Extract from ABC News
Kharg Island is among the sites threatened by Donald Trump. (Reuters: Planet Labs PBC)
G'day. I'm bringing you the latest updates from the Middle East, on day 31 of this war.
Here's what you need to know today:
- Donald Trump has, once again, issued threats against Iranian power stations and oil wells, if Iran fails to release its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Last week, the US president made similar remarks — only to walk them back days later, talking up the prospect of a peace deal. But he's now back on that rhetorical horse, promising to "obliterate" them. The new deadline appears to be April 6.
- Iran is holding firm in the face of such threats, and saying the current US peace proposal is "unrealistic, illogical and excessive". The new plan had been handed over to the Iranian regime by intermediaries, after talks between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye.
- The Lebanese Army has revealed a soldier was killed and five others wounded in the south of the country, after an Israeli strike on their checkpoint. Israel's war is ostensibly against the militant group Hezbollah, with the Lebanese Army a separate entity under the Lebanese state. Two UN peacekeepers were also killed. The death toll in Lebanon is creeping towards 1,250, with more than 3,600 injured.
- As Iran continues targeting energy infrastructure in its attacks on the Gulf states, the global oil price continues to rise. Brent crude is now heading towards $US113 a barrel. The pressure that is putting on global fuel prices is clear, with governments around the world grappling with how to provide some cost-of-living relief. In Australia, the Albanese government has announced it will halve the fuel excise for three months, cutting the price by around 26 cents a litre.
- In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the region's most senior Catholic will have access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the lead-up to Easter. On Sunday, Israeli police stopped Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from entering the church, which Christians believe is the site of Jesus's crucifixion, burial and resurrection, to celebrate Palm Sunday mass. World leaders had criticised the Israeli government for blocking the cardinal, seemingly prompting the about-face.
Here's what all that means
Pope Leo, while celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican, made some pointed remarks seemingly directed at the Trump administration. The pontiff, who is American, said Jesus "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them" and quoted a verse from Isaiah: "Saying 'even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood'."
It appeared to be a direct reference to the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who just days earlier had publicly prayed for "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy".
The fiery rhetoric has become a hallmark of the White House under Trump.
The president has posted on his Truth Social account once more to promise the US would be "completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)" if the Strait of Hormuz was not totally reopened to shipping by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The language belies the chaotic approach to diplomacy of the US president — on the one hand, talking up the prospects of a peace deal with Tehran and saying the regime is negotiating; on the other, he is once more pointing to major military action if they don't comply.
In terms of a carrot-and-stick approach, it doesn't look like it's working. The Iranian regime is digging its heels in and refusing to yield.
That could mean we're about to see another major escalation in this war — and questions will be asked about the scope of the conflict, given desalination plants are generally considered civilian infrastructure under international law.
Destroying them, particularly as Iran copes with its recent widespread drought, could be argued to be a war crime.
And here's the impact in Australia
- Fuel excise halved: It's a "temporary" measure that will cost the budget billions, but will it actually bring down the petrol price? (🎧30m15s)
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