Iran-US war latest: Trump threatens destruction of bridges and electric power plants in push for Tehran deal – UK Times

Australian energy minister Chris Bowen today urged motorists getting away for a long weekend during the Easter holiday to fill up in cities because most of the nation’s fuel shortages are in rural areas.

Among 2,400 gas stations in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, 182 had run out of diesel by Friday.

In Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, 76 gas stations were out of diesel. In the remaining states ranked by the most populous first, Queensland had 75 stations without diesel, Western Australia had 37, South Australia had 28 and in Tasmania there were seven.

“For those Australians planning a road trip this weekend, given our shortages are predominantly in rural and regional Australia, it makes sense to fill up in the city to help the country if you can,” Bowen said in Sydney.

The government, which blamed regional shortages on panic buying and distribution problems, is concentrating on delivering fuel to farmers for planting crops.

Oil prices continued to surge on worries of a prolonged Iran war but the Asian markets that were open today rose moderately in cautious trading, while others were closed for the Good Friday holidays.

Benchmark US crude rose 11.4 per cent to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8 per cent to $109.03 per barrel.

Leading Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was detained by Iranian intelligence agents at her house in Tehran overnight, her daughter said Thursday.

Prize-winning Nasrin Sotoudeh, 64, is renowned for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves. She has been imprisoned multiple times and is currently out on bail for health reasons.

Her husband, Reza Khandan, also a well-known activist, is currently imprisoned in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison.

Donald Trump has mocked Sir Keir Starmer as weak and had a fresh dig at the UK’s navy as Britain led diplomatic efforts to try and reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, closed by the Iran war.

The US president impersonated the prime minister as he recounted Sir Keir saying he had to ask his team about sending “two old broken-down aircraft carriers” to the Middle East.

Trump said Britain “should be our best” ally, but had not been in his latest sideswipe over the UK’s refusal to be drawn into the conflict with Tehran.

Earlier this week, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth rounded on Britain for failing to send warships to the region, saying “last time I checked there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well”.

Their disparaging remarks come as the King, who is head of the armed forces, is due to travel to Washington later this month for a state visit to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has expressed concerns that aides are giving President Donald Trump “a rose-colored view” of the Iran war and its domestic impacts, according to a new report.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation ⁠said its Mina al-Ahmadi ⁠refinery ​was ⁠hit ⁠by ​drones early ⁠on ‌Friday, setting off fires ‌at ‌operating units, ⁠according to the state news agency, but ‌no ​injuries ‌were ⁠reported.

Kuwait reported that its air defences were working to intercept missiles and drones twice this morning.

Iran says a US F-35 fighter jet has been shot down over central Iran, according to state media.

It reported that the pilot was unlikely to survive.

Pakistan has raised diesel and petrol prices for the second time in under a month, as global oil costs climb amid the Middle East conflict.

The price of diesel has been raised by 54.9 per cent to 520.35 Pakistani rupees ($1.88) per litre, while petrol prices have gone up by 42.7 per cent to 458.40 Pakistani rupees ($1.65)per litre. The revised rates will take effect from Friday.

The UN Security Council is set to vote on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports.

Two diplomats said the meeting of the Council’s 15 members and the vote were set for Saturday morning.

Diplomats said Bahrain, the current chair of the Security Council, finalized a draft resolution seen by Reuters that would authorize “all defensive means necessary” to protect commercial shipping.

Oil prices could spike to $120-$130 per barrel in the near term, with a ​risk of surging above $150 if supply ‌flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain disrupted into mid-May, JP Morgan said.

JP Morgan’s base-case assumption is ​that the disruption to the strait will ⁠ultimately be resolved through negotiations following ​a period of supply strain and inventory drawdowns.

Under ​this scenario, oil prices are expected to remain elevated above $100 a barrel through the second quarter. Prices ​are then forecast to retrace in ​the second half of 2026, driven by a partial ‌reopening ⁠of the strait and some normalization of oil inventories, the note added.

JP Morgan warned that the size and duration of any ​price spike would ​be ⁠key in determining the severity of the broader macroeconomic shock, raising ​the risk of deppressed demand and ​a ⁠potential recession if high prices persist