Here are the latest developments:<\/p>\n
Donald Trump said he would extend \u2013 once again \u2013 his pause on his threat to attack Iran\u2019s energy infrastructure for 10 days until 6 April, claiming that the request came from Tehran and that talks were going \u201cvery well\u201d. The US president threatened last Saturday he would strike Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the strait of Hormuz. Then, on Monday, he postponed his threat for five days (until Friday), citing \u201cvery good and productive conversations\u201d with Iran on ending the war (which Tehran dismissed as \u201cfake news\u201d designed to \u201cmanipulate\u201d the oil markets). Now, he\u2019s pushing that deadline back, again<\/a>.<\/p>\n The price of Brent crude also dropped following Trump\u2019s latest announcement. Oil prices rose to their highest level this week, with Brent crude trading at roughly $108 a barrel after Trump\u2019s cabinet meeting earlier on Thursday.<\/p>\n Yemen\u2019s Houthis have said there is no need to worry amid fears that if Trump follows through on threats to seize Iran\u2019s Kharg Island, Tehran may ask them to attack shipping in the Red Sea.<\/p>\n A day after Tehran dismissed Trump\u2019s 15-point ceasefire plan, the US president claimed Iran was \u201cbegging to make a deal\u201d. and that he wasn\u2019t the one pushing for negotiations. Earlier, he told Tehran to \u201cget serious soon\u201d on negotiating a deal to end the war.<\/p>\n Trump rejected reports he was looking for an exit ramp, as oil prices soar and political pressure mounts to avoid the kind of drawn-out Middle East war he once spurned. \u201cI read a story today that I\u2019m desperate to make a deal,\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cI\u2019m the opposite of desperate. I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n A US proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting is \u201cone-sided and unfair\u201d, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.<\/p>\n Trump said Iran was allowing some oil tankers through strait of Hormuz as a sign of good faith for talks. He said Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the strategic strait as a \u201cpresent\u201d to show it was serious about negotiations to end the war.<\/p>\n The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting defence department officials.<\/p>\n The Israel Defence Forces\u2019 chief of staff has warned that the military will \u201ccollapse in on itself\u201d as it faces increasing demands and a growing manpower shortage while fighting on multiple fronts, according to Israeli media reports.<\/p>\n A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground off Iran\u2019s Qeshm Island, Iran\u2019s semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Friday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.31 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n UAE pushing for international force to reopen strait of Hormuz \u2013 report<\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates has told allies that it would participate in a multinational maritime task force intended to reopen the strait of Hormuz as it lobbies to form a coalition to ensure shipping can is pass through the vital waterway, the Financial Times is reporting.<\/p>\n The newspaper says <\/a>the UAE told the US and other western states that it would take part, according to three people familiar with the situation, two of whom said Abu Dhabi would deploy its own navy.<\/p>\n The move reflects the country\u2019s hardened stance towards Iran as it bears the brunt of Tehran\u2019s retaliation to war from the US and Israel<\/a>, it says.<\/p>\n The report could not be immediately verified.<\/p>\n It also says the UAE is working on a UN security council resolution with Bahrain to provide any future task force with a mandate, but Russia and China could oppose the move, one of the people said.<\/p>\n Gulf states are concerned that Iran could seek to maintain control even if the war ends, the report says. There is a growing conviction among some Gulf states and the Trump administration<\/a> that there is no easy means to reopen the blocked strait without naval escorts.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.41 EDT<\/p>\n The Iranian Revolutionary Guards\u2019 naval commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday was a veteran hardliner with a taste for fiery rhetoric who grasped better than many the strategic importance of the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n During naval exercises in the Gulf in January, Alireza Tangsiri said the Iranian revolution of 1979 represented \u201ca turning point in the history of the Iranian nation and a new dawn for the awakening of the oppressed nations of the world\u201d.<\/p>\n Like many senior officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Tangsiri won his regime credentials as a young man during the bloody 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. He then received a series of promotions, eventually becoming the commander of the IRGC\u2019s maritime force in 2018, where he pioneered the unconventional weapons that would allow Iran to project power and influence in the Persian Gulf and beyond.<\/p>\n As well as cruise missiles and armed drones, a third weapon Tangsiri strongly supported was fast boats \u2013 light, manoeuvrable craft that can threaten civilian shipping but also, he hoped, evade the defence systems of modern warships.<\/p>\n Rear Admiral Alireza, the IRGC naval commander, was killed in an Israeli strike on the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Photograph: Tasnim<\/p>\n You can read more here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.03 EDT<\/p>\n Circling back to Donald Trump\u2019s press conference at the White House earlier, the US president took another swipe at Nato, the UK and Australia for not being more involved in his war on Iran.<\/p>\n We have covered the Nato comments here:<\/p>\n But Australia got a mention too \u2013 late in the press conference \u2013 in response to a question about his phone calls with British prime minister Keir Starmer. Trump said:<\/p>\n double quotation mark[Starmer] did something that was shocking: he didn\u2019t want to help us. And maybe in particular that country, you know, the longest bond, the longest ally.<\/p>\n Australia, too, Australia was not great. I was a little surprised by Australia.<\/p>\n I wouldn\u2019t say anybody was great, other than the five countries in the Middle East. We never really had very much support.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n More on petrol prices: Vietnam\u2019s trade ministry is saying it has temporarily waived an environmental tax on fuel to cut soaring prices by more than a quarter.<\/p>\n The environmental protection tax rate on gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel would be slashed to zero from today until 15 April, the ministry said on Friday, adding:<\/p>\n double quotation markThis is considered an urgent and effective solution to stabilise the petroleum market and ensure national energy security amidst the escalating conflict in the strait of Hormuz, which is creating the \u2018biggest energy bottleneck ever\u2019.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n India has slashed its special excise duties on petrol and diesel amid the soaring prices triggered by the Iran<\/a> war.<\/p>\n In a government order, the Indian finance ministry on Thursday cut the excise duty on petrol to 3 rupees ($0.032) a litre from 13 rupees earlier. It also cut the duty on diesel to zero from 10 rupees.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In case you missed it earlier, Lebanese media said an Israeli strike hit Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs early on Friday.<\/p>\n Several explosions were heard from the Hezbollah<\/a> stronghold and smoke was billowing from the area after the raid, Agence France-Presse reported.<\/p>\n Israel has previously issued sweeping evacuation warnings for the area but provided no specific warning in advance of Friday\u2019s strike. It was unclear if there were any casualties.<\/p>\n Israel has sent ground troops into south Lebanon<\/a> in a push to establish what it calls a \u201cdefensive buffer\u201d zone, and Hezbollah said its fighters kept up its attacks on troops there early on Friday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.59 EDT<\/p>\n And just to recap, on Thursday Wall Street had its worst day since the war with Iran<\/a> started.<\/p>\n The S+P 500 fell 1.7%, and the index is headed for a fifth straight losing week, which would be the longest such losing streak in almost four years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.4%.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Some news on the Asian markets, after early Friday trading.<\/p>\n South Korean shares have fallen more than 3% today and are set to end the week lower. Japan\u2019s Nikkei share average is also down today, and is on track for a fourth straight weekly decline, amid fading hopes for an imminent ceasefire.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng lost 0.1%, while the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.1%. Australia\u2019s S+P\/ASX 200 fell 0.5%, while Taiwan\u2019s Taiex was trading 1.5% lower.<\/p>\n World Trade Organisation chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has warned the global trading system is experiencing the \u201cworst disruptions in the past 80 years\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe world order and the multilateral system we used to know has irrevocably changed,\u201d she said on Thursday, at the WTO ministerial conference. \u201cWe cannot deny the scale of the problems confronting the world today.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.18 EDT<\/p>\n Welcome summary<\/p>\n Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran<\/a> and the consequences for the region, the world and the global economy.<\/p>\n Here are the latest developments:<\/p>\n Donald Trump said he would extend \u2013 once again \u2013 his pause on his threat to attack Iran\u2019s energy infrastructure for 10 days until 6 April, claiming that the request came from Tehran and that talks were going \u201cvery well\u201d. The US president threatened last Saturday he would strike Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the strait of Hormuz. Then, on Monday, he postponed his threat for five days (until Friday), citing \u201cvery good and productive conversations\u201d with Iran on ending the war (which Tehran dismissed as \u201cfake news\u201d designed to \u201cmanipulate\u201d the oil markets). Now, he\u2019s pushing that deadline back, again<\/a>.<\/p>\n The price of Brent crude also dropped following Trump\u2019s latest announcement. Oil prices rose to their highest level this week, with Brent crude trading at roughly $108 a barrel after Trump\u2019s cabinet meeting earlier on Thursday.<\/p>\n Yemen\u2019s Houthis have said there is no need to worry amid fears that if Trump follows through on threats to seize Iran\u2019s Kharg Island, Tehran may ask them to attack shipping in the Red Sea.<\/p>\n A day after Tehran dismissed Trump\u2019s 15-point ceasefire plan, the US president claimed Iran was \u201cbegging to make a deal\u201d. and that he wasn\u2019t the one pushing for negotiations. Earlier, he told Tehran to \u201cget serious soon\u201d on negotiating a deal to end the war.<\/p>\n Trump rejected reports he was looking for an exit ramp, as oil prices soar and political pressure mounts to avoid the kind of drawn-out Middle East war he once spurned. \u201cI read a story today that I\u2019m desperate to make a deal,\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cI\u2019m the opposite of desperate. I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n A US proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting is \u201cone-sided and unfair\u201d, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.<\/p>\n Trump said Iran was allowing some oil tankers through strait of Hormuz as a sign of good faith for talks. He said Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the strategic strait as a \u201cpresent\u201d to show it was serious about negotiations to end the war.<\/p>\n The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting defence department officials.<\/p>\n The Israel Defence Forces\u2019 chief of staff has warned that the military will \u201ccollapse in on itself\u201d as it faces increasing demands and a growing manpower shortage while fighting on multiple fronts, according to Israeli media reports.<\/p>\n A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground off Iran\u2019s Qeshm Island, Iran\u2019s semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Friday.<\/p>\n![\"Jason](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Jason_Burke.png\")
Jason Burke<\/p>\n