US naval blockade of Iran in effect | Morning News Bulletin 14 April 2026

In this bulletin, the US begins a blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, Anthony Albanese heads overseas again to shore up Australian fuel supplies. And in the AFL, Port Adelaide will defend Zak Butters against claims he abused an umpire.

Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which conveys about a fifth of the world's oil and gas, has mostly come to a halt since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East on 28 February 2026. Source: Getty

Key Points

• US naval blockade in effect on Iranian ports
• Prime Minister in southeast Asia on fuel, fertiliser mission
• Port Adelaide backs Butters ahead of tribunal hearing

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TRANSCRIPT

The US has enforced a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, after a deadline passed for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump would not comment on whether he will uphold his promise to end Iranian civilisation if its government does not reach a ceasefire deal with the US, but says the consequences would not be pleasant.

"Right now there's no fighting. Right now we have a blockade. They're doing no business. I didn't like seeing boats come out if they were doing business with Iran, but if there weren't, no boats came out. So now they're doing, Iran is doing absolutely no business, and we're going to keep it that way, very easily."

Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to India says Tehran is open to another round of talks with the US if the Trump Administration refrains from making unlawful demands.

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The Israeli military says it has completely surrounded the key town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon - which it's attacking as part of a push to take territory for a so-called security belt.

The heavy fighting comes within days of peace talks between Israel and Lebanon, but Hezbollah won't be represented in those negotiations in Washington.

Global leaders have increasingly called for calm in the conflict that Lebanese authorities say has killed more than 2,000 people since March.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is striking a defiant tone.

"I was somewhere in Lebanon, in the security zone, with our forces, with our wonderful reserve soldiers, with the courageous commanders. They are doing an incredible job there, with unwavering spirit, great determination, and significant successes that must, of course, be acknowledged. The first thing is that they are pushing the enemy away from the border. We are not talking about five points; we are talking about a solid, deeper security zone that both prevents the danger of infiltration and pushes back the anti‑tank missile threat."

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to southeast Asia today, in another effort to shore up fuel supplies amid the energy crisis caused by the Middle East war.

He'll meet with Bruneian Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah first, before moving on to Malaysia, where he'll sit down with Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim.

Both countries are important suppliers of refined fuel and fertiliser for Australia, which offers complementary exports like natural gas and agricultural products.

Mr Albanese's three-day trip to southeast Asia follows a similar visit to Singapore.

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Uber will introduce a temporary fuel surcharge from tomorrow to help drivers with the rising fuel costs.

The surcharge will be five cents per kilometre, with the full amount passed on to drivers - but it won't apply to rides in electric vehicles.

The Transport Workers Union says a high proportion of the Uber workforce is from a migrant background, and National Secretary Michael Kaine says the surcharge will provide meaningful relief to the workers.

"If you're doing a full tank for Uber it's going to be about a $30-31 per tank additional piece of relief and that's not insignificant and we're just going to have to keep our eye on it, this is not a situation that's steady, we know that it's chaos overseas, we know it's uncertain."

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Queensland's government has been accused of playing politics after calling an inquiry into the impact of new federal environmental laws.

Treasurer David Janetzki has confirmed the Queensland Productivity Commission will investigate the economic impact of recent changes to national environmental protection laws, including concerns around compliance costs, and uncertainty for Queensland businesses.

It will also interrogate the exclusion of fossil fuel projects from fast-track assessments on national interest grounds.

But Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has accused the state government of chasing headlines, saying he has yet to hear details about an oil exploration project state authorities have focussed on, located in the Taroom Trough, west of Brisbane.

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To sport now, and in the AFL, Port Adelaide has issued a statement saying it will strongly defend star player Zak Butters after he was referred to the AFL tribunal, accused of asking umpire Nick Foot: "how much are they paying you?" during Sunday night's game against St Kilda.

Foot works for a betting company, outside of his job as an umpire.

The exchange was not caught on Foot's microphone, and the club said it believes Butters was misheard and misconstrued after he was charged with using abusive and insulting language.

The tribunal hearing is set for tonight.