AS IT HAPPENED: Iran fires on ships as Strait of Hormuz closes again; Australia urged to 'inject' itself into Hormuz dispute; Trump says he won't stand for 'blackmail'

That ends today's live coverage of the Middle East war.

Iran has closed the key shipping route the Strait of Hormuz again, blaming the US for "breaches of trust" during the ongoing ceasefire.

Two merchant vessels transiting the strait have been fired on, according to reports.

US officials have been seen arriving at the White House as negotiations with Iran approach a critical juncture, with the temporary ceasefire set to expire in a few days.

And Australia is "clearly going to help" in the war, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles says.

"I think what America wants, as we all want, is ultimately to see the Strait of Hormuz open," he said.

Top US officials have been seen arriving at the White House as negotiations with Iran approach a critical juncture, with the temporary ceasefire set to expire in a few days, CNN reports.

They included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the CIA director, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

CNN says it has asked the White House if they were attending formal meetings.

Trump earlier reacted to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by saying "Iran can't blackmail us".

Donald Trump has called Israel a "great ally" in a post on his social media network.

The US president said: "Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America. They are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard, and knows how to WIN!"

The strikes against Iran are a joint operation between the two nations.

The navy of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it extended the closure to the corridor it had earlier designated for the safe passage of vessels through the strategic waterway and declared the strait fully closed until the US blockade on Iranian ports and ships is lifted.

On Friday, Iran said vessels could move through the strait in coordination with it and against the payment of a toll, AP says.

But in a statement late on Saturday carried by Iran's state media, the navy warned that any violating vessel would be targeted.

Iran considers the US blockade a violation of the ceasefire between the two countries.

Two vessels were attacked earlier on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz and off Oman's coast, at least one of them by Iranian gunboats.

Israel's military says another soldier died in combat in southern Lebanon, the second death announced in less than 12 hours.

It brought the total number of soldiers killed in Lebanon to 15, and was the second soldier killed in combat since the ceasefire, AP reports.

The military said another soldier was badly wounded in the same incident, along with four moderately wounded and four lightly injured.

It was the second soldier to die since the ceasefire.

The first died because of wounds sustained during combat, the military said.

The woman Donald Trump defeated in the 2024 United States presidential election has said Israel "pulled" him into the war with Iran.

Former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has told a party women's caucus in Michigan that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced Trump to launch Operation Epic Fury.

"(Trump) entered a war — and he got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu, let's be clear about that — that the American people didn't want," Harris said.

"Among the many consequences of it is jacking up the price of gas."

Trump has denied he came under Israeli pressure and maintains he ordered the strikes to ensure Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon.

- With The Detroit News

The federal government has been urged to "interject" Australia into the row over the Strait of Hormuz, or risk a global recession.

Former Nationals leader, David Littleproud, told Weekend Today this morning such a move would help keep shipping moving through the strategically vital waterway and lessen the economic impacts.

"President Trump and Iran are playing a high stakes game of chicken... it is important as a good global citizen we do our bit," Littleproud said.

"We need to inject ourselves into this dispute and make sure there is the safe navigation of those tankers through the strait of Hormuz and there is no tariff of $2m per boat."

Australia is "clearly going to help" in the war, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles says.

He was speaking to the ABC this morning after Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Marles was asked whether Australia was going to support the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and replied he was not about to "second guess" the Trump administration's actions.

"I think what America wants, as we all want, is ultimately to see the Strait of Hormuz open," he said.

Trump has just finished holding a meeting in the White House Situation Room with key advisers over events in Iran, reports Axios.

A senior administration official told the US media outlet that barring a new development in peace negotiations, the fighting could reopen later this week when the ceasefire lapses on Tuesday.

The official told Axios that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth were among other government officials who attended the meeting.