US-Iran war updates: Trump says US military staying in Iran, issues warning if ‘real agreement’ not reached

Australia has committed to keep its E-7A Wedgetail surveillance plane in the Middle East a month after sending it to the region, Anthony Albanese has confirmed.

The Prime Minister signed off on the advanced aircraft’s continued deployment on Thursday morning after initially committing it for four weeks in a “purely defensive” capacity in response to requests from the United Arab Emirates.

It comes after a ceasefire deal was agreed to by US President Donald Trump earlier this week following the submission of an 10-point peace plan by Iran through Pakistan-led negotiations.

“The Wedgetail will be staying in the region for a period of time. That extension was something that, in fact, I signed this morning after that was agreed at the National Security Committee yesterday,” Mr Albanese said.

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US President Donald Trump says that all US ships, aircraft and military personnel, along with their ammo and weaponry, are staying in place in and around Iran as a fragile ceasefire hangs in the balance.

“All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.

“If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the “Shootin’ Starts,” bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.”

Mr Trump went on to clarify he would not use nuclear weapons in a future attack as part of this operation.

“It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE. In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!”

US President Donald Trump faces new diplomatic tests as he prepares for weekend talks with Tehran amid doubts about the durability of his day-old ceasefire with Iran and the prospects for building it into a broader peace settlement.

A White House official said US Vice-President JD Vance would lead a US delegation to Pakistan for a meeting Saturday with Iranian officials.

Vance will be joined in the capital, Islamabad, by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner as they work to bridge huge political differences, some dating back decades, under a two-week clock set by the ceasefire agreement.

But even as Trump officials finalised the Saturday meeting, fractures were already emerging in the limited ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on Tuesday night, just before Trump’s deadline for a threatened “civilisation”-ending attack on Iran.

Robert Malley, who served as President Joe Biden’s special envoy for Iran, said the ceasefire was filled with ambiguities. The United States and Iran are already arguing over them, he said, and that will complicate the path forward.

“It’s hard to know not just where you go from here, but where you are to begin with,” he said. “The talks are starting on very weak grounds.”

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Uncertainty is mounting over whether the Strait of Hormuz has fully reopened, with conflicting signals from Iran, the United States and shipping sources creating fresh anxiety across global energy markets.

Despite a tentative ceasefire agreement aimed at stabilising the Middle East conflict, the crucial oil chokepoint appears to remain only partially operational, with some vessels still facing restrictions or requiring permission from Iranian authorities to pass through the waterway.

Iranian state-linked media have suggested shipping traffic has again slowed following renewed Israeli strikes on Lebanon, with reports that tanker movements through the Strait have dropped significantly compared to pre-war levels.

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Energy Minister Chris Bowen has provided an update about service station stocks around Australia.

Here is the latest data:

NSW - 112 service stations without diesel, 24 out of stock completely.

Victoria - 43 without diesel, 26 without unleaded.

Queensland - 32 without diesel, 23 without unleaded.

South Australia - 4 without diesel, 5 without unleaded.

Western Australia - 11 without diesel, 20 without unleaded.

Tasmania - 8 without diesel, 6 without unleaded.

ACT - 2 without diesel.

Northern Territory - 4 without diesel, 6 without unleaded.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcome two week-ceasefire announced on Wednesday, calling for aggreement to extend to Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“This is an important step forward. Of course it is a fragile peace, but we want it to lead to an agreement,” the Prime Minister said.

“The Australian Government also firmly believes that this has to apply to Lebanon as well. We want to see peace in this region and it will make a difference and I know that many Australians are concerned about the events that are occurring in Lebanon.”

Mr Albanese also acknowledged that despite the ceasefire, pressure still mounts on the global oil market and made an announcement that a new agreement between Export Finance Australia and Australia’s two biggest fuel suppliers to underwrite the purchase of additional supply.

“Today, I can announce that Export Finance Australia have agreed to terms with our two largest suppliers – Viva Energy, of course based in Geelong, and Ampol based right here – to enable them to bring more fuel to Australia,” he said.

“This is additional supply here in Australia that they will be able to source and as part of this agreement, of course, the Government can direct where that supply goes.

“An end to the conflict, even if it is a permanent end to the conflict we want to see, doesn’t mean that the Strait of Hormuz is automatically reopened and that it’s back to business as usual.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says a recovery in the global oil crisis won’t occur until the Strait of Hormuz reopens.

“We saw some welcome developments yesterday with the announcement of the ceasefire, but we need the ceasefire to stick, and we need the Strait of Hormuz to be open in order for the recovery to begin,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

“We are cautious about these developments.

“We’re not complacent about these developments because we know, first of all, we need to see the Strait of Hormuz reopen, we need to see the ceasefire stick, and we also know that the consequences of what we’re dealing with in the Middle East will hang around for a while yet.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has blamed US President Donald Trump for the global fuel crisis and suggested renewable energy is the answer to fuel volatility.

“Obviously, these were decisions taken around the table of the Situation Room in Washington DC but Australians are assembled around their kitchen tables working out how to pay for it,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

“Australians didn’t choose the circumstances of this war. These decisions were taken in the first instance by the Americans, but Australians are paying a hefty price for that, and that’s our focus, which is to really do what we can across a whole range of areas to shield where we can Australians from the worst the world can throw at us.”

Dr Chalmers also suggested renewable energy projects were the solution to the fuel crisis, longer term, after announcing a series of pilot projects in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and NSW.

“If we’ve learnt anything from the last month and a bit, it’s that cleaner and cheaper fuels, sovereign capacity, refining, manufacturing, these things are more important than ever in the context of this extreme pressure that we’ve seen on our global supply chains,” he said.

“That’s why we’re big believers”.

Australia has called on Israel to end its attacks on Lebanon after a ceasefire deal was struck with Iran, warning that any ongoing fighting puts the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz at risk.

Israel says it has carried out its largest wave of strikes against Lebanon since the start of the war, leaving at least 250 people dead, according to local authorities.

In a joint statement with the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Jordan, Brazil, Colombia, and Sierra Leone, Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for an urgent end to the fighting in Lebanon.

“The ceasefire is fragile, but the world needs it to hold,” she told ABC TV on Thursday.

“There is a risk that continued conflict in Lebanon will risk the ceasefire itself across the region.

“We want to see the Strait of Hormuz open so that Australians and the world can see lower prices for fuel.”

She said the deadly attacks overnight were “deeply concerning”.

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US President Donald Trump has called NATO out on Truth Social, claiming NATO ‘wasn’t there when we needed them’.

The post comes after Mr Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss whether the US should exit the alliance.

Mr Trump has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with NATO and their lack of support to help the US and their efforts in the war with Iran.

“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” Trump wrote.