Live updates: US strikes drone ship 'the size of an aircraft carrier'; PM confirms Australians aboard US sub that sank warship; More Aussies return home; ACCC puts servos on notice over surging petrol prices

We will leave today's rolling coverage of the conflict in the Middle East here for now, thank you for reading.

We will resume live coverage if the conflict escalates.

Today marked six days since the US-Israel joint strike on Iran, which prompted retaliatory strikes in the Middle East region.

Hundreds of citizens have now returned to Australian soil since fighting began, while thousands remain stranded across the warzones.

Flights carrying repatriated passengers are expected to continue arriving from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, petrol prices are soaring in Australia following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Intense Israeli strikes are also taking place in Iran and Lebanon.

For more coverage, visit Nine.com.au.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has released unclassified video footage of its forces striking an Iranian drone-carrying vessel.

In a video posted to social media site X, CENTCOM confirmed the attack on the ship, but said while it has been damaged, it hasn't been sunk.

"US forces aren't holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy," it said.

"Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire."

Intense Israeli airstrikes have pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon in the last few hours.

Israel's military said it had begun "a broad-scale wave of strikes" on Tehran, Iran's capital.

Witnesses described the Israeli airstrikes as particularly intense, shaking homes in the area.

Others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah in an area that is home to multiple missile bases.

The Israeli military said strikes have already destroyed most of Iran's air defences and missile launchers.

The United States appears to be responsible for the deadly strike on a girls' school in Iran that killed about 150 students, according to Reuters.

The news wire is reporting Pentagon military investigators believe US forces were likely responsible for the strike, but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation, citing two US officials.

Reuters was unable to determine more details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the tentative assessment, what type of munition was used, who was responsible or why the US might have struck the school, nor how far away a conclusive decision is.

The girls' school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on Saturday during the first day of US and Israeli attacks.

Iran's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students. That death toll hasn't been independently verified.

Several senior US officials have publicly confirmed an investigation into the incident, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

– with Reuters

The United States has temporarily lifted a restriction placed on Russian oil.

The White House had forced India to commit to stop buying oil from Moscow.

However, with prices spiking due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration has allowed a temporary resumption of that trade.

"To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

"This deliberately short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea.

"India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of US oil.

"This stop-gap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran's attempt to take global energy hostage."

Checking back in with the share market, and the ASX has pared back some of its losses.

We reported at 10am that the index had plunged 1.2 per cent in early trading, although the loss is now sitting at closer to 1 per cent.

Following on from our last post, it feels like a good time to pass on a message from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Coincidentally, the consumer watchdog warned servos earlier today to play by the rules as petrol prices surge across the country.

"We remind retailers that making false or misleading statements to consumers about the reasons of price increases would be in breach of the Australian consumer law," Anna Brakey from the ACCC said.

"The ACCC will not hesitate to take action if representations and market behaviour by a petrol company contravene competition and consumer laws.

"We have written to major fuel companies to set out our expectations about domestic fuel pricing as these international events unfold.

"At this time, as at any time, we encourage motorists to use fuel price apps and websites to shop around to find the lowest prices."

Now here's a sight to make motorists weep: petrol selling for just 0.1 cent short of $3 a litre.

The picture was snapped by 9News out at Henry Lawson Drive at Georges Hall, in Sydney's west.

Since it was taken, the price of unleaded 98 there has dropped from 299.9 cents a litre back to 249.9 – a comparative bargain.

This time last week, the average price of premium 98 in NSW was 202.7 cents a litre.

One of the leading thinktanks in the United States has put a dollar figure on the opening exchanges of the war in the Middle East and, as you'd expect, it's no small amount.

According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the US racked up an estimated $US3.7 billion ($5.3 billion) in the opening 100 hours of the conflict, the vast majority of which was not already budgeted for.

Most of that – some $US3.1 billion – went towards munitions, with combat losses and infrastructure damage costing $US359 million, as well as $US196.3 million in operational and support costs.

"The United States has expended over 2000 munitions of various types in the first 100 hours of the campaign," CSIS stated.

"Central Command has provided few specifics on munitions used.

"Using past US air campaigns as a guide, this analysis estimates it will cost $US3.1 billion to replenish the US munitions inventory on a like-for-like basis, with the costs increasing by $US758.1 million a day."

The research added a shift to less expensive munitions and the "steep decline of Iranian drone and missile launches" will lower costs.

"However, future costs will depend mostly on the intensity of operations and the effectiveness of Iranian retaliation," it added.

Iran has targeted a hotel in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, according to the Gulf state's interior ministry.

"Iranian aggression targeted a hotel and two residential buildings in Manama," it said in a social media post about an hour ago.

"No loss of life were recorded.

"Civil defence extinguished a fire in a flat in one of the two buildings."