AS IT HAPPENED: US blockade of Strait of Hormuz begins; Trump's fight with Pope continues; Iran warns that retaliation will come

Thanks for following our rolling coverage of the war in the Middle East, including the big news of the US implementing its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Here are the main events from today, April 14:

- After implementing his blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump threatened to eliminate any Iranian ships that come close to US ships in the key waterway. Iran responded by accusing the USA of violating international law, ominously saying it would be responsible for any aftershocks that result from the blockade.

- Vice President JD Vance accused Iran of "economic terrorism" by holding held the Strait of Hormuz hostage, claiming the regime was getting a taste of its own medicine.

- Trump's bizarre feud with Pope Leo continued, with the president claiming an AI-generated image of him standing over a sick person with robes and an angelic background was misconstrued. He claimed it was supposed to depict him "as a doctor making people better" rather than a Christ-like figure.

- Closer to home, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia would join a summit hosted by France and the UK this week to discuss protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has floated a four-point proposal for promoting Middle East peace during a meeting with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

According to Chinese official news agency Xinhua, Xi's proposal calls for upholding the principle of regional peaceful coexistence and respecting national sovereignty while underscoring the principles of coordinating development and security.

"Safeguard the authority of the international rule of law. It can't be 'use it when it suits us, discard it when it doesn't,' and we cannot allow the world to revert to the law of the jungle," Xi said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced his government will spend around $100 million in a blitz to try and get people to move towards electric vehicles.

These changes are targeted at regional areas not catered for electric vehicles, and include building thousands of charging points to fill charging blackspots.

He also said there would be plans to upskill mechanics in regional areas so they are able to work on electric vehicles, thereby encouraging more people in the regions to buy them.

"[This is] further taking us away from our dependence on Middle Eastern oil," Minns claimed at a press conference today.

Western Australia is set to receive four million litres of diesel "in the coming weeks," according to Premier Roger Cook.

He said the supply would be stored in the Kimberley region and would be solely for use in the state.

"It will be 100 per cent owned by the state, that means it can be directed to where it is needed most," he said.

Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson added it was a necessary move due to WA's unique geography.

"We are the largest single jurisdiction in the world, we have specific needs, which is why we need to have our own stockpile," she said.

The fallout of the US and Israel's war with Iran is poised to cost the Asia-Pacific economy, including Australia, hundreds of billions of dollars, according to a United Nations report.

Military escalation in the Middle East could cause output losses of between $US97 billion ($136 billion) and $US299 billion ($422 billion) in the Asia Pacific, due to rising costs for transportation, electricity and food, according to an estimate from the United Nations Development Programme.

That would equal about 0.3 per cent to 0.8 per cent of regional GDP.

The worst oil crisis in history has already sent prices for crude and natural gas soaring and weighed on projections for economic growth. Asia is particularly susceptible to the effects of the shortage as a heavy importer of energy from the Middle East.

Australia gets most of its oil from neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.

Reported with CNN.

US President Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of some of the media reporting on the Middle East conflict, especially the New York Times, but he finally found commentary he agreed with.

In a late-night post on Truth Social, he shared a screenshot of an opinion piece in the Washington Post by Marc Thiessen, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush and a commentator on Fox News.

In his piece, Thiessen said Trump's decision to blockade the Strait of Hormuz was "brilliant", claiming it would have the same impact as a military operation, but without the consequences of doing so.

He also claimed the tables had now been turned on Iran, and that they were on the back foot.

Trump did not add a statement to his post, seemingly letting the headline do the talking, though earlier in the day, he launched another tirade towards the New York Times.

"When does this Corrupt Media Outlet apologize for their LIES and horrible actions against me, my supporters, and our Country itself!" he said this morning.

Israel's military said a reserve soldier was killed and three others wounded in fighting in southern Lebanon.

The military said the reservist killed was a firefighting vehicle driver.

According to reports from AFP, three others were wounded.

The death brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the current war in Lebanon to 13.

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah will reject any terms or agreements that may result from talks between Lebanon and Israel in the United States, according to one key official.

Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of Hezbollah's political council, spoke on the eve of the talks expected in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the US.

"As for the outcomes of this negotiation between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, we are not interested in or concerned with them at all," Safa told The Associated Press.

"We are not bound by what they agree to," he added in a rare interview with international media.

He spoke next to a cemetery as an Israeli drone buzzed overhead.

Iran has told the United Nations (UN) that the United States will "bear full responsibility" for any negative fallout that arises from its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani claimed it was a "grave violation" of his country's sovereignty, and said it was a clear act of aggression under international law.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran unequivocally rejects and condemns the unlawful act of the United States," Iravani said.

"It will exercise its inherent right to take all necessary and proportionate measures... to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests.

"The United States bears full responsibility for this internationally wrongful act and for any consequences arising... including its impact on regional and international peace and security."

While hundreds protested outside of his New York office, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was busy delivering a withering appraisal of US President Donald Trump's Operation Epic Fury

Beginning his post on X with "Update on Trump's Operation Epic Fail", Schumer listed several points he claimed the war had failed, and on its negative impact on the United States and the world."

Strait of Hormuz: complete chaos, Iranian regime: still standing, Gas prices: Highest in years, Iran's nuclear ambitions: exactly the same, America's international credibility: worse," he claimed.

Schumer insisted the war had to end now before the President "makes things even worse."

Schumer has not spoken publicly about the protests that occurred outside of his New York office, where demonstrators called for an end to the war, but also for an end to the USA selling arms to Israel.