US-Iran war updates: Donald Trump blasts Australia, NATO allies, Albanese calls fuel crisis national cabinet

State and territory leaders will discuss the growing fuel crisis at a national cabinet meeting called by the Prime Minister for tomorrow.

Speaking at an Australian Automotive Dealer Association event in Sydney, the PM revealed the focus of the talks would be on regional supply.

“I will convene the national cabinet of all the premiers and chief ministers to ensure that coordination, that’s occurring right across our country, maximises the benefit for business, for farmers, for our communities, in our cities, and in particular, in our regionals,” Mr Albanese said.

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More than 5,600 Australians and permanent residents have been evacuated from the Middle East in recent weeks, as the Government continues to scale up its response to the escalating conflict in the region.

As of 6.30am on Wednesday, 18 March, a total of 5,676 people have returned to Australia on 45 direct flights since 4 March.

Additional flights are scheduled to arrive throughout the day, with one service from Dubai expected to land in Sydney later this morning, and two more set to arrive this evening.

Emirates flight EK412 from Dubai is due to land in Sydney around 9.00am. Etihad flight EY460 from Abu Dhabi is scheduled to arrive in Melbourne at approximately 6.45pm, while another Emirates service, EK420, is expected to depart Dubai for Perth at 2.45am local time.

The Government has also introduced temporary measures to assist Australians still in the region, opening online passport applications for those in Israel, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The service allows travellers to apply without attending an embassy in person.

Australians are now being advised not to travel to several countries, including Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the UAE and Yemen.

Travellers are urged to reconsider the need to visit Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia, while exercising a high degree of caution in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Egypt and Turkey.

For all the latest warnings head to the Smartraveller website.

The Opposition says it has not been briefed on any request from the United States for naval assistance in the Middle East, as tensions escalate following US President Donald Trump unleashing on Australia.

Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson said it was up to the Federal Government to respond to any such request and outline its position.

“The opposition has not been briefed on any request for naval assistance in the Middle East by the United States. It is for the government to comment on any request and their response,” he said in a statement.

Senator Paterson confirmed the opposition continues to support the deployment of an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to the United Arab Emirates, but said any further military commitment would be a matter of national interest.

“Any further deployment is a sovereign choice for Australia which must be informed by our national interest and the availability and capacity of relevant platforms,” he said.

“While we have a strong interest in the free movement of shipping through the Persian Gulf, Australia’s primary region of interest remains the Indo-Pacific.”

His comments come after US President Donald Trump criticised allies, including Australia, for not offering military support as part of efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping route.

Iranian state media has confirmed the death of security chief Ali Larijani, following earlier claims from Israel that he was targeted in an overnight airstrike.

Israel said it had struck the hideout of the leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), with Iranian outlets later verifying his death.

In a statement, the SNSC administrative office said Larijani was killed in the early hours of the morning, alongside his son and bodyguards.

“He was martyred along with his son Morteza, Alireza Bayat (the SNSC admin’s deputy for security), and a number of bodyguards,” the statement said.

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Earlier the Israeli Defence Force first reported the news.

“Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the regime’s effective leader, has been eliminated,” the IDF said on X.

“Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

“During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors.”

The head of the United States’ National Counterterrorism Centre, Joseph Kent, has resigned over the US-Israel war in Iran, saying in a letter to President Donald Trump that he “cannot in good conscience” back the action.

Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Mr Kent said in a post on X.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at the US’s allies, including Australia, for not sending military support for his war in Iran.

After boasting that many countries were eager to contribute military support for his war in Iran to reopen the vital transit route for oil, the Strait of Hormuz, he said that he had been informed that most NATO allies were against the idea.

“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea.

“In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”

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