, adding US forces had relocated there from Arifjan camp after that base was repeatedly struck by Iran.
Bubiyan island is the largest of Kuwait’s coastal islands chain, located in the north-west of the Gulf.
1h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 8:14am
Trumps comments reflect an angry and frustrated president, analyst says
Donald Trump’s social media posts threatening Iran reflect an “angry president who appears to be over-confident but incredibly frustrated”, says Aaron David Miller, former Middle East negotiator for the United States and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Loading…
“Not only did it seem to relish the prospect of demolishing, destroying civilian infrastructure, but the deployment of profanity, the attack on Islam, I mean frankly as an American citizen … it’s shameful,” Miller says.
While legal experts in the US are discussing whether Trump’s comments constitute threatening a war crime, Miller doesn’t see that discussion impacting the US president.
“That didn’t stop the president from blowing up fast boats in the Caribbean and in the Pacific, a clear violation of international law and probably a war crime. Or attacking sailors, attacking the men in those ships after the initial strike that sunk the boats,” he says.
“I don’t think that’s a concern to the president.
“I think we’re in for weeks of escalation.”
1h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 7:52amUS-Israeli strikes kill intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
US-Israeli strikes killed the intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the guards said.
“Major General Majid Khademi, the powerful and educated head of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was martyred in the criminal terrorist attack by the American-Zionist enemy… at dawn today,” said the guards in a post on its Telegram channel.
1h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 7:48am
Aftermath of Israeli strike in Beirut
Strikes hit the Jnah area of Beirut on Sunday.
(Reuters: Mohamed Azakir)
(Reuters: Mohamed Azakir)
1h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 7:24am
Iran won’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for ‘temporary ceasefire’
Iran won’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a “temporary ceasefire”, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
They said Tehran viewed Washington as lacking the readiness for a permanent ceasefire.
The official said Iran had received Pakistan’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire and was reviewing it.
Reporting with Reuters
2h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 7:15am
Israelis take stock after latest strikes
Emergency personnel in Tel Aviv. (Reuters: Florion Goga)
(Reuters: Rami Amichay)2h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 6:57amIran and the US have received a plan to end hostilities: Reuters sources
Iran and the US have received a plan to end hostilities that could come into effect soon and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a source aware of the proposals told Reuters.
A framework to end hostilities has been put together by Pakistan and exchanged with Iran and the US overnight, the source said.
“All elements need to be agreed today,” the source said.
It is understood Pakistan is the sole communication channel in the talks.
Axios first reported the US, Iran and regional mediators were discussing a potential 45-day ceasefire as part of a two-phase deal that could lead to a permanent end to the war, citing US, Israeli and regional sources.
The source told Reuters that Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had been in contact “all night long” with US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Under the proposal, a ceasefire would take effect immediately, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with 15—20 days to finalise a broader settlement.
There was no immediate response from US and Iranian officials.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi declined comment.
Reporting with Reuters
2h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 6:38amIran’s deputy foreign minister says Trump threats could amount to war crimes
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Donald Trump’s threats to strike power plants and bridges in Iran could amount to war crimes.
“The American president, as the highest official of his country, has publicly threatened to commit war crimes,” Gharibabadi said in a post on X.
He also cited provisions of international law that could be breached.
“The threat to attack power plants and bridges (civilian infrastructure) is a war crime under Article 8(2)(b) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” he added.
2h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 6:26amJapan-owned tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz
A Japanese shipping firm says an Indian-flagged tanker owned by its subsidiary had passed through the Strait of Hormuz and was travelling to the South Asian country.
A spokeswoman of Mitsui OSK Lines told AFP the LPG tanker Green Asha had crossed the strait.
“Both the crew and the cargo are safe,” she said.
It was the third Japan-linked ship to transit the strait.
Reporting with AFP
3h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 6:05am
A downed fighter jet and a CIA deception campaign: how US forces pulled off a daring rescue
When Iranian fire hit a US fighter jet on Friday, the two-man crew ejected just in time, landing behind enemy lines.
The pilot was rescued in a matter of hours after US military forces were able to verify his position and send in a rescue mission.
But the fighter jet’s weapons specialist was missing, and the effort to rescue him was anything but straightforward, involving the CIA, subterfuge and specialist aircraft in a second mission after the first ran into difficulty deep in hostile territory.
3h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 5:36am
Iran executes man convicted for role in January protests
Iran has executed Ali Fahim — a man convicted over an attempt to storm a military facility and access an armoury during unrest in January.
It comes after the Supreme Court upheld his sentence.
Iran has already executed three others linked to the incident, including Amirhossein Hatami last week, and Mohammadamin Biglari and Shahin Vahedparast on Sunday.
Another man linked to the same case is believed to face execution in the coming days, according to rights group Amnesty International.
Nationwide anti-government protests in January were repressed in the biggest crackdown in the Islamic Republic’s history.
Reporting with Reuters
3h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 5:25am
Falling debris injures Ghanaian national in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi media is reporting a Ghanaian national has been injured from falling debris after an air defence interception.
In an X post, they wrote: “Abu Dhabi authorities have responded to an incident of falling debris on the Raneen Systems company in ICAD in the Musaffah area, following a successful interception by air defence systems.”
The person’s injuries are moderate.
4h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 5:14am
Israeli emergency service says woman seriously injured by shrapnel
Israel’s emergency service has detailed several injuries after strikes towards Israel.
In a social media post, Magen David Adom said a 34-year-old woman was in a serious condition after being hit by shrapnel in Petah Tikva.
A man in his 30s was also mildly injured from shrapnel in Tel Aviv.
Emergency services after Israeli strikes. (X: Magen David Adom )
4h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 4:53am
Projectile launched from Iran heads towards Israel
(Reuters: Mohammed Torokman)
4h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 4:38am
Why an expert says Trump’s threat to target Iranian infrastructure could backfire
US President Donald Trump’s fresh threat to punish Iran if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz may backfire, according to an expert.
If the Islamic Republic does not comply with his demands, Trump says he will order strikes on the country’s power plants and bridges.
But Iran has likely interpreted the ultimatum as a suggestion the US has “very few options” to clear the strait, Ross Harrison, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told ABC News Channel.
“I think what [Trump is] trying to do is threaten them, and bully them, and dominate the Iranians into opening the strait — something that is actually probably going to require some kind of de-escalation and some kind of diplomacy,” he said.
Ross Harrison says negotiating the reopening of the strait will likely require de-escalation. (ABC News)
The Islamic Republic has already signalled it will retaliate to any attacks on its infrastructure.
“If you think about the strategy the Iranians have followed so far, once they were attacked and the late supreme leader was killed, they widened the conflict horizontally.
“They started lobbing missiles into Doha, the Qatar, the UAE, into Bahrain, into Kuwait, basically to make themselves bigger than they actually were.
“What they are planning on doing, I believe … is not just to escalate horizontally, but to escalate vertically — which is to target similar kinds of civilian infrastructure in the Gulf Arab states, and possibly even Israel.”
4h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 4:27amReported ceasefire talks unlikely to succeed, expert says
US media outlet Axios is reporting that the US, Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire, citing four sources with knowledge of the talks.
The report could not be immediately verified.
Ross Harrison, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, says he is doubtful a ceasefire is likely to occur.
“To my understanding, there’s no direct talks happening at all,” he told ABC News Channel.
“I think from the Iranian perspective, they’re going to be very hesitant to agree to a 45-day ceasefire, because what they’re going to construe this as is a way for the US and Israel to re-arm and just come after them again.”
Harrison said for decades, Iran had been convinced the US was seeking regime change in the Islamic Republic.
“If they have that mindset, they are going to make sure that, at the end of this conflict, they have survived and they have re-established deterrents.
“Whether the report is true or not, I would be very doubtful the Iranians would respond in a positive way.”
5h agoMon 6 Apr 2026 at 4:16am
AG asked about Trump’s Truth Social comments
We’re just hearing from Attorney-General Michelle Rowland who has been asked if Trump’s comments regarding possibly striking Iran’s civilian infrastructure constitute a war crime.
She says Australia is taking international obligations “very seriously”.
“They have guided all our decisions that have arisen out of this conflict,” she adds.
She says she cannot comment on US actions.