Australia news LIVE: Burke confirms IS brides have Australian passports as government issues one temporary exclusion order; US military build-up fuels speculation Trump is headed for war with Iran

The United States is continuing to surge military assets to Eastern Europe and the Middle East, fuelling speculation that President Donald Trump is headed for war with Iran despite both sides noting progress in recent talks.

Meanwhile, Trump again warned British Prime Minister Keir Starmer not to cede control of the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to Mauritius, saying the US may need to use the island and its air base to defend against Iranian attacks in the event the Islamic Republic decides not to make a deal.

The developments came as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there were “many reasons” for a strike against Iran, though the president’s first preference was always diplomacy.

Flight tracking data indicated dozens of military aircraft, including refuelling tankers, left the continental US heading east, or moved across Europe, overnight into Wednesday (Washington time), adding to the growing military build-up in the region.

Read the full story from our North America correspondent Michael Koziol.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed reporting by this masthead that 34 Australian IS brides and their children being held in a Syrian detention camp have Australian passports, as the government maintains it has not and will not be providing assistance to the women and children to return home to Australia.

Last night, Burke was pressed by ABC TV’s Sarah Ferguson on 7.30 to confirm whether the group had Australian passports. He eventually conceded a confirmation that the women and children had passports issued by Australia.

Burke also confirmed yesterday that the government had issued a temporary exclusion order to one of the women – preventing her from returning for a period of two years – on the advice of security agencies.

The women and children who originally travelled to Syria and lived under the so-called caliphate of terrorist group Islamic State have returned to the headlines in recent days, as some of them left the camp this week in an attempt to return to Australia.

Read more here.

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Thursday, February 19. My name is Emily Kaine, and I’ll be helming your coverage today. Here’s what is making headlines this morning.

• Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed reporting by this masthead that 34 Australian IS brides and their children being held in a Syrian detention camp have Australian passports, as the government maintains it has not and will not be providing assistance to the women and children to return home to Australia. Burke also confirmed yesterday that the government had issued a temporary exclusion order to one of the women – preventing her from returning for a period of two years – on the advice of security officials.

• NSW Labor faithful are warning there will be growing pressure on the premier in the lead-up to the party’s mid-year state conference to justify his approach to protests as branches pass motions condemning alleged police violence at last week’s pro-Palestine rally. At least eight Labor branches have passed resolutions calling for reviews or inquiries into the events of the rally, where 10 people were charged over a demonstration against visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

• A former Coles executive admitted the supermarket broke its own guidelines by promoting discounts on Arnott’s Shapes as part of its “Down Down” program too soon after raising its price, a third day of Federal Court hearings heard yesterday. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is pursuing Coles over alleged “illusory discounts” in which the supermarket raised prices before putting products on specials that were often higher than the original price.
• And in world news, the United States is continuing to surge military assets to Eastern Europe and the Middle East, fuelling speculation that President Donald Trump is headed for war with Iran despite both sides noting progress in recent talks.

Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond throughout the day.