Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel – As it Happened

Underlining Iran’s continued control of the Strait of Hormuz, a Botswana-flagged liquified natural gas tanker called the Nidi attempted to travel out of the Persian Gulf via a route ordered by the Revolutionary Guard but suddenly turned around and headed back early Friday, ship-tracking data has shown.

On Thursday, four tankers and three bulk carriers crossed through the Strait of Hormuz, bringing the total number of ships passing through since the ceasefire to at least 12, according to the data firm Kpler.

However, other ships not transmitting their locations may have passed through as well. The strait typically saw well over 100 ships passing through it daily in peacetime.

Australia’s defence minister Richard Marles has rejected former prime minister Tony Abbott’s call for the country’s air force to take an offensive role in the Iran war.

Abbott wrote in a newspaper opinion piece Friday that Australia should have offered the United States air force support including Australian strike fighters.

Marles, who is acting prime minister while Anthony Albanese is overseas, said Australia had sent the United Arab Emirates a surveillance jet but was “not part of this conflict against Iran.”

“We will act in our national interest and we respectfully disagree with the position of Mr. Abbott,” Marles told the ABC.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Australia for not helping the United States since the Iran war began. Australia says it has received no request for help.

Source: The Guardian