AS IT HAPPENED: Hundreds of Australian servos run out of one type of fuel; Trump postpones strikes on Iranian energy sites; Iran says there was 'no dialogue' between Tehran and Washington

Thanks for joining us again for our rolling coverage of the war in Iran. We'll close our blog off here.

We will have more from the Middle East overnight and be back tomorrow with live coverage.

Here are some of the key moments from today:

• Hundreds of servos without fuel
• Government not considering fuel excise suspension; Chalmers
• White House reportedly eyeing off Iranian speaker as possible future leader
• Australian shares bounce back

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been discussing the conflict with some of his counterparts.

His office said that included officials from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Turkey and Turkmenistan since yesterday

Turkey's Foreign Ministry declined to comment yesterday on whether the country had relayed messages between Iran and the US on Sunday.

Turkey has been an intermediary in past talks between Tehran and Washington.

Turkish officials said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had also spoken to his counterparts from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, the European Union, and with US officials, as part of efforts to end the war.

Iran has fired multiple waves of missiles at Israel, with reports of an impact in the country's north, and an explosion heard in central Tel Aviv, followed by billowing smoke. 

Officials gave no immediate information about the blast early this morning (this afternoon AEDT).

In Kuwait, power lines were hit from air defence shrapnel, causing partial electricity outages in several hours. 

Missile alert sirens sounded in Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry said it had destroyed 19 Iranian drones targeting its oil-rich Eastern Province.

An Israeli strike early Tuesday on a residential apartment in Bchamoun, around 10 kilometres south-east of Beirut, killed at least two people, according to an initial toll from the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The strike wounded five others, the ministry added.

The strike came without warning and hit an area outside Beirut's southern suburbs, where the Israeli military had previously issued evacuation notices.

Footage circulating online showed at least one apartment in a building engulfed in flames.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government probably won't suspend the fuel excise when quizzed in Parliament today.

Chalmers was probed by independent Rebekha Sharkie during question time about whether the government would suspend the fuel excise for 60 days "to provide immediate relief for Australians".

"We are in a cost of living emergency. We must act now," Sharkie commented.

But Chalmers said changes to the fuel excIse was "not something that we have been considering".

"We have been working very hard to provide cost-of-living relief in the most responsible way that we can," he said.

Bowen has now announced a fresh measure to shore up Australia's diesel supply.

The government will alter the national diesel standards, slightly lowering the combustion temperature – also known as the flashpoint – to 60.5 degrees.

"(This) provides a little more flexibility to importers as to what diesel we can import into Australia, and a little more flexibility for refiners to switch between fuels as well," Bowen said.

"These are practical measures."

A slightly later than usual question time is under way in federal parliament, where Energy Minister Chris Bowen has been asked how many service stations are out of fuel at the moment.

NSW: Out of 2417 service stations, 164 are without diesel, 289 are "without at least one type of fuel".

Queensland: Out of 1800, 55 are without diesel and 35 are without regular unleaded petrol.

Victoria: Out of 1627, 162 are without one or more grade of fuel.S

outh Australia: Out of 700, 46 have one or more grades unavailable.

Western Australia: Out of 671, six have a "total stock-out".

Tasmania: Out of 250, one service station is out of diesel and six with no unleaded.

Northern Territory: There are no shortages caused by the fuel supply crisis, but the extreme weather, including flooding, is causing some issues.

No service stations in the ACT are out of fuel.

So, by my maths, that's a grand total of 600 servos across the country without at least one type of fuel.

While we're talking about South Korea, the nation's foreign minister, Cho Hyun, says he has appealed directly to Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz.

"I had a phone call with Foreign Minister (Abbas) Araghchi this evening to discuss the recent developments in the Middle East," Cho said in a social media post last night.

"I expressed deep concern over the impact of the regional situation on global security and the economy. I called for Iran's de-escalation efforts and measures to ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"I requested Iran's special attention and support for the safety of our citizens in Iran, as well as necessary safety measures, while explaining that numerous vessels of affected countries, including ours, are currently anchored in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We agreed to maintain close communication on this matter."

South Korea will restrict car use by public servants and extend government-set caps on fuel prices as it tries to weather the shock of the war that has exposed the vulnerabilities of an economy highly dependent on trade and imported energy.

In announcing the measures at a cabinet meeting today, President Lee Jae Myung called for national unity to overcome the war's growing strain, which he compared to challenges the country faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and past financial crises.

Public employees with fossil-fuel vehicles will be required to keep their cars off the road at least one day per week, starting tomorrow.

Electric and hydrogen vehicles will be exempt.

Earlier this month, South Korea reinstated fuel price caps that had been scrapped in the 1990s to curb soaring costs and Lee confirmed that the temporary two-week caps will be extended.

South Korea is one of Australia's main sources of oil product imports, and also a significant customer for Australian natural gas.

There's a proposal for a round of peace talks between Iran and the US to be held in Pakistan and feature Vice-President JD Vance, CNN reports.

Two sources have told the outlet the proposal would see the talks held as soon as this week.

Vance's mooted involvement is significant.

The vice-president is a well-known anti-interventionalist. Normally a prolific presence on social media, he was noticeably quiet following the US-Israeli decision to begin the war against Iran.

Indeed, he wasn't even in the same city as Trump when the first air strikes were ordered and the president later acknowledged his deputy was "philosophically a little bit different than me" on the decision to start the war.