Trump drops Hormuz fee as US blockade takes effect
The 20 per cent cargo fee lasted 26 hours. A US naval blockade of Iranian ports began at 6am AEST as Brent settled at US$84.73 after a one-month high.
28 articles by Priya Nair
UAE tankers hit as US strikes Iran for a third night
Two Emirati tankers were hit by Iranian cruise missiles in Omani waters, killing a crew member, as US strikes on Iran entered a third consecutive night.
Iran says Hormuz is closed. The US says it is not.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice and disabled a second ship. Within hours Washington said commercial vessels are still transiting, and the US Navy-led body that routes merchant traffic kept its southern corridor open.
Iran and Oman meet on Hormuz passage as shipping traffic stalls
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met his Omani counterpart in Muscat as both governments agreed to keep talking about safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, even as new data show shipping through the strait still near a standstill and Tehran and Washington divided over what their existing agreement actually requires.
US agrees to more Iran talks but declares truce over
Donald Trump says Iran asked to keep talking and the US agreed, while insisting the ceasefire is finished. Australia has an aircraft in the Gulf, a shut embassy in Tehran and no seat at the table.
Khamenei buried as US and Iran trade a second night of strikes
Iran buried Ali Khamenei in Mashhad as US forces struck about 90 more targets and Iran fired on bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, with Hormuz tanker traffic near a standstill.
US hits 80 Iranian targets after Hormuz tanker attacks
US forces struck more than 80 targets inside Iran after three tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran answered with drones and missiles at bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.
NATO meets in Ankara as Trump presses spending targets
NATO's 32 leaders met in Ankara on Monday and Tuesday for a summit dominated by US pressure to enforce a 5 per cent defence-spending target and by Ukraine's push for more air-defence weapons.
China fires submarine missile into South Pacific
China fired a long-range ballistic missile from a submarine into the South Pacific, drawing protests from Australia, New Zealand and Japan within hours.
New leader absent as Iran farewells Khamenei
Iran's week-long state funeral for Ali Khamenei moved through Tehran on Monday, with the successor and son Mojtaba Khamenei still yet to appear in public four months after the strike that killed his father.
Fujimori declared Peru's president as rival rejects result
Peru's election jury proclaimed Keiko Fujimori president-elect on Friday, a month after a runoff decided by about 50,000 votes. Opponent Roberto Sánchez refuses to recognise the result.
China tells US to handle Taiwan with 'utmost caution' in Rubio call
China's foreign minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to handle Taiwan with 'utmost caution' in a July 1 phone call, the first senior diplomatic contact since President Trump's May visit to Beijing. The two governments' accounts of the call recorded different things.
US declines to renew North American trade pact at six-year review
The United States did not agree to renew the USMCA trade agreement at its six-year joint review on July 1. The deal stays in force but now faces a decade of annual reviews instead of a clean 16-year extension, with the US and Mexico due to hold further talks the week of July 20.
Australia and Vanuatu sign Nakamal security treaty, cost left undisclosed
Australia and Vanuatu signed the Nakamal Agreement in Canberra on Monday, a security and economic treaty under which Vanuatu agrees to keep foreign military bases off its territory. The cost to Australia was not disclosed, and Vanuatu's earlier objections stripped Canberra of a veto over the island nation's infrastructure deals.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey resigns over armed forces funding dispute
British Defence Secretary John Healey resigned on Saturday over a dispute about armed forces funding, with junior defence minister Al Carns also leaving the government. Neither issued a detailed statement explaining the specific terms of the disagreement.
Australian man arrested in Thailand after body of 17-year-old found in suitcase
An Australian national has been arrested by Thai authorities after the body of a 17-year-old was discovered in a suitcase in Bangkok. Thai police confirmed the arrest; formal charges had not been laid as of Saturday.
Iran walks from US talks and threatens to seal Strait of Hormuz
Iran has paused negotiations with the United States and threatened to 'completely block' the Strait of Hormuz, ruling out further talks until Israel ends operations in Lebanon and Gaza. Tehran also threatened the Bab-el-Mandeb. A fifth of the world's oil moves through Hormuz.
Ukraine strikes 12 Russian regions and Crimea overnight; Russia retaliates across Ukraine
Ukraine hit targets across approximately 12 Russian regions and Crimea overnight on Saturday, with Russia responding by striking Ukrainian cities and infrastructure before dawn. The exchange follows a similar large-scale operation two nights earlier.
Venezuela earthquake toll passes 589 and still climbing as UN scales up aid
The confirmed death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela has passed 589 and continues to rise, with thousands still missing. The UN is scaling up its humanitarian response as rescue teams work around the clock.
US Supreme Court clears path to deport 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians
The court's conservative majority sided with the Trump administration on Thursday to end Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians, opening the way for mass deportations to two countries under active conflict or gang control. A separate ruling shut the asylum route at the US-Mexico border.
US strikes Iran after Hormuz drone attack as Treasury grants 60-day sanctions relief
The United States carried out strikes on Iran on Friday after a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, testing an interim peace arrangement reached one week earlier. The US Treasury simultaneously granted Iran a 60-day sanctions exemption: an escalation and an olive branch on the same day.
Israeli airstrikes kill at least 12 in southern Lebanon, including two paramedics
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 12 people across southern Lebanon on Thursday according to Lebanese health officials, including two paramedics. Israel did not publicly account for all targeted sites by time of publication.
Ukraine strikes across a dozen Russian regions overnight; Russia retaliates
Ukraine launched a major nighttime attack targeting approximately 12 Russian regions and Crimea on Thursday, in one of the broader single-night operations of the conflict. Russia struck back across Ukrainian territory before dawn.
Venezuela death toll reaches 589 as rescue teams work through collapsed buildings
Two earthquakes struck Venezuela within hours of each other, killing at least 589 people with thousands missing. International teams from Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, and the United States are operating around the clock as a state of emergency remains in effect.
Two earthquakes strike Venezuela 39 seconds apart as death toll climbs and 68,000 listed missing
A magnitude 7.2 and a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the state of Yaracuy within 39 seconds of each other on June 24, causing catastrophic destruction in Caracas and La Guaira. At least 589 people were confirmed dead by June 26, with 68,900 listed as missing as rescue teams worked through collapsed buildings.
Iran and US sign 60-day ceasefire deal as Strait of Hormuz reopening remains central
A memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 established a two-month window to negotiate a permanent end to the Iran conflict. The Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 per cent of the world's traded oil passes, was blocked during the fighting and its reopening is a central condition.
G7 leaders commit $1 billion to Ebola response and reaffirm Ukraine support at Évian summit
The 52nd G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains adopted nine declarations covering Ukraine, artificial intelligence governance, critical minerals, and a billion-dollar Ebola funding commitment, with Ukrainian President Zelensky attending in person.
European Commission launches sweeping package to cut reliance on US and Chinese digital technology
The EU adopted four pieces of legislation on June 3 aimed at tripling European data centre capacity within seven years and reducing a dependence on foreign digital infrastructure that currently exceeds 80 per cent, directly targeting US cloud giants and Chinese hardware suppliers.
