US-Iran war as it happened: Iran shoots down two US warplanes, two crew rescued but one still missing; Iranian Speaker mocks search mission as Trump goes quiet

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on medium-sized powers to join forces and stand up to the US and China.

Macron hammered the message during his tour of Asia this week, where he discussed maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and closer co-operation with South Korea and Japan – two countries badly suffering from high-energy costs as the war in Iran keeps the strait closed.

“Our objective is not to be the vassals of two hegemonic powers,” he told students in Seoul. “We don’t want to depend on the dominance, let’s say on China, or we don’t want to be too much exposed to the unpredictability of the US.”

European countries, he said, have a shared agenda with places like Japan and South Korea on issues like international law, democracy, climate change and global health.

Fewer service stations are running dry as the federal government maintains supplies remain strong, with more than 50 ships on the way to top up fuel tanks.

As of Saturday morning, Australia had 39 days worth of petrol, 29 days worth of diesel and 30 worth of jet fuel amid ongoing strong demand.

“The fact these figures are effectively flat means fuel is going out the door to service stations and farmers, and fuel is going in the door at Australia’s import terminals and refineries,” Energy Minister Chris Bowen said.

The number of service stations running out of petrol and diesel had gone down, Bowen said.

Iran shooting down two American military aircraft marks an exceedingly rare assault for the US that has not happened in more than 20 years and shows the Islamic Republic’s continued ability to hit back despite President Donald Trump asserting it has been “completely decimated.”

The attacks came five weeks after US and Israeli strikes first pounded Iran, with Trump saying earlier this week that Tehran’s “ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed.”

Iran shot down a US F15-E Strike Eagle fighter jet Friday, with one service member getting rescued and the search still underway for a second, US officials say. Iranian state media also said a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed after being hit by Iranian defence forces.

The last time a US fighter jet was shot down in combat was an A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, said retired Air Force Brigadier-General Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 fighter pilot.

About $30.3 billion in immediate funding is needed to support strained health services in Iran and another four Arab countries including Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Syria according to World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“This appeal will support essential health services and trauma care, disease surveillance and early warning systems, mass casualty management and national readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear emergencies,” he said on the social platform X on Friday.

The request comes as Tedros warned Saturday that Iranian attacks on two water desalination facilities in Kuwait are jeopardising public health in the Gulf. Attacking water desalination plants is generally prohibited under international humanitarian law.

One facility was hit on Saturday morning, following a March 29 attack on the West Doha Power Generation and Desalination Plant which killed one worker.