US-Iran war updates: US Iran 45-day ceasefire talks reportedly underway after Trump Strait of Hormuz deadline

Israel has launched an attack on the South Pars petrochemical facility in Asaluyeh.

Israel’s Defence Minsister Israel Katz confirmed his country’s millitary are responsible for the attack.

“The IDF has now strongly attacked the largest petrochemical facility in Iran located in [Asaluyeh],” following an attack on another facility last week,” Katz said.

“Now the two facilities, which together are responsible for about 85% of Iran’s petrochemical exports - have been taken out of service and are not functioning.”

Katz added that the Asaluyeh facility produced about half of the country’s petrochemicals.

The Bahrain Defense Force Command says it has intercepted and destroyed 468 drones and 188 missiles launched from Iran since the war began, Reuters reports.

“Use of ballistic missiles and drones to target civilian objects and private property is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Charter of the United Nations,” the organisation said in a statement posted to Instagram.

The Israel Defense Forces says it is responsible for the killing of the intelligence chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Majid Khademi.

In a post to Telegram, the IDF said the “elimination” of Khademi marked “another significant blow” to the IRGC.

“Last night (Sunday), the Israeli Air Force, acting with precise IDF intelligence, conducted a strike in Tehran and eliminated Majid Khademi, the Head of Intelligence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),” the statement began.

“Khademi worked to advance terrorist activities against the State of Israel and against Jewish targets worldwide. He also took part in attempts to target American individuals and was responsible for monitoring Iranian civilians as part of the regime’s suppression of internal protests.

“His elimination joins dozens of other senior commanders of the Iranian regime who have been eliminated during the operation, and constitutes another significant blow to the IRGC’s command-and-control systems and its ability to conduct terrorist operations against the State of Israel and countries worldwide.”

US-Israeli strikes have killed the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence organisation, according to state media.

Major General Seyyed Majid Khademi was killed in a “terrorist attack by the American-Zionist enemy” early on Monday morning, the IRGC said in a statement.

The energy shock caused by the war in the Middle East caught China, the world’s top buyer of oil, by surprise. But Beijing has been preparing for a crisis like this for years.

China has stockpiled increasingly large amounts of oil. It has pursued renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and hydropower so aggressively that its demand for refined oil, diesel and gasoline is falling.

And it has harnessed technology to reduce its reliance on the foreign-sourced raw materials that go into the massive output of its factories.

China’s ruling Communist Party has long viewed its industries as the foundation of its national security strategy. It has sharpened — and expanded — that approach since President Donald Trump’s first term. China has doubled down on policies to build up local industries, in turn strengthening its global dominance over resources and supply chains.

Read the full story here.

Demand for fuel has spiked by a third during the Easter break as Australia secures more petrol and diesel.

The nation had supply until mid-April, but more orders have been locked in, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said.

“We now have security of supply through April and now into May,” he told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

“But as we’ve indicated on multiple occasions, we recognise that it’s a difficult international environment and there are risks to supply chains as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.”

Mr Bowen said fuel companies reported demand during Easter had been 30 per cent higher than the previous one.

“If you’re storing fuel at home, that’s very dangerous,” he said.

“It’s not recommended and it doesn’t help the situation, it makes the situation worse for all of us.”

In NSW, 142 out of 2400 service stations are without diesel, slightly down on Sunday’s figures.

Thirty-nine servos have no fuel.

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A suspected cluster munition has struck in Haifa, Israel, with two bodies already located.

“Rescue operations and attempts are still ongoing at this time in an effort to reach two additional trapped/unaccounted-for individuals,” a statement from Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said.

Video from the scene circulated online showing flames outside a building as emergency crews responded.

The United States and Iran are in discussions over a possible 45-day ceasefire, according to reports, as efforts ramp up to de-escalate tensions and work towards a longer-term resolution.

Axios reported that US and Iranian officials, along with regional mediators, are negotiating the framework of a temporary truce that could pave the way for a permanent end to the conflict, citing four sources familiar with the talks.

There has been no immediate confirmation from Washington, with both the White House and the US State Department yet to respond to requests for comment on the report.

The proposal under discussion is understood to involve a two-stage agreement. The first phase would see a 45-day ceasefire implemented while negotiations continue on a broader deal to formally end the war.

Under the second phase, both sides would aim to reach a lasting agreement to bring the conflict to a close. The report added the ceasefire could be extended if more time is needed to finalise negotiations.

The developments come as US President Donald Trump continues to ramp up pressure on Tehran, warning that if the Straight of Hormuz is not opened by Tuesday evening, the US could move to target key Iranian power plants.

Multiple reports have emerged claiming that Tehran has been filled with a strong smell of gas and sulphur.

Reports suggest that following loud explosions, a continuous loud sound, similar to running gas, has been heard over the city.

“Similar to a massive gas or pressure release, like a ruptured pipeline or tank Accompanied by a strong smell of gas or sulphur,” a message on Telegram read.

Iran’s embassy in Zimbabwe has mocked US President Donald Trump after he issued a demand for the Strait of Hormuz to fully reopen.

The embassy, which has mocked the US President throughout the US-Iran war, wrote on X: “We’ve lost the keys”.

The account for Iran’s embassy in South Africa later added: “Shh... the key’s are under the flowerpot. Just open for friends.”