Breakfast News Recap: Trump hardens Iran stance as shipping fears grow and global tech shares slide

The White House is weighing whether a new US strike on Iran can still be avoided as post election pressure builds in Washington, while Donald Trump sharpened his rhetoric by saying Iran will not be able to do anything on its nuclear programme without US approval.  🔗 🔗

At the same time, Iranian forces reported five oil tankers and a tugboat on fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, deepening shipping security fears, even as Tehran said ships from India, China, Iraq and Qatar would be exempt from restrictions in the waterway.  🔗 🔗

Trump also said a Russia Ukraine agreement could be close after meeting Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, with further talks due in Abu Dhabi, while Putin separately met Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei in Moscow and received a message from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.  🔗 🔗

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at the Medina region near Yanbu, and the UN condemned the seizure of eight Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers in Jericho, saying the takeover forcibly displaced dozens of people.  🔗 🔗

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Israel's political deadlock continued, with President Isaac Herzog expected to decide by Sunday whether Gadi Eisenkot gets the first mandate to try to form a government after lawmakers split their backing, while residents in southern Lebanon were packing bags amid fears of renewed Israeli escalation.  🔗 🔗 🔗

Elsewhere in Europe, at least 21 aircraft and several airports were hit by bomb threats for a second day, causing diversions and military escorts, and a fire was reported overnight at Russia's Afipsky refinery after a drone attack.  🔗 🔗

In Asia and the Pacific, Qantas warned of fare rises and a 4 percent cut in domestic flights because of higher fuel costs linked to the Middle East war, while global tech weakness spread after Wall Street losses and fears of tighter AI regulation.  🔗 🔗

In the United States, a federal judge paused construction of Trump's proposed triumphal arch in Washington for 14 days, California Governor Gavin Newsom commuted all 548 death sentences in the state, and a top Justice Department civil rights official resigned as Congress prepares new probes.  🔗 🔗 🔗

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Other developments included Trump denying shake up rumours about Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio, Rubio rejecting speculation that he plans to leave the administration, and Trump proclaiming the Oval Office as a US national monument.  🔗 🔗 🔗

Further afield, the British Ebola patient repatriated from the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived in the UK for specialist treatment, South Africa's ANC was on about 32 percent in early municipal results, Turkiye ratified the Saudi Pakistan defence pact, and the UN warned of a new drone threat after deadly strikes in Abyei.  🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗

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