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US-Iran war as it happened: Trump says US seized Iranian ship in Strait of Hormuz; US delegation will head to Pakistan for second round of negotiations; Tehran rejects US peace talks

Emily Kaine, Ellen Connolly and Adam Carey
Updated ,first published

Key Posts

What you need to know
Big business ordered to pay transport companies more
Israel condemns actions of soldier who smashed Jesus statue in Lebanon
Wong on Trump: ‘We’ve certainly seen unpredictability’
Iran says it’s open to more talks with US
Australian sharemarket takes a tumble
Vance and Pope Leo seek to lower temperature
Oil, gas prices leap higher
Pinned post from 6.29pm on Apr 20, 2026
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What you need to know

By Adam Carey

Thank you for reading our live coverage of the war in the Middle East.

You can follow along to tomorrow’s live coverage of the US-Iran war here. 

Here’s a recap of the latest developments.

  • Shipping remains at a standstill in the crucial Strait of Hormuz as Iran continues to enforce its blockade. Two tankers were forced by Iranian military forces to turn back on Sunday.
  • The US has seized control of an Iranian container ship, President Donald Trump says, after it tried to evade the American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the US Navy ship “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room”.
  • Australian big business has been ordered to pay the transport industry more to compensate them for the rising price of fuel, following a ruling in the Fair Work Commission.
  • Iran has said it is open to further talks with the US, but has not confirmed it will participate in a second round of negotiations in Pakistan beginning on Tuesday. A spokesman later poured cold water on the prospect of more talks.
  • Viva Energy says its Geelong oil refinery could return to more than 90 per cent of its maximum output within weeks following last week’s fire, raising hopes of the return of a more stable supply of domestic fuel.
  • Speaking ahead of the federal budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers told media that he expects inflation, economic growth and unemployment to worsen.

Latest Posts

Iran pours cold water on prospect of more peace talks

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Iran has dampened the prospect of further peace talks with the US, with a spokesman for the country’s foreign ministry saying the regime had no plans for a new round of talks.

Esmail Baghaei said in a press conference that “it seems that America is not serious at all”.

“This game is ongoing instead of them playing a positive role. But we cannot expect the Americans to say the truth, they’re always accusing us,” Baghaei said in comments reported by Al Jazeera.

Preparations are under way in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, for a second round of negotiations between Iran and the US, which have been at war since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February.

Big business ordered to pay transport companies more

By Elias Visontay

Consumer Affairs Reporter Elias Visontay reports that Australia’s largest retailers, manufacturers and mining companies will be forced to pay truck drivers more to compensate for spiralling fuel costs after the Fair Work Commission issued a landmark ruling that could add further pressure to inflation.

Truckies and their bosses, represented by the Transport Workers’ Union and Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation, were pleading for action after weeks of absorbing soaring diesel prices because their contracts were signed before war broke out in the Middle East.

The trucking industry has won its case in the Fair Work Commission.Bloomberg

The commission ruled that, from Tuesday, companies at the top of the supply chain will have to conduct fortnightly fuel price reviews and factor rising fuel prices into contracts they’ve already signed to transport their goods.

During the hearings, corporations fought against the order, arguing it would lead to increased costs and complexity for businesses.

Read the full story here.

Ship traffic grinds to a halt in Hormuz

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Commercial maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a virtual standstill on Monday after a brief and confused reopening over the weekend ended with the first US seizure of an Iranian vessel, underscoring just how difficult it will be to restore activity in the vital strait.

Transits through the waterway have reduced to a trickle over seven weeks of war in the Persian Gulf, as Iran tightens control in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes. On Friday, that paralysis appeared to be at an end as Iran and the US announced a reopening, prompting oil to plunge in price and vessels to rush for the crossing – only for the situation to rapidly unravel.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has ceased again following a brief reopening over the weekend.AP

By Sunday, the US Navy had seized an Iranian cargo ship in waters off the Iranian port of Jask in the Gulf of Oman as it headed towards Hormuz – the first such move during this US blockade – raising the stakes for shipowners operating across the region and widening the area seen to be risky for transits. Benchmark oil has jumped in response, as a historic supply crisis begins to look even more prolonged.

“The continued volatility will deter most, if not all shipowners, to adopt a cautious ‘wait and see’ approach,” said Ivan Mathews, the head of APAC analysis at Vortexa Ltd.

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Israel condemns actions of soldier who smashed Jesus statue in Lebanon

By Adam Carey

Israel’s Defense Forces have verified the authenticity of a viral image showing an Israeli soldier smashing the head of a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon.

In a statement issued on X on Monday, the IDF said it “views the incident with great severity and emphasises that the soldier’s behaviour is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops”.

The photograph, reportedly shared millions of times on social media, shows an Israeli soldier hammering the head of a toppled statue of Jesus.

View post on X

The IDF said it would work to assist the community to restore the statue and take action against those involved.

Israel also published details of its “forward defense line area” in southern Lebanon on Sunday, stating five divisions of its defence forces are operating in southern Lebanon, south of the line, “to dismantle Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites and prevent direct threats to communities in northern Israel”.

Israel and Lebanon announced a 10-day ceasefire on April 16 to allow negotiations on a longer-term settlement of fighting to go ahead. US President Donald Trump has also directed Israel to cease attacking Lebanon.

Wong on Trump: ‘We’ve certainly seen unpredictability’

By Michelle Griffin

Asked on Sky News if she had confidence in the actions of US President Donald Trump, Foreign Minister Penny Wong paused before saying: “We know that how President Trump envisages the role of America in the world differs very greatly from many past administrations.

“And I’ve also said one of the things that President Trump himself has said is one of his characteristics, or one of his tactics, is unpredictability. And we’ve certainly seen unpredictability.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged de-escalation in the Middle East.Alex Ellinghausen

When asked by Sky host Andrew Clennell if she “had any concerns Donald Trump might blow this”, Wong again paused before acknowledging “this is an inherently risky situation”.

Wong said she had not spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio since the end of March.

“You don’t engage with the secretary of state all the time. They obviously have a fair bit on their plate, and Secretary Rubio has even more because he’s the national security adviser as well,” Wong said.

But she confirmed that “her position” in discussions with the US reflected what the Albanese government had said publicly, that regime change would be very difficult to achieve.

Iran says it’s open to more talks with US

By Adam Carey

As the US prepares to send a delegation to Pakistan for a second round of negotiations, Iran has confirmed it will return to the table after earlier stating it had no plans to be involved.

In a series of interviews, the head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, Ebrahim Azizi, said the Middle Eastern nation would talk if it received “positive signals” from the US but would never give up control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“It’s our inalienable right,” Azizi told the BBC on Monday.

A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran.AP

The Iranian lawmaker said the strait was “one of our assets to face the enemy” and a critical bargaining chip in the ongoing conflict, which was started by the US and Israel in February.

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Geelong oil refinery recovering quicker than first thought

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Viva Energy says its Geelong oil refinery could return to more than 90 per cent of its maximum output within weeks.

In encouraging news for local fuel supplies, energy reporter Nick Toscano reports that the quicker than expected timeline for recovery from a poorly timed fire at the refinery promises to stabilise domestic fuel security as the Middle East conflict continues.

The fire at the Geelong refinery last week.Jessika Louise Wicks/FRV Geelong

In a statement on Monday morning, Viva said that damage assessments at its Geelong oil refinery, on the shores of Corio Bay, had confirmed the blaze was confined to the alkylation unit, which converts gases into a component needed in petrol. Other major processing units in the petrol-production complex were unaffected.

The fire, sparked by an equipment fault, forced Viva to cut back to minimum output levels across the facility at an inopportune time. Until last week, the Geelong refinery had been operating at full capacity, delivering up to 50 per cent of all the fuel used in Victoria, and 10 per cent of the national total.

Read the full story here.

Small field vies to be UN secretary-general

By Edith Lederer

Four candidates to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations will audition for the job this week, far fewer than there were 10 years ago when António Guterres was selected as UN chief.

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet – one of two women and one of three from Latin America – will be the first to face ambassadors from the UN’s 193 member nations during a three-hour question-and-answer session on Tuesday. Bachelet will be followed by UN nuclear chief Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina.

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet is vying to be the next secretary-general of the UN.AP

On Wednesday, UN trade chief Rebeca Grynspan will take centre stage in the General Assembly hall, and finally, former Senegal president Macky Sall.

In 2016, a hotly contested race drew 13 candidates. What has changed?

Latest US backflip delivers another blow to Ukraine

By David Crowe

Europe correspondent David Crowe reports that Ukraine has slammed a surprise US decision to suspend sanctions on Russian oil amid a wave of airstrikes on Kyiv and other cities, deepening a rift over the European conflict while US President Donald Trump puts a priority on the war with Iran.

The dispute centres on a policy backflip by Trump’s economic team last week when American allies were expecting the sanctions to be applied within days, only to be surprised when the US extended a temporary ruling that helps Moscow.

Read the full story here.

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