LIVE UPDATES: Ship struck by drone in Strait of Hormuz

Trump has told American farmers who his administration invited to the White House that Iran will buy their produce, but the message hasn’t got through to Tehran.

The guests heard the president tell them Iran would use some of its unfrozen assets to “a lot of” soybeans, wheat and corn.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dismissed the claim in a post on X.

“America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture,” he wrote

“Interesting. The only crop we’re harvesting is what you planted: decades of mistrust. It’s organic, abundant, and homegrown. But apparently the US only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises and trash talks.”

Here is an update on one of Trump’s pet projects: the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC, a target for apparent vandalism.

A top official at the US National Park Service says lining along the bottom of the pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a major renovation.

The official’s statement was part of a court document filed this week as part of a lawsuit filed by opponents seeking to halt the Trump administration’s work on the project, reports the Associated Press.

Trump has vented against environmental protesters he described as vandals.

He even spent a chunk of his White House meeting this week with the chief of NATO discussing damage to the Reflecting Pool. 

Defence Minister Richard Marles has agreed to release information about the country’s arms exports to Israel, following a Federal Court order.

The ruling came after the Australian Centre for International Justice, representing Palestinian human rights groups, sought a clearer picture about Australian weapons sales to Israel, including parts for F-35 warplanes.

Oil prices have jumped more than 2 per cent after a cargo ship was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.

The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose to $US75.26 a barrel, as concerns about the global flow of fuel reawakened, reports Reuters.

On Thursday the price of Brent and US crude plunged to their lowest since February 27, the day before the US-Iran war broke out.

Earlier, a US official told The Associated Press the ship was hit by an Iranian drone.

The Florida Glades migration centre, known as “Alligator Alcatraz”, has closed, the state’s governor announced.

Ron DeSantis says the makeshift facility, heralded by the Trump administration, was a success and led to the deportation of 21,000 people.

But human rights activists say the centre was never safe or humane for holding people.

Detainees at the facility have talked about their difficulty accessing lawyers and described poor physical conditions, including worms in the food, toilets that didn’t flush and mosquitoes everywhere.

DeSantis said the centre, which opened in July 2025, was always meant to be only temporary until more permanent detention facilities could be found.

The merchant vessel that was attacked earlier today was hit by an Iranian drone, a US official has told The Associated Press.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation, said that the merchant vessel Ever Lovely was attacked by a drone being flown by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre reported the attack overnight but only said that the ship was struck by a “projectile off Oman near UN-approved route for Strait of Hormuz.”

There were no causalities nor any environmental impact.

US President Donald Trump has scored another major Supreme Court victory in his crackdown on migrants.

The 6-3 decision allows the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly end temporary protected status for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria.

The move potentially exposes hundreds of thousands of people in the United States to deportation, reports Associated Press.  

The Supreme Court overturned previous lower court orders and found that immigration authorities have sole authority over the migrant program.

The evacuation of thousands of stranded ships and their crews in the Middle East has been paused after a vessel was hit by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.

The chief of the UN International Maritime Organisation says the plan to move stranded ships through the strait will be on hold until the agency can confirm safety guarantees for the vessels on the evacuation list.

“To ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained,” IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said.

It was unclear who launched the projectile or the type of vessel that was targeted.

The UK military report of a strike came hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using a UN-approved route through the strait without Tehran’s permission.

Iran’s Foreign Minister has again claimed the Strait of Hormuz will no longer be a free shipping lane.

About 20 per cent of the world’s oil traffic, as well as significant fertiliser supply, uses the strait, which has been periodically shut by Iran since the start of the war with the US.

Abbas Araghchi posted on X early this morning that he had spoken with his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi.

“We re-emphasised that Iran and Oman will conduct dialogue ‘to define future administration and maritime services in Strait of Hormuz.’ We’re determined and will do so in discussion with our neighbours,” he wrote.

The US has said it will not tolerate tolls for use of the waterway - unless it imposes them itself, as floated by Trump.