9m agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 2:36amWhat we know
2m agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 2:43am
Japan plans to release more oil reserves
Japan has announced it will release another 20 days of oil from its reserves, as the Iran war continues to disrupt supply, despite the ceasefire.
The country has one of the biggest stockpiles in the world, but it imports more than 90 per cent of its crude oil from the Middle East.
The reserves will be released from next month and are in addition to the 80 million barrels Japan has already released in coordination with the International Energy Agency.
Prime Minister Sane Takaichi made the announcement at a cabinet meeting, saying the move was design to bolster the domestic supply while the country continued trying to secure other sources of oil.
Ms Takaichi has said that by May Japan should be able to source more than half of its imports from routes outside the Strait of Hormuz.
14m agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 2:31am
Thank you for joining the Q&A
This will be all for our Q&A session with senior business correspondent Carrington Clarke today.
Thank you for joining us and for all the questions and comments you put through. We read over all of them but coudn’t get to them all.
We’ll bring you more Q&A sessios with our ABC experts next week.
If you’d like to hear more from Carrington, he regularly unpacks the latest business and finance news over on the ABC Business Daily podcast.
19m agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 2:26am
Q&A: Could we see a joint US-Iran toll for the Strait of Hormuz?
Didn’t Trump himself propose a ‘joint venture’ with Iran just the other day, to do exactly what he’s now accusing Iran of doing – extort money from ships wishing to navigate the Strait of Hormuz?
– Toby
Hi Toby, you’re right to point out the contradictory messaging coming from the Trump administration.
In addition to the president suggesting the US could also be levying a toll on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, he’s also previously said he thinks America should take total control of Iran’s oil.
It’s often difficult to understand which of Donald Trump’s statements to take seriously — which are genuine proposals, which are negotiating tactics, and which are “jokes”.
In this instance, there would be understandable outrage from Gulf states about their exports potentially facing a tax to move through the Strait of Hormuz and they are putting pressure on the US to ensure that doesn’t occur.
I wouldn’t rule out a possibility of Trump pursuing the idea, but his most recent posts indicate he’s unhappy about Iran imposing a levy without the US getting a cut.
33m agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 2:12am
Q&A: Is Israel pressuring the US to continue the war?
Could Israel be pressuring the US to continue the war? They’re continuing to attack Lebanon when it was apparently agreed by the US and Iran that Lebanon would be included in the ceasefire, so how might each party be moving forward with this in mind? – Brittany
Thanks for the question, Brittany.
There have been contradictory messages regarding whether Lebanon was supposed to be included in the ceasefire. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on social media “an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY”. However, US Vice-President JD Vance has said publicly that Lebanon wasn’t included.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had publicly pushed the case to attack Iran through multiple US administrations and finally found a willing partner in Donald Trump for the large scale assault we’ve witnessed.
The New York Times had an enlightening report this week on the role Israel played in the US decision to go to war which is worth reading.
In the US, there is a noticeable rift within the MAGA movement regarding America’s relationship with Israel and the decision to strike Iran. Â Formerly strong supporters like Tucker Carlson and Meghan Kelly have accused the president of bowing to Israeli pressure and putting American lives at stake by going to war against Iran. Supporters of Israel in the US say the two countries interests align when it comes to Iran.Â
44m agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 2:00am
Q&A with Carrington Clarke
We’re joined now by senior business correspondent Carrington Clarke for a quick Q&A session.
Stay tuned as he tackles some of your burning questions about the war.
1h agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 1:40am
Inside the secret Pakistan talks that brokered the ceasefire
For a few volatile hours on Tuesday, the war in the Middle East appeared to be tipping past the point of no return — until a last-minute diplomatic effort pulled it back.
Reports suggest it was driven by urgent backchannel pressure from Washington, Pakistan, China and — according to Axios reports — a shift inside Tehran.
With peace talks set to start in Islamabad, this marks Pakistan’s most significant diplomatic win in years.
ABC South Asia bureau chief Meghna Bali and Som Patidar have more:
1h agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 1:22am
📷Displaced families seek help after Israeli strikes in Lebanon
More than 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.
Latest pictures show families waiting for donated food beside the tents they use as shelters in Beirut after fleeing Israeli bombardments.
(AP: Emilio Morenatti)
(AP: Emilio Morenatti)
(AP: Emilio Morenatti)1h agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 1:16amAn update on Australian fuel supplies
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has just provided an update on fuel supplies at petrol stations across the country.
New South Wales:Â 97 without diesel and 19 without fuelVictoria: 41 with no diesel and 27 with no unleaded petrolQueensland: 28 with no diesel and 19 without regular unleadedSouth Australia: 9 without diesel and eight with no unleadedWestern Australia: 7 with no diesel and 17 without unleadedTasmania: 6 with no diesel and 5 with no unleadedNorthern Territory: 4 with no diesel and 2 with no unleadedAustralian Capital Territory: no outages
Bowen says “a lot of people are working very hard” to get the number of fuel outlets with outages down to zero.
He says he’ll provide an update on Australia’s fuel stocks and the number of ships on the way to Australia tomorrow.
1h agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 1:03am
📷Pakistan prepares to host ceasefire negotiations
The streets of Islamabad are in lockdown as Pakistan’s capital gets ready to host negotiations between Iran and the US.
Talks are set to begin on Friday, local time, with US Vice-President JD Vance in attendance.
Here are some of the images coming through from Islamabad:
(Reuters: Akhtar Soomro)
(AP: Anjum Naveed)
(AP: Anjum Naveed)
1h agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 12:57am
Kuwait claims Iran attacked ‘vital facilities’ during ceasefire
Kuwait has accused Iran and its proxies of launching drone attacks despite a two-week ceasefire Tehran insists be applied regionally.
In a statement, Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said the drone attacks “targeted some vital facilities” on Thursday evening, local time.
The ministry said that the flagrant criminal attacks are a “blatant violation of all international laws and a dangerous escalation amid international efforts to reach a truce, de-escalate tension in the region”.
The Associated Press has also reported that Saudi Arabia is claiming “recent” damage to its East-West pipeline. The pipeline carries oil out to the Red Sea and avoids the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, Iran denied it attacked any countries since the ceasefire was declared.
2h agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 12:26am
Is Iran more or less of a threat now? Marles says that’s for the US to answer
The US and Iran are preparing for peace talks in Pakistan this weekend.
Acting PM Richard Marles has told ABC’s Radio National Breakfast the talks are “incredibly important” and reiterated Australia’s hope the “fragile temporary ceasefire” becomes permanent.
“We need to see the Strait of Hormuz open. We need to see the disruption of the global fuel supply chain stop,” he said.
Asked whether he thought Iran posed more or less danger to the world than it did before the conflict started, Marles says that’s a question for the US.
“What we support is the strategic objective of denying Iran a deployable nuclear weapon. Obviously, Iran having that capability would have been a catastrophe and based on what has been publicly stated by the United States, that objective seems to be largely achieved,” he said.
So do the Iranian people have more or less freedom than they did before the war?
Marles says that’s difficult to assess from outside Iran.
2h agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 12:12am
Marles coy on Australia accepting fuel if payment made for Hormuz passage
Iran has reportedly been charging up to $US2 million ($2.84 million) for ships to pass the Strait of Hormuz.
Acting PM Richard Marles has been asked whether Australia would accept refined fuel if the payments to the IRGC were made in the supply chain.
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)
Marles didn’t directly answer the question.
“We are a country which supports the global rules-based order. We are a country which, therefore, supports the UN convention on the law of the sea and freedom of navigation and that’s how we would see the Strait of Hormuz.”
2h agoFri 10 Apr 2026 at 12:07amFirst non-Iranian oil tanker leaves Strait of Hormuz since ceasefire
The MSG oil and chemical tanker is the first non-Iranian ship to transit the Strait of Hormuz while broadcasting its location since the start of the ceasefire between Iran, the US and Israel.
According to the available marine tracking data, the ship sailed through Iran’s so-called “toll” route along its coastal waters, carrying Emirati oil.
Iran has issued a formal notice mapping a “hazardous area” where the regime claims anti-ship mines have been deployed. The presence of mines has not been verified.
The restricted zone, according to the map issued by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, effectively covers the entirety of the normal pre-war shipping lane through the middle of the strait.
The MSG is one of four oil tankers tracked leaving the Persian Gulf over the past 24 hours, in the second day of the ceasefire.
Another two appeared to sail in through the strait.
In the 48 hours since the start of the ceasefire, marine tracking data shows seven oil tankers have sailed in and out of the Persian Gulf, along with 10 bulk cargo carriers and container ships.
It’s a very slight uptick from the average of about seven ships a day seen since the start of the war, according to data analysed by the ABC, but it’s a far cry from the pre-war traffic of more than 130 ships a day.
2h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 11:57pm
Lebanon searching for survivors after Israeli attacks
More pictures are emerging from Beirut, Lebanon, following Israeli strikes on Wednesday that killed more than 300 people.
(Reuters: Raghed Waked)
(Reuters: Raghed Waked)
(AP: Hussein Malla)
(AP: Hassan Ammar)
2h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 11:47pm
Need a quick catch-up?
It’s the end of day 41 of the war in the region.
It has passed with a lot less turmoil than the last few days, but the situation remains incredibly tense.
Israel’s prime minister said he was ready for peace talks with the Lebanese government.
Meanwhile, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, who’s been touted as the man likely to lead the Iranian delegation in peace talks in Pakistan this weekend, has warned Israel needs to pay a heavy cost for attacking Lebanon.
If you’re looking for more, ABC Middle East correspondent Matt Doran has you covered:
3h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 11:32pm
Got a question about the Iran war? Submit it ahead of our Q&A with Carrington Clarke
US President Donald Trump has issued Iran a fresh warning that it “better not be” charging tolls at the Strait of Hormuz.Â
The narrow passage is a crucial chokepoint for global oil trade — something Iran has been exploiting as a foothold in the war.
Senior business correspondent (and former US correspondent) Carrington Clarke has been unpacking the knock-on effects of the war over on the ABC Business Daily podcast.
Today, he’ll join us here on the blog to answer your questions. So let us know what you’d like to know.
You can submit your questions to the blog by tapping the yellow “Login to comment” button above.
3h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 11:27pm
Lebanese locals says Israel ‘attacking indiscriminately’
Reporting by Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran and Layla Makdisi
More than 24 hours after Israel unleashed a deadly wave of air strikes across Lebanon, rescue crews are still searching through the rubble for the remains of victims.
The death toll from Israel’s strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, local time, has risen to 303, according to the country’s health ministry.
Local resident Bashia Yehyawi said she heard the sound of low flying fighter jets — the first sign that something was about to happen.
Bashia Yehyawi believes Israel is attacking indiscriminately. (ABC News: Khalil Ezzeddine)
She then heard a loud explosion, and rushed to the scene along with others.
One of the victims, who had been working in the shop, was Nader El Khalil.
“This boy doesn’t have a connection with any political party,” Ms Yehyawi told the ABC.
“Nader is someone we know. The boy grew up in my house. He comes and goes and is friends with my family.
“What did he do? He was newly engaged and his parents were happy.”
She said many people believed Israel was now attacking indiscriminately.
“They’re now hitting and harming, but they’re not targeting anyone in specific.”
3h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 10:54pmTrump says Iran doing ‘very poor job’ of allowing oil through Hormuz Strait
US President Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social for a third time today, criticising Iran for not allowing more oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
Only a handful of vessels have crossed the strait since the ceasefire began.
(Truth Social)
4h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 10:43pm
Got a question about the Iran war? Submit it ahead of our Q&A with Carrington Clarke
US President Donald Trump has issued Iran a fresh warning that it “better not be” charging tolls at the Strait of Hormuz.Â
The narrow passage is a crucial chokepoint for global oil trade — something Iran has been exploiting as a foothold in the war.
Senior business correspondent (and former US correspondent) Carrington Clarke has been unpacking the knock-on effects of the war over on the ABC Business Daily podcast.
Today, he’ll join us here on the blog to answer your questions. So let us know what you’d like to know.
You can submit your questions to the blog by tapping the yellow “Login to comment” button above.