US-Iran war live updates: Two more Iranians stay in Australia; US warns Iran of ‘most intense’ day of strikes; Australia closes embassy in Tel Aviv

Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know today.

• Two additional members of the Iranian women’s football team delegation – one player and one support staffer – have stayed behind in Australia on top of the five who were granted humanitarian visas on Monday night.
• While waiting to board, several players interviewed by this masthead – flanked by chaperones – said they wanted to return home to be with their families.
• US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) would be “yet again [the US’s] most intense day of strikes inside Iran”.
• Iranian security official Ali Larijani warned US President Donald Trump “not to get eliminated” after he threatened to attack Iran “20 times harder” if they stopped the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit route. Larijani added that the strait would either be one of peace and prosperity for all or a strait of defeat and suffering for “warmongers”.
• Democratic US senators have written to Trump, demanding State Secretary Marco Rubio and Hegseth testify under oath on the war in the Middle East as they raise the alarm about the high risk to the US of Russia supporting Iran’s military if Trump deploys ground forces.
• The US military has published a video that it says depicts mine-laying boats being destroyed near the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said 16 minelayers had been eliminated, among other Iranian vessels. It follows reports – rejected by Trump – that US intelligence had detected early signs of Iran deploying naval mines in the critical passageway.
• The Pentagon has confirmed 140 US service members have been injured since the beginning of its war on Iran. The Department of Defence said eight of those injured were still in a critical condition.

Airlines around the Indo-Pacific are increasing fares and hiking fuel surcharges as war on Iran war sends oil prices swinging wildly and stokes fears of jet fuel shortages if the conflict worsens.

Demand for alternative routes to Europe that bypass the Middle East is also surging, pushing up ticket prices. More than 43,000 flights scheduled in and out of the Middle East were cancelled between February 28 and March 10, according to data from analytics firm Cirium.

Here is a list of airlines that have announced increases to fares and fuel surcharges:

Qantas

Australia’s largest carrier is raising fares on international routes by around 5 per cent on average. Jet fuel prices have risen by as much as 150 per cent in the past two weeks, which is driving up costs across the business, Qantas said. Flights on European routes, including Perth-London, Perth-Paris and services via Singapore, are more than 90 per cent full this month, up from a typical load factor of 75 per cent at this time of year.

AirAsia

South-East Asia’s biggest budget carrier has raised fares and adjusted fuel surcharges, but without specifying by how much. The airline said it will “dynamically monitor market conditions and react proactively as and when needed.”

Air New Zealand

The airline said on March 10 it will raise fares by an unspecified amount, and may need to take further pricing action and adjust its network and schedule if fuel costs remain elevated. The company also suspended its earnings guidance, saying assumptions on fuel costs announced late last month are no longer valid.

Air India

Air India and Air India Express will phase in fuel surcharges across domestic and international routes from March 12.

From March 12 a surcharge of 399 rupees ($4.35) will be added to domestic flights and services to South Asia, West Asia and the Middle East. Surcharges to South-East Asia will rise to $US60 from $US40, and for Africa to $US90 from $US60. From March 18, the surcharge for Europe will rise $US25 to $US125, and to North America and Australia by $US50 to $US200. Surcharges to Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea to be announced later

Hong Kong Airlines

Hong Kong Airlines increased fuel surcharges, starting March 12, on a range of routes, including a 35per cent increase, or HK$100 ($US12.80), to the Maldives, Nepal and Bangladesh. The levy on long-haul destinations including Australia and North America will rise HK$150 to HK$739.

Japan Airlines

JAL, which already applies a fuel surcharge on international routes, said it has no plans to bring forward changes to levies before April 1.

Bloomberg

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon are causing a widening humanitarian crisis. As we reported early this morning, almost 700,000 people have been displaced since the latest incursion across Lebanon’s southern border.

Our Europe correspondent, David Crowe, and chief photojournalist, Kate Geraghty, are on the ground in Beirut.

Read their latest report and see the photos here.

Iran has launched waves of missile strikes at Israel throughout the night (Tel Aviv time).

The Times of Israel reported the barrages of missiles were either destroyed or allowed to land in unpopulated areas, and there were no reported injuries.

Iranian state media said Iran had used cluster warheads to attack the Emek Ha’Ela satellite communication centre in southern Tel Aviv, and military centres in Be’er Ya’akov, West Jerusalem, and Haifa.

“Iran, in addition to missile response to Israel, is attacking US military bases in FIVE countries… Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Erbil in Iraq; in response to the US military aggression on February 28,” the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported on social media.

The Islamic Republic News Agency said it was Iran’s 37th wave of attacks.

A drone assault has hit a major US diplomatic facility in Iraq, The Washington Post reports.

The attack was a suspected retaliation to the US-Israeli war by pro-Iran militias, the paper said, citing a security official and an internal report.

Five drones were shot down, but a sixth stuck the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Centre, a logistical hub for American diplomats. The security official said they were not aware of any casualties.

Iraq’s Defence Ministry condemned the attacks, which struck near Iraqi bases, according to The Post.

“The Ministry of Defence stresses that it will not stand by as a spectator. Rather, it will firmly confront and pursue … all parties involved,” it said in a statement.

Australia has closed its embassy in Israel as the conflict in the Middle East continues.

“Due to heightened security concerns, the Australian embassy in Tel Aviv is closed. Do not go the embassy and surrounding area,” the embassy said on its website.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had ordered the families of embassy staff to depart in the days before the US and Israel launched its attack late last month, but the embassy had remained operational.

“Australian officials remain in country and continue to provide consular services. You can still contact our consular teams via email or telephone,” the government’s latest Smartraveller advice said.

Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know today.

• Two additional members of the Iranian women’s football team delegation – one player and one support staffer – have stayed behind in Australia on top of the five who were granted humanitarian visas on Monday night.
• While waiting to board, several players interviewed by this masthead – flanked by chaperones – said they wanted to return home to be with their families.
• US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) would be “yet again [the US’s] most intense day of strikes inside Iran”.
• Iranian security official Ali Larijani warned US President Donald Trump “not to get eliminated” after he threatened to attack Iran “20 times harder” if they stopped the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit route. Larijani added that the strait would either be one of peace and prosperity for all or a strait of defeat and suffering for “warmongers”.
• Democratic US senators have written to Trump, demanding State Secretary Marco Rubio and Hegseth testify under oath on the war in the Middle East as they raise the alarm about the high risk to the US of Russia supporting Iran’s military if Trump deploys ground forces.
• The US military has published a video that it says depicts mine-laying boats being destroyed near the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said 16 minelayers had been eliminated, among other Iranian vessels. It follows reports – rejected by Trump – that US intelligence had detected early signs of Iran deploying naval mines in the critical passageway.
• The Pentagon has confirmed 140 US service members have been injured since the beginning of its war on Iran. The Department of Defence said eight of those injured were still in a critical condition.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed two additional members of the Iranian women’s soccer delegation have been granted asylum, while one player wavered until the last minute before eventually deciding to board a flight out of the country in dramatic scenes at Sydney Airport.

Burke said that Home Affairs officials had met privately with all the players and support staff to explain their legal rights to seek protection in Australia before their departure to Kuala Lumpur late last night.

Two women – a player and a member of the team’s support staff – stayed behind in Brisbane on Tuesday and have since been reunited with the five players who escaped from their handlers on Monday night.

The player who decided to stay on Tuesday has been identified as Mohaddeseh Zolfi, a 21-year-old forward. The support staffer is Zahra Soltan Moshkehkar.