Middle East conflict live updates: Iran’s new Supreme Leader makes first statement since taking power, vows vengeance
Netanyahu ‘not certain’ Iranians will bring down the regime
Nazahryth Bernard
Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted that he is not certain the Iranian people will bring down the regime.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday night for the first time since the war with Iran began, the Israeli prime minister said that the Islamic Republic cannot be challenged without the will of the Iranian people to do so.
“You can lead someone to water; you cannot make him drink,” he said.
Netanyahu also warned Lebanon’s government that it had to “take your fate into your own hands” and disarm Hezbollah or Israel would do this itself.
Addressing potential for regime change in Iran, Netanyahu said: “We will create optimal conditions to do this, including airstrikes as we did yesterday, as we are doing these days, to try to give [the Iranian people] the space needed to take to the streets,” he said.
“We are delivering crushing blows to the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij, their street forces, their checkpoints – and more is yet to come.”
However, he added that “a regime is ousted from within”.
“I do not deny it: I cannot say for certain that the Iranian people will bring down the regime,” he said.
“We told you, ‘Help is on the way’. Well, the help has come and more will follow.”
- Daily Telegraph UK
One Royal NZ Air Force Hercules returning home after Middle East alert
Nazahryth Bernard
One Air Force C-130J-30 Super Hercules is heading back to New Zealand after being readied to help people caught up in the Middle East conflict.
Large explosions shake Tehran: AFP journalists
Nazahryth Bernard
A series of powerful explosions shook Tehran on Friday, AFP journalists reported, on the 14th day of the war with the United States and Israel.
The unusually intense blasts occurred around 10am (7.30pm NZT) and shook the homes of two AFP journalists located several kilometres apart in the north and centre of the capital.
- AFP
American military plane crashes in Iraq
Nazahryth Bernard
An American military plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in western Iraq, the US military said on Thursday.
Two KC-135 aircraft were involved in an “incident” during Operation Epic Fury in friendly airspace, according to a statement posted to Centcom’s X account.
It added that the crash was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire”.
The plane that was lost – identified as a refuelling aircraft - had six service members onboard, Reuters reported, citing a US official.
The second aircraft landed safely. The status of the crew is currently unknown.
An Iran‑backed armed group called Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft on Friday, saying it acted “in defence of our country’s sovereignty and airspace”.
The claim has not been confirmed by US military officials.
The tanker is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as part of the US military’s operations against Iran. Last week, three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Two dead as Oman thwarts drone attack: state media
Nazahryth Bernard
Two people died after security forces intercepted a drone in northern Oman, state media said on Friday, without giving further details.
Both victims in the incident at Al Awahi industrial area were expatriates, the Oman News Agency said, adding that other people were injured.
- AFP
Israel says struck over 200 targets in Iran in past day
Nazahryth Bernard
Israel's military said Friday it had struck more than 200 targets in western and central Iran in the last day, including missile launchers and defence systems.
It said fighter jets carried out "20 wide-scale strikes" that targeted "ballistic missile launchers, defense systems, and weapon production sites."
- AFP
Trump: ‘We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran’
Nazahryth Bernard
Donald Trump has claimed the United States is “totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran” as the war in the Middle East continues.
In a post on Truth Social, the US President said Iran’s military capabilities were being wiped out and its leadership eliminated.
“Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth. We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time - Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.”
“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump said.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Explosions reported in Dubai
Nazahryth Bernard
A building in central Dubai was struck by debris from an intercepted attack on Friday, officials said, after explosions shook the Middle East’s financial hub.
There was a loud double blast that rattled buildings and left a large cloud of black smoke hanging over part of the city, according to an AFP correspondent.
The United Arab Emirates says it has intercepted more than 1500 Iranian drones and nearly 300 missiles since the war began on February 28.
Targets have included Dubai International Airport, the city’s ports and landmarks such as Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Sirens heard at Incirlik air base, key Nato facility in south Turkey: state news agency
Nazahryth Bernard
Sirens were heard early on Friday at Turkey's Incirlik airbase, a key Nato facility where US troops are stationed near the southeastern city of Adana, state news agency Anadolu reported.
There was no immediate official comment on the incident, which took place four days after Nato air defences shot down a ballistic missile in Turkish airspace that was fired from Iran, the second in five days.
Residents of Adana, which lies 10 km away from the base, were woken at around 3.25am (1.25pm NZT) by sirens, which sounded for around five minutes, according to the Ekonomim business news website.
It said a red alert sounded at the base.
Several people posted mobile phone footage on social media of a glowing image flying through the sky, suggesting it could be a missile heading for the airbase, it said.
Across the city, sirens from fire engines and the security forces could be heard for a long time, it added.
Nato said it shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran on Monday, prompting a stern warning from Turkey to Tehran not to take "provocative steps".
The announcement came shortly after Washington said it was closing down its consulate in Adana, urging all American citizens to leave southeastern Turkey.
Since the US-Israeli war against Iran started, Tehran has launched strikes across the Middle East. Turkey had appeared to have been spared.
As well as Incirlik airbase, US troops are also stationed at Kurecik, another Turkish base that is a Nato facility in the centre of the country, where a Patriot missile defence system was deployed on Tuesday.
A first missile had been intercepted by Nato defences in Turkish airspace on March 4.
- AFP
Nazahryth Bernard
Oil holds over US$100 a barrel after US eases Russian sanctions
Nazahryth Bernard
Brent crude is trading at US$100.55 ($172.32) a barrel after news the Trump administration is temporarily allowing Russian oil at sea to be sold, easing some pressure on global supply.
Attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf and threats to the Strait of Hormuz have kept oil near triple‑digit levels.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Moscow piles pressure on US over oil sanctions
Nazahryth Bernard
Moscow said on Friday that the global energy market "cannot remain stable" without its oil, piling pressure on Washington to lift more sanctions as the Middle East war strangles supplies.
The United States has eased some oil sanctions on Russia imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, prompting backlash from Western allies who urged Washington to keep up restrictions as the Ukraine conflict drags into its fifth year.
The US-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region have upended the world's energy and transport sectors, virtually halting activity in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The United States is temporarily allowing the sale of oil from Russia - one of the world's largest oil producers and exporters -that is at sea, the Treasury Department said Thursday, as nations scrambled to boost supply and bring down prices.
Oil prices soared to nearly US$120 ($205) a barrel this week, the highest since the pandemic began.
- AFP
Mojtaba Khamenei ‘probably’ alive but ‘damaged’, says Trump
Nazahryth Bernard
“I think he probably is (alive). I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, you know,” President Donald Trump said of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in an interview on Fox News.
Khamenei, whose father was killed on the first day of the US and Israeli strikes, has not been seen publicly since his appointment. His first comments as leader were read on state television, in which he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and warned neighbouring countries against hosting US bases.
An Iranian official said Khamenei was lightly injured but continuing to operate. The new leader’s movements remain unclear as the conflict enters its second week.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Australia releases millions of litres of fuel to ease shortages
Nazahryth Bernard
Australia is releasing 762 million litres of petrol and diesel from its national reserves to ease regional shortages caused by the Middle East conflict.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen called it a “sensible, well‑calibrated response” to panic buying.
Diesel stocks will fall from 2.7 billion litres to 2.2 billion, and petrol from 1 billion litres to 700 million.
The release forms part of Australia’s contribution to the IEA’s plan to inject 400 million barrels of oil into global markets, a coordinated move by the agency’s 32 member countries.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Fuel emergency level system: What happens at each stage, where are we now, are car bans included?
Nazahryth Bernard
New Zealanders are well accustomed to an alert-level system after years of moving up and down the ladder of Covid-19 restrictions; the fewest rules and conditions at Level 1, while the most severe are found at Level 4.
But such a system isn’t just reserved for a pandemic. New Zealand’s National Fuel Plan similarly contains four levels of escalation to respond to a disruption to fuel supply, depending on the severity of the situation.
Read more below:
Pakistani security source confirms airstrikes on Afghanistan
Nazahryth Bernard
A Pakistani security source on Friday confirmed that the military had conducted strikes in Afghanistan overnight, including on the capital, Kabul.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the strikes were against "accurate targets involving TTP", referring to the Pakistan Taliban.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of harbouring TTP militants, who have claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Pakistan, as well as from the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K).
-AFP
US and Israeli strikes reported in Tehran
Nazahryth Bernard
US and Israeli strikes reportedly hit parts of Tehran, Iranian media have said, with blasts so powerful that residents felt their houses shake.
Iran’s Fars news agency said the “intensity of the explosions was such that residents of these areas reported their houses shaking,” although it did not provide further details on the scale of damage or any casualties.
- Daily Telegraph UK
US eases Russian oil sanctions
Nazahryth Bernard
In a move that could reshape global energy markets, the Trump administration has temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil currently at sea.
The Treasury Department said the exemptions will remain in place until April 11.
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said: “This narrowly tailored, short-term measure applies only to oil already in transit and will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, which derives the majority of its energy revenue from taxes assessed at the point of extraction.”
- Daily Telegraph UK
With Middle East in flames, Texan bunker maker sees business boom
Vera Alves
“You can imagine how many people are thinking ‘I wish I had a bomb shelter’,” Hubbard, 63, told AFP in the office of his company, Atlas Survival Shelters. “The respect and the demand for the product is really at an all-time high right now like I’ve never seen it before.”
French soldier killed in drone attack
Vera Alves
At least six French soldiers were wounded in a drone attack on a joint Peshmerga‑French base in Makhmour, Iraq.
French President Emmanuel Macron has now confirmed that one of those soldiers, Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion, died in the attack.
“This attack against our forces engaged in the fight against Daesh since 2015 is unacceptable,” Macron wrote on X.
“Their presence in Iraq is part of the strict framework of the fight against terrorism. The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks.”
Pro‑Iran militia claims it shot down US tanker
Vera Alves
An Iran‑backed armed umbrella group called Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for downing the US KC‑135 refuelling aircraft in western Iraq, saying it acted “in defense of our country’s sovereignty and airspace”, according to Reuters.
The claim has not been independently verified and has not been confirmed by US military officials, who say rescue efforts are ongoing and have not attributed the crash to hostile action.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Gull petrol shortages blamed on 'strong demand in response to discounts'
Vera Alves
A spokesperson for the Finance Minister told the Herald officials have spoken to Gull to address reports of some stations running out of fuel.
"Gull has advised that the shortages were a result of strong demand in response to the discounts it offered and that it is working to replenish stocks in regions with high demand.
"Gull confirmed it does not have any issues with incoming supply," the spokesperson said.
At least six Gull stations have been affected after prices were cut by 14 cents a litre yesterday.
The average price of unleaded 91 petrol in New Zealand has risen 27 cents to $2.76 a litre in the last 10 days, according to fuel tracking app Gaspy.
In Auckland, the cheapest available unleaded 91 fuel has increased 39 cents to $2.59 over that time. Petrol was sitting at a high of $3.18 a litre at BP New Lynn this morning.
BP New Lynn was also selling 95 premium petrol at $3.36 a litre this morning.
In Wellington, the cheapest available unleaded 91 petrol is up 31 cents to $2.66 in the last 10 days.
Meanwhile, premium 95 petrol was sitting at $3.90 a litre in Hamilton this morning at Mobil Hillcrest.
Israeli military says missiles from Iran heading towards Israel
Vera Alves
Israel said on Friday that Iran fired a new wave of missiles toward Israel, instructing those in affected areas to head to shelters.
"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the Israeli military wrote on its official Telegram channel.
- AFP
US temporarily allows sale of some Russian oil
Vera Alves
The United States is temporarily allowing the sale of Russian oil that is at sea, a Treasury Department notice said Thursday, as energy prices soared after US-Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the Middle East into war.
The Treasury issued a license authorizing the sale of Russian crude oil and petroleum products that have been loaded on vessels on or before 12.01 am March 12, through April 11.
- AFP
Trump says Iran shouldn't go to World Cup for 'own life and safety'
Vera Alves
US President Donald Trump warned Iran's football team Thursday their "life and safety" would be at risk if they took part in the upcoming World Cup in North America.
Trump's comments came just two days after he told FIFA chief Gianni Infantino the Iranian players would be welcome despite the Middle East war.
"The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
The war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, has thrown into doubt Iran's participation at this summer's men's football World Cup, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Trump later posted another message on his social media platform and emphasized that the event will be safe for players and spectators from around the world.
"The United States of America looks very much forward to hosting the FIFA World Cup," Trump wrote. "Ticket sales are 'through the roof!'
"It will be the Greatest and Safest Sporting Event in American History. All Players, Officials, and Fans will be treated like the 'STARS' that they are!"
Infantino, the head of world football's governing body, said earlier this week that during a meeting with Trump at the White House they had discussed the "current situation in Iran."
"President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States," he wrote after the meeting on Tuesday.
Infantino in December created a FIFA peace prize and awarded it to Trump.
His comments were the first time the football chief has acknowledged the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Trump this week weighed in on the case of Iran's visiting women footballers in Australia, calling for them to get asylum.
The players feared they could face retaliation back home for not singing the national anthem before an Asian Cup match.
Australia later agreed to grant asylum to the five players who decided to stay.
- AFP
Iran vows unrelenting war as oil prices soar
Vera Alves
Iran has vowed to make the United States regret attacking the Islamic Republic, and said it would keep up a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz that has sent oil prices soaring.
Saudi Arabia says intercepted 12 drones entering its airspace
Vera Alves
Saudi Arabia intercepted 12 drones entering its airspace, the defence ministry said on Friday, as Iran carries out attacks on oil-rich Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli strikes.
"Twelve drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering Saudi airspace," a spokesperson for the defence ministry posted on X.
- AFP
At least five crew aboard downed tanker, report says
Vera Alves
At least five crew members were aboard the US KC‑135 refuelling aircraft that went down in western Iraq, a US official told CNN.
The second KC‑135 landed safely, and Central Command said the crash was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.
Rescue efforts are ongoing.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Petrol pumps run dry at Gull stations across Auckland amid battle for cheaper fuel
Vera Alves
Petrol pumps have run dry at Gull service stations across Auckland in the past 24 hours as motorists take advantage of discount day deals amid skyrocketing prices.
Vera Alves
US refuelling plane ‘goes down’ in Middle East
Vera Alves
An American refuelling plane has crashed in the Middle East, US Central Command has announced.
In a statement, the force said: “US Central Command is aware of the loss of a US KC-135 refuelling aircraft.
“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident.
“One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
The plane is believed to be the fourth US military aircraft lost during Operation Epic Fury, after three F-15s were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Australia orders all 'non-essential' officials to leave Israel, UAE
Vera Alves
Australia has ordered all non-essential officials in Israel and the United Arab Emirates to leave due to the "deteriorating security situation", Canberra's top diplomat said.
In a post on X late Thursday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that "essential Australian officials will remain in-country to support Australians who need it".
The Australian government continued to advise that its citizens not travel to Israel and the UAE, she added.
"We urge you to leave the Middle East if you can and if it's safe to do so," she said.
"Don't wait until it's too late. It may be the last chance for some time."
Canberra has said there are about 115,000 Australian nationals across the Middle East, of whom about 2,600 have returned home.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a war in the Middle East.
Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf states like the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.
Officials said 14 people had been killed in Israel since the start of the Iran war, while attacks in the Gulf have killed 24, including 11 civilians and seven US military personnel.
Inside Iran, its health ministry said this week that more than 1,200 people have been killed. Hundreds more people have died in Lebanon.
Australia backed the US-Israeli strikes as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
And Canberra said this week it would deploy a long-range military reconnaissance plane to the Gulf to protect civilians.
- AFP
At least six French soldiers wounded in drone attack on Iraq
Vera Alves
A drone attack in Iraq has left at least six French soldiers wounded, officials have reported.
The incident occurred in the joint Peshmerga-French base in the Makhmour area of Iraq, according to Omed Koshnaw, the governor of Erbil.
A security source informed about the incident confirmed the report to the Reuters news agency.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Trump says Iran war moving 'very rapidly'
Vera Alves
US President Donald Trump said Thursday the war against Iran was moving "very rapidly," even as Tehran's new leader vowed defiance in his first public message.
"The situation with Iran is moving along very rapidly. It's doing very well, our military is unsurpassed," Trump said at the White House.
"They really are a nation of terror and hate, and they're paying a big price right now," added the US leader, who was attending a Women's History Month event with First Lady Melania Trump.
Trump has given mixed signals in recent days about the progress of the war, saying in recent days that "we won" against Iran and that it could end "very soon", but also insisting of the need to fight on.
He did not directly respond to comments by Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first message since his elevation to the post, vowing revenge and saying that Iran must keep a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
Global oil prices have soared with the virtual halt of tanker traffic through the strategic waterway.
But Trump said on social media earlier Thursday that stopping Iran's "evil empire" from getting nuclear weapons was more important.
- AFP
Vera Alves
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Trump: War on Iran should have happened before me
Vera Alves
Donald Trump has said the war on Iran should have happened under a previous administration.
The US president suggested that attacks on the Islamic Republic ought to have taken place in the 47-year period since the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
Speaking at a Women’s History Month event at the White House, he said: “On another front, an entirely different front, the situation with Iran is moving along very rapidly. It’s doing very well. Our military is unsurpassed.
“There’s never been anything like it, nobody’s ever seen anything like it, and we’re doing what has to be done.
“It should have been done during a 47-year period. It could have been done by a lot of different people – they chose not to do it.
“But they [Iran] really are a nation of terror and hate and they’re paying a big price right now.”
- Daily Telegraph UK
Footage shows Iranian tanker burning after Israeli air strike
Vera Alves
Palestinians say Israeli gunfire kills two in West Bank
Vera Alves
Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians on Thursday near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said, in what the Israeli military said was an attempted car ramming attack.
"Two terrorists attempted to carry out a combined ramming and shooting attack against IDF soldiers," the Israeli military said.
"The soldiers responded with fire and neutralized the terrorists. No IDF injuries were reported."
The Palestinian health ministry said the two men, aged 24 and 25, had been killed "by Israeli gunfire".
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. It has continued despite the ceasefire.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,045 Palestinians, many of them militants, but also scores of civilians, in the West Bank since the start of the war, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.
At least 45 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.
- AFP
US Navy to escort oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz
Vera Alves
The US Navy will escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the American treasury secretary has said.
Scott Bessent said the arrangement will come when it is “militarily possible”, and could involve an “international coalition”.
Asked about the issues surrounding the strait, he told Sky News: “That was always in our planning – the chance that the US Navy, or perhaps an international coalition, will be escorting oil tankers through.
“There are, in fact, tankers coming through now, Iranian tankers, I believe some Chinese flagged tankers, have come through, so we know that they have not mined the strait.”
He added that the Trump administration had been planning for this scenario “for months” and that the US Navy will do it “as soon as it is possible”.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Vera Alves
Iran threatens to 'set region's oil and gas on fire' if energy infrastructure attacked
Vera Alves
Iran threatened on Thursday to wreak havoc on the region's oil and gas industry if its own energy infrastructure was attacked during its war with the US and Israel.
"We will set the region's oil and gas on fire with the slightest attack on Iran's energy infrastructure and ports," said a spokesman for the Iranian military's central operational command, known as Khatam al-Anbiya.
- AFP
Netanyahu: Iran’s new leader can’t show his face in public
Vera Alves
Benjamin Netanyahu has said Mojtaba Khamenei “can’t show his face in public”.
In a televised press conference, the Israeli prime minister said: “We eliminated the old tyrant, and the new tyrant, the puppet of the Revolutionary Guards, can’t show his face in public.”
He also stated that Israel can create the conditions for a change of government in the Islamic Republic, but that only Iranians can “bring down the regime”.
- Daily Telegraph UK
Nicola Willis' message to Trump
Vera Alves
Nicola Willis has sent a message to US President Donald Trump, asking him to work hard to achieve peace.
Speaking on Ryan Bridge TODAY, the Finance Minister said her message to Trump was: "Peace is good. It's good for people, it's good for the economy, and if we want to be a wealthier world, it helps if we can have peace, so please work hard to achieve it."
Willis confident in Air New Zealand management
Vera Alves
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she is confident in Air New Zealand's board and management.
Willis said on Ryan Bridge TODAY, she has been in regular contact with Air New Zealand chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar.
"These changes that they've announced at this point are only temporary. They're only envisaging these happening for a couple of months, but they're keeping that under a watching brief because it's all dependent on do jet fuel supplies recover and what happens to the price of jet fuel.
"They're being responsible, they're taking the steps that they need to do to ensure that their business remains viable during a period when the jet fuel price has roughly doubled, so that has a big impact on them."
Willis said she was pleased to see the airline was keeping regional routes open.
Willis confident in Air New Zealand management
Vera Alves
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she is confident in Air New Zealand's board and management.
Willis said on Ryan Bridge TODAY, she has been in regular contact with Air New Zealand chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar.
"These changes that they've announced at this point are only temporary. They're only envisaging these happening for a couple of months, but they're keeping that under a watching brief because it's all dependent on do jet fuel supplies recover and what happens to the price of jet fuel.
"They're being responsible, they're taking the steps that they need to do to ensure that their business remains viable during a period when the jet fuel price has roughly doubled, so that has a big impact on them."
Willis said she was pleased to see the airline was keeping regional routes open.
Israel army says launched new broad wave of strikes in Tehran
Vera Alves
The Israeli military said it launched a new wave of strikes in Tehran on Thursday evening, pressing ahead with its campaign against Iran for a 13th day.
"The IDF has just begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran," the military said.
- AFP
Sealord CEO: Fuel crisis may cost millions
Vera Alves
Would it have helped if Marsden Point was still a refinery?
Vera Alves
Channel Infrastructure CEO Rob Buchanan says a refinery in New Zealand “would have the same problem” if crude can’t get out of the Middle East.
“Obviously if crude can't get out of the Middle East to the Asian refineries where we currently source our petrol and diesel and jet from, then a refinery in New Zealand would have the same problem,” he told Ryan Bridge TODAY.
“And New Zealand never produced anywhere near enough crude oil to feed the refinery that was here in New Zealand, so that was just not feasible.
“And then the second [point] is actually the Government looked at this very issue in 2024 when it undertook a fuel security study and found that actually domestic refining is probably the least efficient option. The options that actually work best to provide fuel security are number one: stocks in country, which is obviously something that we are working on and we've got capacity to do more.
“And then the other option is biofuels, where you manufacture fuels in New Zealand from a domestic feedstock, i.e. something that doesn't have to transit the Strait of Hormuz. And we've got a project with some international partners on that one too.”
Channel Infrastructure CEO: Current NZ fuels stocks ‘comforting’
Vera Alves
Channel Infrastructure CEO Rob Buchanan – whose company owns the Marsden Point terminal and pipeline services – has played down worries about fuel supply in New Zealand, saying a “measured” approach is needed amid the conflict in the Middle East.
"I think it's just important to be measured about where we're at,” Buchanan told Ryan Bridge TODAY.
"The current stockholding in New Zealand and ships on the water is pretty comforting in terms of the amount of days’ cover. Now, what we can't control are international events, but also the oil industry is good at readjusting supply chains and just needs time to do it and that's why we've got these types of buffers."
Buchanan says Channel Infrastructure has the equivalent of 12 days’ worth of New Zealand’s fuel consumption in storage at Marsden Point.
“We actually have about 40% of New Zealand's fuel come through our import terminal facility, not just Auckland's transport fuel. And we also have over 290 million litres of fuel storage on our site up at Marsden Point. And to give you an idea, that's the equivalent of 30 days' worth of Auckland and Northland consumption, or 12 days' worth of New Zealand consumption.
“If you combine stock that's in country and stock on the water, that's marking around 50 days' worth of cover between those two things. And when we look upstream of our facility and we have shipping scheduled over the next three months, we continue to see ships leave the refineries and depart for New Zealand with product and cargoes as expected.
“Crude oil is a global market and with higher prices there are other swing producers of crude oil that will start to ramp up production, noting that the United States is an exporter of crude, you've got the Gulf of Mexico, you've got production also in Northern Europe. So I think there will also be a supply response as well as a demand response to the higher crude oil prices. And obviously the whole point of having stocks in New Zealand and the minimum stockholding obligations that the current Government put in place last year is to provide a buffer for that supply chain to readjust.”
Marsden Point boss tells Ryan Bridge TODAY how secure NZ's fuel supply is
Vera Alves
Muldoon-era car-less day final stage of a long plan - Nicola Willis
Vera Alves
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said potential Muldoon-era car-less days are at the very end of fuel demand management options.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking, Willis said the national fuel plan, published last year, has seven "cascading phases".
"The extreme kind of demand management tool of car-less days or the like is right at the end of that escalating list."
The country is currently in the first or second phase, which focuses on "industry leading its management" and the government coordinating and monitoring it, she said.
"There are many steps to go through before we'd be thinking about those sort of Muldoon-era steps.
"New Zealand currently has 50 days of fuel supply, but disruptions to shipments could lead to problems weeks or months down the track, Willis said.
The Petroleum Demand Restraint Act, Muldoon-era legislation that allows the Government to set regulations to curb demand, including prohibiting people from driving vehicles on certain days, is still on the statute books.
Trump's latest oil move a reversal of his previous position - correspondent
Vera Alves
US President Donald Trump's move to release emergency fuel reserves is a reversal of his previous position, US correspondent Richard Arnold says.
Trump announced late last night a plan to sell 172 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve over around 120 days from next week. That amount represents 3-4 days of global oil consumption and is part of a wider effort by the International Energy Agency member countries to release 400 million barrels in total.
“When Biden tapped the oil reserve at the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, Trump slammed that release and said he would replenish the oil,” Arnold told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking.
“He has done little so far on that front. Now he has flipped and this move will mean a drop of more than 40% in America's energy oil backstop.”
In recent hours two oil tankers have been set ablaze by Iranian strikes in Iraqi waters, with one person killed and at least 37 crew members rescued, Arnold said.
One of those tankers, the Safe Sea Vishnu, was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands but was American owned. Iraq now has suspended all oil terminal operations.
Trump had refused to comment on Iran's new leader, who has reportedly released a statement promising vengeance for Iranians who have been "martyred" in the war.
But the US president had posted to social media, saying "when oil prices go up, we [the United States] make a lot of money".
Trump won’t end the war ‘with a few tweets’, warns top Iranian security official
Vera Alves
A top Iranian security official has warned Donald Trump that the war will not end “with a few tweets”.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, insisted the Islamic Republic will not let the US president “off the hook” for his military intervention in the Middle East.
He said: “Trump has said again: ‘We must win this war quickly.’
“Starting a war is easy, but ending it won’t happen with a few tweets. We won’t let you off the hook until you admit your mistake and pay the price for it.”
- Daily Telegraph UK
Trump: Not 'appropriate' for Iran to be at World Cup
Vera Alves
US President Donald Trump said Iran's men's football team is "welcome" at the World Cup co-hosted by the United States later this year, but he doesn't believe it would be "appropriate" for them to be there.
"The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup," Trump posted on Truth Social, "but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety."
Earlier this week, Ahmad Donyamali, Iran's Minister of sports and youth, said the conditions for the country to compete in the competition are not appropriate.
Iran are due to play the All Whites in Los Angeles on June 16.
If the Iranian team withdrew, Fifa's regulations allow football's governing body discretion to select a replacement.
People in Dubai break cybercrime laws by filming Iranian missiles overhead and posting them on social media - correspondent
Kendall Russell
A British tourist in his 60s in Dubai is among at least 20 people charged with breaching cybercrime laws after allegedly filming video of Iranian missiles overhead and posting them on social media, UK correspondent Vincent McAviney says.
The man was allegedly flouting laws that prohibit posting anything that could bring Dubai into disrepute, McAviney told Newstalk ZB's Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.
The man's arrest showed “you have to take everything coming out of Dubai really with a pinch of salt, particularly from the army of influencers that live there because they are all under strict watch from the authorities and they cannot post what is really going on".
It comes as financial institutions in Dubai have shuttered their offices and told staff to work from home after an Iranian drone crashed in the city's financial district.
Many people are trying to leave the United Arab Emirates including Brits who are heading home, McAviney said.
"This is after Iran said that financial institutions were now an option for their strikes after one of their own banks was hit.
"And it's yet another blow to Dubai and the perception of it as being a safe sort of haven in the Middle East."
Iran won't give up fighting until US regrets 'grave miscalculation of war' - Iran security chief
Kendall Russell
Iranian security chief Ali Larijani has said that his country would not give up fighting until the United States came to regret the "grave miscalculation" of launching its war against the Islamic republic.
US President Donald "Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation", Larijani said on X.
- AFP
'Undefeated': US uses Wii Sports to show US attacks on Iran
Kendall Russell
The White House X account has used Wii Sports to show its attacks on Iran.
NZ still a long way off from car-less days - AA fuel spokesman
Kendall Russell
New Zealand is still a long way off from car-less days, AA fuel spokesman Terry Collins predicts.
Government ministers yesterday were receiving advice on emergency fuel measures that could be taken if fuel stocks got too low as a knock-on effect of Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
But Collins told Newstalk ZB's Early Edition with Ryan Bridge the Petroleum Demand Restraint Act, which allows for car-less days and other options like fuel rationing, is very old fashioned.
"In those days we didn't have things like working from home and all the types of IT that we do today that makes us maintain productivity in another way."
New Zealand also has a fuel security plan which was updated last year.
"We hope it never has to be implemented, but at least we've got a plan and we've got legislation that if it's needed, we can implement."
There have been reports South Korea could ban exports of refined fuel products to ensure they had sufficient supply at home. That would have major impacts here as New Zealand receives 48% of its refined fuel from the east Asian nation.
In that event, New Zealand would have to look for different markets including Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia, Collins said.
"We get a tiny bit out of places like India and the US, but basically we'd be in the same scramble as many other countries."
Oil prices are "so unpredictable", he said.
"One thing history's taught me is America tends to underestimate how long they stay in conflict. So I'm very concerned when they talk about weeks when it looks like it could be months."
Iran's deputy foreign minister says ships from some countries have crossed strait
Kendall Russell
Iran has allowed ships from some countries to cross the Strait of Hormuz, deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has said, as the waterway remained effectively closed during the war with the US and Israel.
"Some countries have already talked to us about passing the strait and we have cooperated with them," said Takht-Ravanchi during an interview with AFP in Tehran.
"As far as Iran is concerned we feel that those countries that joined the aggression should not benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz."
Takht-Ravanchi also said Iran is not laying mines in the strait, after US President Donald Trump said US forces had struck 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels in the waterway.
"Not at all. This is not true."
Oil prices have soared to above US$100 and stock markets extended losses.
- AFP
US says it has struck 6000 targets since start of war
Kendall Russell
The United States has struck around 6000 targets since the start of the war against Iran late last month, the US military has said.
Among the targets hit were more than 90 Iranian vessels - around 60 ships and 30 minelayers - US Central Command, which is responsible for American forces in the region, said.
- AFP
Opening week of war cost US $11b - New York Times
Kendall Russell
The opening week of the war against Iran cost the United States more than US$11.3 billion ($19.2b), lawmakers were told in a Pentagon briefing, according to a New York Times report underscoring the pace at which the conflict is consuming weapons and resources.
The Times, citing unnamed sources familiar with Tuesday's closed-door briefing, said members of Congress were told that the figure excludes many costs connected with the buildup to the strikes - suggesting the final tally for the first week could rise substantially.
Defence officials had previously told Congress that roughly US$5.6b worth of munitions were expended in just the first two days of fighting, according to US media - a burn rate far higher than earlier public estimates.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (Csis) independent think tank in Washington estimated that the first 100 hours of Operation Epic Fury cost US$3.7b - or more than US$891m per day.
Most of these costs, US$3.5b, had not already been budgeted, the Csis said.
The Iran War Cost Tracker website, which estimates the cost of the conflict in real time, showed a figure of more than US$17b on its counter at around 8am GMT on Thursday.
According to the site, the United States is spending US$1b per day on the war.
However, it points out the true cost of the war is likely higher, as the figures do not take into account long-term expenses such as veteran healthcare.
- AFP
Iran's new Supreme Leader makes first statement since taking power
Kendall Russell
Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public, has vowed to avenge the deaths since the start of the war with the US and Israel, in a statement read out by a presenter on state TV.
"A limited amount of this revenge has so far taken concrete form, but until it is fully achieved, this case will remain among our priorities," Khamenei said, according to the statement.
"We will seek compensation from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will take as much of their property as we determine, and if that is not possible, we will destroy the same amount of his property," he added.
Iran's health ministry said on March 8 that more than 1200 people had been killed, and over 10,000 civilians injured.
It was his first statement since he was proclaimed as the Islamic republic's new Supreme Leader on Sunday and after the killing of his father and predecessor in US and Israeli strikes.
On February 28, the US and Israel killed late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in initial strikes which triggered a war that has since spread across the Middle East.
Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes on Israel and US interests across the region and effectively closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The 56-year-old Khamenei has yet to make a public appearance since his appointment and state television had reported he had been wounded during the ongoing war.
In his statement, Khamenei called for the closure of US bases across the region, saying "the claim of establishing security and peace by America was nothing more than a lie".
He also called for using "the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz" - a strategic waterway through which a fifth of global oil passes.
The new leader also thanked Iran's allies in the region including Lebanon's Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis and armed groups in Iraq.
"We consider the countries of the Resistance Front our best friends, and the cause of resistance and the Resistance Front are an inseparable part of the values of the Islamic Revolution," he said.
Following the reading of the statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched strikes on Israel and US bases across the region in tribute to Khamenei and his family.
- AFP
Luxon speaks with Emir of Qatar about Iran's attacks
Kendall Russell
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