Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
Fuel from Australia’s emergency reserves is expected to begin flowing within days as the Middle East conflict drives price rises.
Formal details are yet to be announced, but a deal between Energy Minister Chris Bowen and fuel companies has been agreed on to prioritise petrol and diesel for regional areas running low.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly vowed retaliation for the killing of senior officials by Israel.
Three senior officials have been killed in air strikes this week.
In a rare statement, Ayatollah Khamenei has warned those responsible would soon “pay the price”.
Tehran residents have directed their anger at Washington, including this mourner who has joined thousands on the streets of Tehran for their funerals.
"This is to Trump: We are not scared. You can’t scare us. We are Iranians. We're not scared of your bombs. You lack what we don’t. You lack faith but we don’t. We have our faith. ... So remember that, you’re the loser. You’re the loser of this war, that’s for sure. You already have lost and you know that."
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has held an emergency meeting in London to address the impact of the Middle East war on shipping.
Australia has been among the attendees at the meeting.
The meeting has discussed Iranian strikes on commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, which has slowed shipping for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
Secretary General of the International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations Captain Andrew Cook, says everyone is concerned about the safety of an estimated 20,000 seafarers in the area.
"All of them in the Persian Gulf, the vessels can't leave, they are actually trapped. Many of those ships are tankers. So you've got seafarers who are sitting on board a steel box, basically imprisoned, because they can't get off the ship and the ship can't move. They're surrounded by, if they're working onboard tankers, they're surrounded, by oil and gas. And some of them are being targeted by missiles."
Tropical Cyclone Narelle could hit the Far North Queensland coast as a dangerous category five system early tomorrow, bringing winds up to more than 250 kilometres per hour.
The system is tipped to cross near Coen, north of Cairns.
It is predicted to then travel onto the Northern Territory's Top End coast before moving into Western Australia's Kimberley coast.
Queensland Disaster coordinator, Christopher Stream, says the severity of Narelle should not be underestimated.
"This is not the opportunity for you to be outside in the cyclone grabbing that Tiktok moment. Do not do it. A piece of debris propelled at 100 km or more will likely kill you."
