Yesterday
After Trump’s rebuke, Washington insider backs Albanese’s war effort
The US president hit out at Australia’s war effort, as he again extended a deadline for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its power plants.
This Month
Trump insists Iran desperate for a deal as crisis deepens
Iran’s foreign minister insisted peace talks with the US were not under way, contradicting the White House as the war’s economic and humanitarian toll mounted.
China has already won the Iran war
Donald Trump had better do a deal with Iran soon. If the Strait of Hormuz is closed for another month, it is game, set and match to the Russo-Chinese axis.
Deal overshadowed by the chaos of war
The EU-Australia agreement allowed Anthony Albanese to argue that free trade is not dead in the Trump era. But the turmoil in the Middle East is overwhelming.
Iran taps ‘corrupt commander’ Mohammad Ghalibaf to make deal
Mohammad Ghalibaf, an enforcer close to the new supreme leader, may be the only figure who could sell a climb down to Tehran’s hardliners.
Iran targets Israel and Gulf states as Trump looks to calm markets
The US president’s assertion that Iran was keen on a deal – and he was postponing power-plant attacks – was disputed almost immediately by Iran.
Israel launches new wave of attacks on Tehran
The IDF has launched “a wide-scale wave of strikes” on infrastructure targets in the Iranian capital as US command chief warned civilians to “stay inside”.
Hunted down one by one. Will Israel’s assassination plan end the war?
Airstrikes have killed more than 20 senior Iranian officials since the start of hostilities, but it’s unclear if this strike rate will bring down the regime.
‘Very bad future’: Trump warns allies if they fail to help US in Iran
The president made the threat about NATO’s future after appealing to allies to help open the Strait of Hormuz to ease the energy crisis.
Oil executives warn Trump energy crunch will probably worsen
CEOs have met senior Trump administration officials recently to issue the warning, as the US president says Iran wants to make a deal to end the war.
The Iran war may not be won by the side that’s more powerful
The Islamic Republic has been smashed, but it has not collapsed. Two weeks into the conflict, the regime remains resilient and continues to inflict global costs.
TACO on Iran will come too late for Trump
The US president has already done lasting damage to international trust in America after his foray into the Islamic Republic.
Sea mines and small boats: Iran’s new plan for the Strait of Hormuz
Experts say the Islamic Republic still has a range of weapons to thwart multinational efforts to get oil tankers through the crucial waterway.
Court finds against ex-Star CEO; Kurdish incursion doubted; War could still trigger correction
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Toll mounts, markets hammered as war enters fifth day
Global stock markets have been hammered over worries that the spike in oil prices may grind down the world economy and sap corporate profits.
Trump has no realistic plan for Iran’s future
The killing of Ali Khamenei and key military and political leaders has left the regime reeling. But it does not answer the question of what comes next.
Betters win $1.4m on US strikes wager placed just before bombs hit
Polymarket has become a sprawling clearinghouse for geopolitical speculation, on which the line between informed conviction and inside knowledge is blurred.
Iranian supreme leader’s death triggers fresh strikes across Gulf
Donald Trump’s regime change is likely to foment instability in the Middle East, upend energy markets, and disrupt global flights.
February
Australia tells families of diplomats to leave Israel, Lebanon
Voluntary departures have been offered to dependants of diplomats in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan amid a “deteriorating security situation”.
Middle powers may need nuclear weapons: Ukraine envoy
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia wants the Albanese government to take a more active role brokering peace in his country’s war with Moscow.
