US-Iran war updates: Under attack UAE closes airspace, Marles rules out fuel rationing

As calls for de-escalation in Lebanon from Western leaders grow louder, the Israeli Defence Forces announced it is deploying more troops.

The beefed-up forces aims to remove looming Hezbollah threats in northern Israel.

Ten foreigners have been arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence organisation on suspicion of spying, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.

The 10 arrested have been accused of collecting information on sensitive sites and preparing field operations in Iran’s North East, local media reported.

The report did not include the nationalities of those arrested.

One person has been killed from falling debris of a ballistic missile in Abu Dhabi, the media office announced.

The victim is believed to be a Pakistani national who was killed from debris in the Baniyas area.

Iran’s football federation is in talks with FIFA to play their men’s World Cup matches in Mexico.

Amid the ongoing Middle East war, Iran has begun “negotiating” to relocate their first-round games away from the United States, Iran’s embassy in Mexico said.

President Donald Trump previously said the Iranian team would be “welcome to the World Cup” but also reiterated that he believed it would not be “appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety”.

President of Iranian Football Federation Mehdi Taj said that the relocation would be the best course of action for their players safety.

“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” he announced on X.

“We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”

Their side had qualified for the 48-team tournament, with two group matches set to be played in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

Israel’s embassy has told Grace Tame to “educate” herself after the Australian of the Year recipient dismissed horrific testimony of rape and other sexual violence during Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023.

During an interview this week, Ms Tame, who won the national award for her fierce advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, decried reports of sexual violence during the assault as “propaganda” that “have been debunked”.

Her view contradicts those of experts, including the UN Special Representative on Sexual ­Violence in Conflict.

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The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised interest rates to 4.1 per cent as soaring petrol prices threaten to fuel already-high inflation levels.

Higher fuel prices in response to the Middle East war have been pointed to as a strain on economic activity during a time of weak productivity.

“The conflict in the Middle East has resulted in sharply higher fuel prices, which, if sustained, will add to inflation,” the RBA said in a statement.

The second increase since February has taken the cash rate back to 4.1 per cent for the first time since May last year, and reversed two of the RBA’s three rate cuts in 2025.

The RBA said “developments in the Middle East remain highly uncertain, but under a wide range of possible scenarios could add to global and domestic inflation.

“In light of these considerations, the board judged that inflation is likely to remain above target for some time and that the risks have tilted further to the upside, including to inflation expectations. It was therefore appropriate to increase the cash rate target.”

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The UAE is still fighting off incoming missile’s from Iran after reopening the airspace, their defence ministry announced.

“UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missiles and drone threats from Iran,” the ministry said in a statement.

Updating on social media, the military confirmed that their air defence systems have intercepted ballistic missiles, along with fighter jets intercepting drones and loitering munitions.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has been criticised for posting photos on social media of members of an Iranian women’s soccer team who had sought asylum, several of whom later changed their minds.

Photos of the players and the Labor frontbencher were widely-shared after Mr Burke told the players they were “welcome to stay in Australia, to be safe” amid the Middle East war.

Liberal Senator David Sharma on Tuesday publicly condemned Mr Burke’s handling of the situation.

“Was posting these pictures really a good idea? Several of the players, who initially claimed asylum, changed their mind, seemingly after regime pressure, channelled either directly or through their family in Iran,” Senator Sharma said.

“These pictures would not have helped.”

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Air traffic in the United Arab Emirates has returned to normal after temporary precautionary ⁠measures were lifted, state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday, citing the country’s General Civil Aviation Authority.

Earlier, the authority ‌announced ⁠a temporary closure of the country’s airspace amid rapidly evolving regional ⁠security developments, after the defence ministry said it ⁠was responding to incoming missile and ⁠drone threats from Iran.

- Reuters

Benchmark Brent crude prices have jumped 26 per cent since the start of the conflict, from around $US80 a barrel to $US101 a barrel, and global gas, diesel, and coal prices have surged too.

The winners in the S&P/ASX 200 Index from the war include oil and gas giants Woodside and Santos. Both have jumped more than 15 per cent over the past month. Coal miner Yancoal has risen 27 per cent and New Hope Corp 10 per cent.

But the potential for windfall profits has angered the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), which is demanding tax law changes.

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