Trump says US to 'finish the job' in Iran; Israel and Hezbollah trade new strikes — as it happened

Our live blog will return tomorrow morning. Here are the biggest developments from across the day:

• The Australian government will release 100 million litres of extra petrol into the domestic market to help curb a rash of panic buying around the country.
• United States President Donald Trump has said Iran is on the verge of defeat, but warned that US forces could escalate strikes to the point that the country would be "almost impossible" to rebuild
• The Israeli military is prepared to continue its war with Iran for "as long as necessary", according to a spokesperson, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his country would need reparations and security guarantees before agreeing to a truce.
• The International Energy Agency has agreed to release 400 million barrels of ‌oil, the largest such move in its history, to try to rein in rapidly rising crude prices
• Oil infrastructure and vessels continue to be targeted, with Iraqi port officials reporting that two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi oil had been attacked by Iranian boats laden with explosives.
• Israeli strikes have killed more than 600 people in Lebanon, and uprooted 800,000 more, Lebanese authorities say
• A senior Israeli defence official said Iran and Hezbollah had launched a joint missile attack on Israel, describing it as the first coordinated action against the country since the war began

Thanks for staying with us today.

— David Smith

An unidentified projectile struck has a container ship, causing a small fire. The incident occurred 35 nautical miles north of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported the incident in an advisory on Thursday. UKMTO reports that all crew are safe and that no environmental impact has been reported. The advisory did note, however, that a full damage assessment was impaired by darkness and that authorities are continuing to investigate.

The incident comes after a day of strikes oil infrastructure and vessels, with Iraqi port officials reporting that two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi oil had been attacked by Iranian boats laden with explosives.

— David Smith, Agence-France Presse

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced Australia's fuel quality standards will be amended for the next 60 days to allow higher sulfur levels.

The move will ensure an additional 100 million litres per month of petrol supply that would otherwise have been exported to be blended, Bowen said in a statement.

Bowen said petrol supply will flow through to the domestic market, instead of being exported, where it would be blended into other fuels. In return, petrol company Ampol had committed to ensuring the extra supply would be prioritised for regional Australia, he added.

Read more about this story below:

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Government's 100-million-litre fuel promise amid supply 'panic'

— Ewa Staszewska

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says around 13,000 Australians still in the Middle East have registered for government assistance.

Repatriation flights have been gradually taking Australians out of the region after the conflict caused widespread airspace closures and flight cancellations.

Wong encouraged Australians still in the region to leave, saying commercial flights could "dry up" if people wait too long.

"We hope that will not happen, but don’t leave it too late," she told Sky News.

Penny Wong has urged Australians who want to leave the Middle East to do so while commercial flights are still available. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Wong added that the government is also looking to support Australians stranded in the region through its deployment of a surveillance aircraft and 85 personnel to the United Arab Emirates to bolster regional air defences.

"That is a defensive capability, which enables our Gulf country friends, many of whom have many Australians in place, to defend against missiles and drone attacks," she said

— Cameron Carr

Israel, the United States and Iran are showing no signs of backing down as reports emerge of new Iranian attacks on oil infrastructure in the Gulf and the Israeli military saying it's prepared to continue fighting for "as long as necessary".

As nations exchange fire, oil tankers and ports are being targeted, prompting a global response to ensure energy supplies.

These are some of the key events:

• United States President Donald Trump has said Iran is on the verge of defeat, but warned that US forces could escalate strikes to the point that the country would be "almost impossible" to rebuild
• The Israeli military is prepared to continue its war with Iran for "as long as necessary", according to a spokesperson, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his country would need reparations and security guarantees before agreeing to a truce.
• The International Energy Agency has agreed to release 400 million barrels of ‌oil, the largest such move in its history, to try to rein in rapidly rising crude prices
• Oil infrastructure and vessels continue to be targeted, with Iraqi port officials reporting that two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi oil had been attacked by Iranian boats laden with explosives.
• Israeli strikes have killed more than 600 people in Lebanon, and uprooted 800,000 more, Lebanese authorities say
• A senior Israeli defence official said Iran and Hezbollah had launched a joint missile attack on Israel, describing it as the first coordinated action against the country since the war began

We'll continue to bring you the latest from the Middle East throughout the day. Stay with us.

— Cameron Carr

United States President Donald Trump has told a campaign-style rally in Kentucky that the US has already "won" the war in the Middle East — but that US forces would remain in the region until the "job is finished".

"We don't want to leave early, do we?" Trump said. "We got to finish the job."

Trump has similarly told reporters in Washington that Iran was "pretty much at the end of the line" but threatened the US could hit sections of the capital Tehran that would make it "almost impossible for them to rebuild their country".

Iran has made clear it intends to impose a prolonged economic shock, with the spokesperson for Iran's military command saying in remarks directed at the US on Wednesday: "Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilised."

After offices of a bank in Tehran were hit overnight, Iran said it would respond with attacks on banks that do business with the US or Israel and people across the Middle East should stay 1,000 metres from banks.

Despite what the Pentagon has described as the most intense airstrikes since the start of the war, Iran on Wednesday hit targets in Israel and across the Middle East, demonstrating a fight back.

Iranian explosive-laden boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters setting them ablaze and killing one crew member after projectiles struck three vessels in Gulf waters, said port, maritime security and risk firms.

Watch Trump's remarks below:

— Alex Gallagher, Reuters

Israel and Hezbollah have traded fresh strikes on military targets in Lebanon's capital and Israel's Tel Aviv.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had struck 10 Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut, including an intelligence headquarters and command centres, after Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed their first joint strikes on Israel.

"Over the past hours, the IDF has begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting terror infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization across Lebanon," it said, adding it hit "dozens of launchers" as well as intelligence and command sites in south Beirut.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it launched missiles at an Israeli military intelligence base in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. The group said in a statement its fighters had targeted the Glilot base "with a barrage of advance missiles".

The two sides have continued to exchange fire since early last week, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel that ignited a new Israeli offensive against the group.

— Alex Gallagher, AFP

United States President Donald Trump has said Iran was on the verge of defeat, but warned that US forces could escalate strikes such that the country would be "almost impossible" to rebuild.

"They are pretty much at the end of the line," Trump told reporters in Washington.

He added: "We can hit sections of Tehran and other places that if you do it, it'll be almost impossible for them to rebuild their country, and we don't want that."

— AFP

Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi oil are in flames after being attacked by Iranian boats laden with explosives, killing one foreign crew member, according to Iraqi port officials.

Iraq evacuated the 25 crew members from the two vessels, and fire is still ablaze on both ships, the officials added.

Some oil ports have "completely stopped operations", Iraq's state media says, while some commercial ports are continuing in a limited capacity.

Meanwhile, Oman's civil defence is working on containing a fire in fuel tanks at the port in Salalah, Oman's state news agency reported, after drones struck oil storage facilities there.

— Cameron Carr, Reuters

The United Nations Security Council has called for Iran to immediately cease attacks on the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

The resolution also condemned any action by Iran to disrupt vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The resolution, which did not mention strikes against Iran by the United States or Israel, passed by 13 votes, with two abstentions — China and Russia. The US is one of the five permanent member states of the Security Council.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the UN, said the adoption of the text represented a "blatant misuse of the Security Council mandate in pursuit of the political agendas" of the US and Israel.

Iran's UN ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said the resolution was a "blatant misuse" of the Security Council's mandate. Source: AAP / AP / Seth Wenig

"Let me make it clear, this resolution is a manifest injustice against my country, the main victim of a clear act of aggression," he said.

The US said its adoption reflected a broad condemnation of Iranian strikes.

"Iran's strategy of sowing chaos, of trying to hold their neighbours hostage, trying to shake the resolve of the region, has clearly backfired, as shown by this vote today," said US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz.

— Alex Gallagher, AFP

The Israeli military is prepared to continue its war with Iran for "as long as necessary", according to a spokesperson.

"We as an army are prepared to continue the campaign as long as necessary," he said.

Earlier, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said the war would "continue without any time limit".

"The operation will continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we accomplish all objectives and achieve victory in the campaign."

— Reuters

Iran's sports minister said there is no way that the nation's soccer team can compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

"Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup. Our children are not safe, and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist," Ahmad Donyamali said, according to CBS Sports.

"Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence."

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Before offering refuge to Iranian players, Australia took in another team

Those remarks came after FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump discussed the matter on Tuesday and declared that the Iranian team was welcome to participate when the World Cup gets underway on 11 June in the US, Mexico and Canada.

— Reuters

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his country needs reparations and security guarantees before the war ends.

"Talking to leaders of Russia and Pakistan, I reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to peace in the region," he said in a post on X.

"The only way to end this war – ignited by the Zionist regime and US – is recognising Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggression."

— Cameron Carr

Israeli strikes battered Beirut's southern suburbs overnight, lighting up the city's skyline with flashes of red and setting buildings in the area aflame after Lebanese armed group Hezbollah launched a volley of rockets into northern Israel.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 600 people in Lebanon, and uprooted 800,000 more, Lebanese authorities say.

On Wednesday night, Hezbollah said it had launched dozens of rockets into northern Israel as part of a "series of operations", indicating there could be more to come.

Lebanese security sources told Reuters more than 100 rockets were launched.

A senior Israeli defence official said Iran and Hezbollah had launched a joint missile attack, describing it as the first coordinated action against Israel since the war began.

— Reuters

United States President Donald Trump has been asked about Iran's new leadership, following the succession of Mojtaba Khamenei.

"We knocked out twice their leadership, and now they have a new group coming up," he told reporters in the US state of Ohio.

"Let’s see what happens to them."

Trump added that the war "turned out to be easier than we thought", in response to questions and said oil prices are better than expected.

Donald Trump said the war had "turned out to be easier than we thought". Source: AAP / AP / Julia Demaree Nikhinson

Oil prices have been rising and falling rapidly as the conflict across the Gulf threatens global oil supply.

"I would say [the price of oil] went up a little bit less than we thought," Trump said.

"It’s going to come down more than anybody understands."

— Cameron Carr

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has agreed to release 400 million barrels of ‌oil, the largest such move in its history, to try to rein in crude prices.

It is aimed at preventing a further rise in ‌oil prices on fears that Iranian attacks will continue to block Middle East oil exports from reaching markets.

Meanwhile, three more vessels have been hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz overnight, bringing the number of ships struck in the region to at least 14 since the war began.

The IEA said ‌the release had been backed unanimously by 32 member countries, including Australia, in the sixth such move it has made since its creation in the 1970s.

Read more: Iran warns of US$200 oil barrels as it retaliates against US-Israeli bombardment

— Cameron Carr

Good morning, and welcome to our coverage of the war in the Middle East.

Overnight, Iran's military has warned the world should be prepared for oil to hit $US200 a barrel should the United States and Israel continue the war, and said it had targeted two ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The International Energy Agency has agreed to release 400 million barrels of ‌oil, the largest such move in its history, to try to rein in crude prices.

Meanwhile, Lebanon said the death toll in 10 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has reached 634, while more than 800,000 people have registered as displaced.

Israeli drones carried out attacks on several Tehran neighbourhoods on Wednesday evening, killing members of the security forces, Iran's Fars news agency reported.

Iran's army said it had attacked key targets in Israel, including the military intelligence headquarters, a naval base in Haifa and a radar system. It also said it targeted US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

We'll bring you more as the day develops.

— Alex Gallagher, AFP