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Explosions reported in Strait of Hormuz
Three explosions have been heard in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran media claiming they were due to “traffic management”.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said the explosions were heard south of Qeshm Island in the strait, adding that the blasts were likely carried out to “manage traffic in the strait.”
Could Pauline’s daughter knock off Barnaby for party’s top role?
Pauline Hanson accuses Labor of being “scared” by One Nation, which she says has delivered Anthony Albanese a “wake up call” with its “Fire The Liar” campaign.
More than 60,000 people have donated at least $3 million to the campaign over a matter of days, according to One Nation, which has surged in the opinion polls this year.
Senator Hanson has pledged to use the funds on helicopter flying banners targeting the Prime Minister during the second State of Origin clash at the MCG on Wednesday.
Arriving in Sydney on Monday, the One Nation leader reiterated her intent to “be signing candidates in every lower house seat and the Senate across this nation, as we have done previously”.
“Labor are scared,” she said.
“The Prime Minister has had a wake up call, especially with Fire the Liar fund that we put out.
“You’ve had over 60,000 Australians that have donated to that fund.
“These are people that possibly can least afford it, but they want to get rid of this Albanese Labor government, and they’re supporting our fight to do that.”
Finance Minister grilled as tax confusion refuses to fade
A month after Labor unveiled its sweeping housing tax reforms, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher is still being forced to explain what they mean for Australians.
Appearing on Sunrise on Tuesday morning Ms Gallagher was forced to defend the Government’s controversial captital gains tax changes and rejected concerns they could drive investors, entrepreneurs and young Australians overseas, arguing the reforms were needed to fix a housing market that had locked a generation out of home ownership.
But pressed on persistent confusion surrounding the changes, Ms Gallagher conceded Labor would need to keep making its case.
“I think when you have big changes, and this is a big reforming Budget, that you’re always going to get a lot of feedback,” she said.
“We’re gonna have to keep fronting up and keep explaining those changes.”
The Finance Minister argued the existing system was failing younger Australians and said Labor’s reforms were designed to give first-home buyers a better chance of entering the market.
“We believe we made these decisions for the right reason,” she said.
“The housing market wasn’t working for a whole group of people, particularly young Australians who were getting locked out of the housing market.”
Netanyahu claims Israel averted annihilation
Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran as a defining success, arguing it had removed an existential threat to Israel and significantly weakened Tehran’s ability to target the Jewish state.
“The most important thing is that we saved the State of Israel from the threat of nuclear annihilation,” Mr Netanyahu told reporters.
He said millions of Israelis “would have been in terrible danger of mass death… And we have pushed away from us, for years, this danger of the annihilation of Israel’s population.”
Despite the newly signed US-Iran agreement, Mr Netanyahu signalled Israel would maintain a military presence across the region, saying Israeli forces would remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria “for as long as necessary.”
Netanyahu refuses to rule out future strikes
Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on Israel’s determination to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, making clear that any US-brokered agreement will not limit Jerusalem’s ability to act if it believes its security is under threat.
Speaking to reporters, the Israeli Prime Minister said Israel would continue to “do what is necessary” to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons and defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah, adding, “I’m not limiting myself in this regard.”
Drawing a distinction between the current agreement and the Obama administration’s 2015 nuclear deal, Mr Netanyahu argued any diplomatic arrangement must be backed by force. “Back then, there was no credible military threat.
Today, because of what we did — not only the United States, but also because of us, because we entered there with 14,000 sorties — that is the biggest difference,” he said.
Mr Netanyahu claimed the missions were split “roughly half and half” between Israel and the United States, saying they demonstrated that “there is a credible military threat.”
‘We don’t always see eye to eye’: Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has broken his silence on the US-Iran peace agreement, distancing himself from suggestions that either he or Donald Trump controls the other’s decisions and acknowledging the two leaders do not always agree.
Responding to speculation about the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister told reporters, “In the US, they say that President (Donald) Trump does everything I ask, and in Israel, they say the opposite, that I do everything he asks. “Neither is true.”
He added, “We have a relationship of partners who know each other. Many times, we agree; sometimes we don’t agree. That happens in the best families.”
Mr Netanyahu later conceded that “President Trump and I do not always see eye to eye,” while stressing that his priority remained Israel’s security interests.
Despite the agreement, Mr Netanyahu made clear Israel’s position on Iran had not changed.
“With or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons — not today and not tomorrow. As long as I am prime minister of Israel, it will not happen,” he said. Warning that “the struggle is not over”, Mr Netanyahu said Israel would remain “vigilant, strong and determined” as the region moves into a new phase following the US-brokered deal.
Trump declares peace deal signed
Donald Trump has declared the US-Iran agreement signed and the Strait of Hormuz on its way to fully reopening, hailing the deal as a major victory that he claims will send oil prices tumbling and bring stability back to the Middle East.
Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, the US President said the critical shipping route was already partially open and should be fully operational by Friday as efforts continue to clear mines from the waterway.
Mr Trump said the memorandum of understanding, which was signed digitally on Sunday local time, would guarantee Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon while paving the way for the restoration of global energy flows.
“Very importantly, the oil is plummeting down, and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket,” he said.
“The main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”
“They fully agreed to that with strong policing powers.
“They won’t have a nuclear weapon which is what it was all about.”
Mr Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would remain toll-free and suggested any future sanctions relief for Iran would depend on the regime’s conduct over time rather than being granted immediately under the agreement.
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