Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran war will be over ‘very soon’ but Tehran says it will determine when

Key events14m agoSummary1h agoFour Iran-backed fighters killed in US strikes in Iraq, says group2h agoIran says it will continue missile attacks as long as necessary2h agoSyria accuses Hezbollah of firing into its territory3h agoProtesters try to block bus as Iranian women’s football team departs Australian hotel3h agoOpening summaryShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureSummaryIf you’re just tuning in to our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran, here’s a recap of the latest key developments. It’s 10.30am in Tehran, 9am in Beirut and Tel Aviv and 3am in Washington DC. Donald Trump said the war was “very complete, pretty much” and ahead of schedule. But the US president also suggested as it enters its 11th day that he was not yet declaring the US mission accomplished, saying: “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough.” Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was prepared to continue missile attacks for as long as necessary and that talks with the US were no longer on the agenda. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they would not allow “one litre of oil” to be shipped from the Middle East if US-Israeli attacks continued. Trump responded by saying the US would hit Iran “20 times harder” if it blocked tanker traffic through the strait of Hormuz, which handles a fifth of the world’s oil supply. Oil prices tumbled from four-year highs and global shares rallied after Trump suggested the Iran war could end “very soon”. Israel’s military said it had launched new attacks in central Iran and struck the Lebanese capital of Beirut, where Israel has extended its campaign against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah. A bust of the late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani stands in front of a destroyed building that housed a branch of a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, on Tuesday. Photograph: Hussein Malla/AP Four fighters from the Iran-backed Kataeb Imam Ali group were killed on Tuesday in airstrikes blamed on the US in northern Iraq, the armed faction said. Trump said the US would waive oil-related sanctions on “some countries” to ease the shortage, after speaking with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Tehran was choked in black smoke after an oil refinery was hit, an escalation in strikes on Iran’s domestic energy supplies. Turkey said Nato air defences had shot down a ballistic missile that was fired from Iran and entered Turkish airspace. In Australia, the government said five Iranian women’s football team players had been granted humanitarian visas after they sought asylum fearing persecution in Iran. At least 1,332 Iranian civilians have been killed and thousands wounded since the US and Israel began attacking on 28 February, according to Iran’s UN ambassador.With agencies Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they have targeted a US base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.“The headquarters of the invading US army in Al-Harir Air Base in the Kurdistan region was targeted with five missiles,” the Guards said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday, cited by AFP.Iran launched new attacks at Gulf countries on Tuesday as it kept up retaliatory strikes amid the US-Israeli air assault.Incoming missile sirens sounded early in the morning in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and in Bahrain.Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region, the AP also reported.Kuwait’s National Guard said it had shot down six drones.In addition to firing missiles and drones at Israel and at US bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure – which, combined with its grip on the strait of Hormuz, has sent oil prices soaring.Jonathan BarrettInvestor hopes for a swift resolution to the Middle East conflict propelled Australian shares higher today, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 finishing the day up 1.1% and recovering about $35bn in value after yesterday’s $90bn plunge.Oil prices surged to a four-year high early in the week before coming back down below $US90 a barrel after Donald Trump suggested the Iran conflict would end soon, sending global stock markets higher.Equity markets have been pulled up and down by the Middle East given energy disruptions and increased oil costs contribute to global inflation by elevating costs across nearly all goods and services.The ASX was expected to rise more than 2% today, according to overnight futures pricing, but the rebound proved weaker than forecast amid lingering investor concerns.Four Iran-backed fighters killed in US strikes in Iraq, says groupFour fighters from the Iran-backed Kataeb Imam Ali group were killed on Tuesday in airstrikes blamed on the US in northern Iraq, the armed faction announced.The group said its fighters were killed in an “American aggression” on their position in the Debs district in Kirkuk province, the AFP news agency reports.Ben DohertyAmnesty International Australia has raised urgent concerns for the safety of members of the Iran women’s football team and is calling on Australian authorities to ensure all players have been clearly informed of their right to seek protection in Australia.“The Iranian women’s football team face serious risks to their safety if they return to Iran. We stress that they have the right to seek protection and safety in Australia and must have an opportunity to exercise that right”, said Zaki Haidari, Strategic Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.Five members of the team have been granted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia after telling Australian government officials they did not wish to return to Iran.It is unclear whether other players, or members of the travelling party, will also seek to stay in Australia. The group has travelled to the Gold Coast airport, and it is expected they will leave Australia tonight.Iran players before a Women’s Asian Cup match on Sunday. Photograph: Dave Hunt/ReutersIran says it will continue missile attacks as long as necessaryIran’s foreign minister has said his country is prepared to continue attacks for as long as necessary.Abbas Araghchi also ruled out talks with the US after Donald Trump said the war with Iran would be over “very soon”.Araghchi made the comments to the US broadcaster PBS News on Tuesday, cited by AFP.He said Iran was prepared to continue missile attacks and that negotiations with the US were no longer on the agenda.Syria accuses Hezbollah of firing into its territorySyria has said Hezbollah fired artillery shells into its territory from Lebanon overnight, state media reported on Tuesday.Syrian army officials said artillery shells fired from Lebanon landed near the town of Serghaya, west of Damascus, reported the state news agency Sana, cited by AFP.The army accused Hezbollah of targeting Syrian army positions, telling Sana it observed Hezbollah reinforcements at the Syrian-Lebanese border.“The Syrian Arab army will not tolerate any aggression targeting Syria,” the army said in a statement to Sana.Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of then Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes.Hezbollah and Israeli forces have clashed in eastern Lebanon in recent days, while Israeli forces have carried out strikes across Lebanon.Lebanese president Joseph Aoun accused Hezbollah of working to “collapse” the state, while the head of the group’s parliamentary bloc said it had “no other option... than the option of resistance”.Lebanese state media is saying that Israeli strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon overnight hit the towns of Almajadel, Shaqra and Srifa.Strikes had also taken place in the Bekaa Valley, said the National News Agency, cited by Agence France-Presse.The strikes come as Israel has extended its campaign of air attacks around Lebanon, including Beirut, to target the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 486 people since 2 March, according to the country’s health ministry.An Israeli airstrike targets the Dahiyeh neighbourhood of southern Beirut on Monday. Photograph: Wael Hamzeh/EPAIsraeli strikes have hit south and east Lebanon, state media is reporting.The United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, says it has intercepted a missile and drone attack from Iran.We’ll bring you more on these soon.More on the Iranian women’s football team: the Australian government’s announcement that it had granted humanitarian visas to five members came hours after Donald Trump posted about the team’s plight on social mediaAdvocates are expecting more of the players to seek asylum amid a frantic but “delicate” effort to inform the entire squad of their rights.Home affairs minister Tony Burke said the group given protection broke out in a spontaneous chant of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi” to celebrate receiving their Australian papers.Here’s vision of his comments and more on the situation:Iranian footballers chanted 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie' when granted asylum, says Burke – videoProtesters try to block bus as Iranian women’s football team departs Australian hotelAustralia’s government confirmed earlier today that it has offered humanitarian visas to five Iranian football players who have been in the country for the Asian Cup.Now protesters have briefly blocked a bus taking Iranian women’s football team members out of their hotel on Australia’s Gold Coast.Andrew Messenger reports: double quotation markThe group of a few dozen physically sat in front of the vehicle to block it. They chanted “save our girls” as the vehicle attempted to make its exit. Protesters say they believe the bus is heading to the Gold Coast airport. A group of Queensland police officers moved them on. The bus is now leaving. The Guardian saw at least one of the football players through the window in tears. A protester who was inside the Gold Coast hotel where the Iranian football players were staying said they saw one of the players being walked onto the bus by a minder who appeared to be holding her wrist. Protesters demonstrate outside of the hotel as a bus carrying players from the Iranian women’s soccer team and staff departs on Tuesday. Photograph: Russell Freeman/ReutersOpening summaryHello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran and wider Middle East crisis. Here are the major developments. Donald Trump described the Iran war as a “short-term excursion” and said it would end “very soon”, as the assault on Iran entered its second week. He said the war was “very complete, pretty much” and ahead of schedule, a significant shift from his previous suggestions it could last several weeks. But the US president also indicated he was not yet declaring the US mission accomplished, saying: “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough.” The operation would only end once Tehran no longer had any capacity of weaponry against the US, Israel or any US allies in the region for a long time, he added later. Here’s our report, plus analysis on what our global affairs correspondent Andrew Roth called a vague and contradictory press conference by the president. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has said Tehran will not allow “one litre of oil” to be exported from the region if US-Israeli attacks continue. Trump then threatened to hit the Islamic republic far harder if it stopped the flow of oil in the vital strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that it would “determine the end of the war”, after Trump earlier said the conflict would end “soon”. Oil prices surged by 20% to a four-year high before coming back down below $90 a barrel after Trump’s suggestion the war would end soon. Iran earlier mocked the US over the rocketing oil price, branding its campaign “Operation Epic Mistake”. Trump twice declined to say whether or not Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei had a target on his back, saying only that he was “disappointed” and thought he was “going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country”. It came after a day of Trump being dismissive of the late ayatollah’s son – saying his selection was a “big mistake” – and reiterating that Trump still wants to be involved in the selection of a leader. Israel, meanwhile, has openly vowed to target the new supreme leader. Large crowds took to the streets in Tehran in a defiant show of support for Khamenei. Israel launched its second wave of strikes today against Tehran. The Israeli military claimed it had started a broad wave of strikes against “terror targets” in the Iranian capital, but it has been hitting critical energy and fuel infrastructure that serves ordinary Iranians. Israel also pressed its offensive against Hezbollah with raids in southern Lebanon and airstrikes in Beirut. Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 486 people, including at least 83 children, since 2 March, Lebanese state news reported, citing the country’s health ministry. At least 600,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon, sparking fears of a humanitarian catastrophe. Fresh Iranian missile and drone attacks also targeted Israel, US bases across the Middle East and energy infrastructure in the Gulf. British Typhoon jets intercepted drones heading towards Jordan and Bahrain, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said. Turkey said Nato defences shot down a ballistic missile in its airspace, the second intercepted missile from Iran in a ​week. Five female Iranian footballers have been granted humanitarian visas by Australia following an appeal from Trump to prime minister Anthony Albanese. Our story is here.