US-Iran war live updates: Khamenei declares victory over US, Israel; Netanyahu to hold talks with Lebanon; Australia could help reopen Strait of Hormuz

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told European governments that Donald Trump wants concrete commitments within days to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said in recent hours, as the alliance faces US threats to leave.

Rutte, known in Europe as a ‘Trump whisperer’, is working to defuse a crisis after Trump said he was considering withdrawing from the 32-member transatlantic alliance, arguing that European allies have relied on US security guarantees while providing inadequate support for the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Reuters

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken to Donald Trump while travelling through Qatar about efforts to restore tanker traffic through the waterway, Starmer’s office said in a statement.

Starmer and Trump also discussed the need to develop a “practical plan” that returns the flow of shipping in the Middle East to pre-war levels.

Starmer has visited Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the last two days as he tries to build momentum behind the ceasefire and the reopening of the strait.

Trump has taken repeated potshots at the British leader over Starmer’s reluctance to join the US-Israeli war effort.

with AP

Donald Trump has accused Iran of not allowing oil to flow through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming the nation is failing to honour the tentative ceasefire struck with the US.

“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social less than an hour ago. “That is not the agreement we have!”

It followed a social media post where he said Iran “better not be” charging fees on oil tankers travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.

It’s unclear whether the grievances described in Trump’s latest post refer to the prospect of tolls on the strait or the reopening to all ship traffic.

Bloomberg today reported that just seven vessels, all of which have either called at Iranian ports or were carrying Iranian cargo, were seen leaving the Persian Gulf on Wednesday and into Thursday morning (US time). Normally, about 135 ships transit through the waterway each day.

In a social media post published in the past hour, Donald Trump wrote, “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait – They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!”

He offered no further details. The White House supports Iran reopening the strait as part of a tenuous ceasefire deal but says Trump opposes that country’s military using its continued control of the waterway to raise revenue by charging tolls on passing ships.

Trump spent much of Thursday (US time) in closed-door meetings. He did not have any scheduled public events the rest of the day.

Reuters

The war is darkening the outlook for the world economy – whether or not a fragile ceasefire holds, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned this morning.

Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the fund would downgrade its forecast for the world economy next week.

“Had it not been for this shock, we would have been upgrading global growth,” Georgieva said before next week’s IMF-World Bank meetings. “But now, even our most hopeful scenario involves a growth downgrade.”

The world economy had proved resilient in the face of Donald Trump’s decision to impose sweeping global tariffs last year. In January, the 191-country IMF had upgraded the global growth outlook to 3.3 per cent and was poised to do so again when its new forecasts came out next Tuesday.

But the war changed everything. The conflict has driven up the price of oil and natural gas; damaged oil refineries, tanker terminals and other energy infrastructure; disrupted shipments of fertiliser the world’s farmers depend on; and damaged the confidence of businesses and consumers.

Georgieva said “growth will be slower – even if the new peace is durable”.

And she told policymakers “be careful not to make things worse” with “go-it-alone” moves such as limiting exports and imposing price controls. “Don’t pour gasoline on the fire,” she said.

AP

Australia is in talks with European nations about how it could help in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said.

“We’re talking with the countries who are leading these efforts, the United Kingdom, France, about how Australia can best contribute,” Marles told ABC TV.

But he said Australia’s potential involvement remained uncertain while the future of the ceasefire remained in doubt.

“It really is difficult to speculate about the specifics of that without having those conversations in full, until we really understand what is the conditions on the ground,” he said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to US President Donald Trump overnight to discuss a practical plan to get ships moving through the strait “as quickly as possible”, Downing Street said in a statement.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says Australia “needs” the ceasefire in the Middle East to hold, as the Albanese government desperately works to lock in fuel supplies beyond next month while global supply chains remain disrupted.

Marles, who returned to Australia after visiting Japan this week, called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and for the war to end, and was hopeful of the ceasefire becoming permanent.

“We are confident about our fuel supplies for the coming weeks and through into May,” Marles told ABC TV.

“Clearly we are seeing a disrupted global fuel supply chain, and that’s why we need this ceasefire – as fragile as it is right now – to hold.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Singapore today to bolster the nation’s fuel supplies. He is expected to meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong this afternoon after a tour of the nation’s refining facilities.