As it happened: Trump says he faces decision to ‘annihilate’ Iran

Shipping remains below average in the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters reported preliminary shipping data showed just three commodity vessels moved through the waterway on Tuesday local time.

That was down from four the day before.

The 10-day moving average is about 15.

Trump has already suggested he expected he will have to let banned media outlets CNN, Politico, and MS Now back into the White House, though he stands by his decision that many have slammed as state censorship.

Trump said he expected Judge Tim Kelly, whom Trump appointed to the bench in his first term, to “probably” rule against the White House.

“He’s not a particularly fair judge, so you never know. But I’m talking about national security. I think we have a right to clean out fake news. You know, news is fake,” he said.

He claimed the banned outlets were endangering the country by making “false, malicious” statements about the Iran war.

No substantiated claims of such reporting have been put forward.

Former US Vice President Kamala Harris has blasted her one-time campaign rival Donald Trump.

“We are witnessing the most callous, corrupt, and incompetent presidential administration we have ever experienced in the history of America,” Harris said at an NAACP-hosted event in Detroit.

“And there are many factual points that would provide evidence of each of those.I think … the point that I would emphasise is in the face of all that we are witnessing, we must not allow our spirit to be defeated.

“And we must not be distracted from our purpose, as leaders, and as those who provide a model of what it means to fight for the country that we love.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin is becoming “increasingly cavalier, dangerous and risk accepting,” as his war in Ukraine drags on and as he seeks to divide Western allies, NATO’s deputy commander in Europe says.

Air Chief Marshal Sir John Stringer spoke to The Associated Press at a security conference in Estonia amid warnings from some European leaders that Moscow is planning to test NATO’s collective defence pact with bolder attacks that have already included sabotage and espionage.

Stringer warned that NATO members need to be aware of the “febrile environment” and be careful in their response because Putin would like to provoke the alliance into an “overreaction.“

The line between “accidental and deliberate is quite a fine one,” Stringer said, referring to incursions of drones sent off course into NATO airspace by Russian GPS jamming or other electronic countermeasures to defend against Ukrainian drone strikes.

It would be possible for Russia to escalate that activity but it does not mean Moscow has decided to do so, he said.

Albanese has met with Trump over in New York, posting a selfie to mark the moment.

“Always good to catch up with @potus,” Albanese said on Instagram.

“We spoke tonight on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.”

A new poll by CNN shows opposition to the war in Iran has hardened among US citizens.

Just 26 per cent of respondents said they approved of Trump’s handling of the conflict, down from 33 per cent a month after the war began.

And 71 per cent of people said they disapproved of Trump’s management of foreign affairs overall.

The sharpest losses for Trump have been among Republicans, down from 73 per cent in March to 60 per cent now.

And among Republicans younger than 45 that drops further to 53 per cent disapproval.

Three quarters of all adults say Trump doesn’t have a plan to end the war, and 78 per cent say he’s not doing enough to end it.

Nearly a third (32 per cent) said a long-term conflict was “very likely”, the largest number to say so since the war began.

Most bluntly, 78 per cent says the war has hurt the US, and 76 per cent said the war has not been worth the toll in lives and money.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has offered more details on US talks with Iranian officials at the UNGA.

“Today, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, we engaged in lengthy talks with the Iranian delegation through the mediators, who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day,” he said on X.

“They successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising.

“The mediators will continue their work.”

Iranian state media has reported President Masoud Pezeshkian has landed in New York.

Broadcaster IRIB posted a short video on Telegram showing a video of Pezeshkian disembarking his plane, before being ushered into a car by security.

The White House earlier confirmed it would permit Iran’s “core delegation” to attend the UN general assembly.

Other officials including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have already arrived.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN has hammered New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling him a “dangerous leader”.

“If you condemn the elimination of terrorists who took part in the atrocities of October 7, you endorse Hamas,” Danny Danon told CNN.

Mamdani has spoken out strongly against Israeli actions in Gaza, which some international observers have said matches the definition of a genocide.

But he also condemned the October 7 terror attack that saw about 1200 Israelis, including hundreds of civilians, killed.

Mamdani has also been the subject of recent attacks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused him of provoking antisemitic riots in New York.

“What we do know to actually be the truth when it comes to the prime minister is that he is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Mamdani said in a press conference.

“And as the prime minister, is the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians.“

Netanyahu will spend about 24 hours in the US to attend and address the UN General Assembly.

Mamdani had previously promised to have Netanyahu arrested if he visited New York, but later conceded that was beyond the power of the mayor’s office.

The US is not a member of the ICC.